![]() The rear panel contains a 10-switch array for setting the cartridge load. #Vinylstudio for windows review drivers#Fantastic! And of course I scrolled way up to 78dB for my 0.25mV output MC cartridge! Best of all, there was very low noise even with full gain at healthy volume levels… the kind of noise you can only hear with your ear up real close to the speaker drivers (even with the RCA outputs). There are twenty-one possible gain settings between 18dB and 78dB in 3dB steps displayed via the front panel menu. I loved the easy cartridge gain settings. This is a fairly easy and intuitive system to comprehend-much easier than any Blu-ray player or A/V receiver. One side scrolls through seven different modes of operation while the other side selects the different options for each mode. On the front of the NPC is an OLED screen display flanked by two up/down buttons on each side. This makes for a very high resolution jitter-free connection. It is meant for connection to other audio gear like PS Audio’s Perfect Wave DAC that use the I 2S configuration via HDMI. Also, the HDMI output will not work with standard HDMI inputs found on other equipment like Televisions, Blu-ray players or gaming consoles. It will not work to feed the input of a USB DAC. I should mention that the USB output is only intended mainly for connecting to a computer for recording purposes. On the digital side we have a coaxial S/PDIF output, an asynchronous USB output, and an I 2S output via HDMI connector. Outputs include one pair of RCA analog phono outputs and a pair of Balanced XLR outputs. There is also a USB input but it is only purpose is for firmware updates if and when they are available. The rear panel contains one pair of RCA line inputs and a pair of high-quality RCA phono inputs that provide the RIAA equalization. The NuWavePhono Converter has many intuitive and useful features and the latest chic rounded corners that many new components now offer. Just between you and me, for all the NPC can do, its suggested list price of only $1,895 is a steal! (Stay tuned for more on that later.) And musicians can even make their own recordings and then down sample them to CD, Mp3, or other types of downloadable media files. #Vinylstudio for windows review archive#So while some users will be perfectly content to use the NPC as an excellent, high quality analog phono preamp, others will use it to archive their favorite LP records and tapes. The NPC produces both high resolution DSD or PCM from its digital outputs and superb fully balanced analog from its RCA or Balanced XLR audio outputs. And since it runs as a core DSD converter with input sampling at 352,800Hz (5.6MHz) per second, it even has the potential to make Master-quality recordings from a live feed by using quality microphones using and an appropriate microphone preamp. I’ve found that the NPC facilitates making nearly perfect copies of not only phonograph records, but of any type of analog source. The digital stream can thus be recorded on any computer with the requisite recording software. In addition to serving as an excellent, full-feature phono preamp in its own right, it can convert the analog output from records and tapes to a digital stream that can be output to a computer via either USB or S/PDIF connectors. In truth the NPC is like a sophisticated, high-resolution tool you can use to make your own compact recording studio. Well, what good is that, one might ask? Here’s the deal. It was through “Paul’s Posts,” and his monthly newsletter that I learned of PS Audio’s NuWave Phono Converter (NPC) that differs from the usual phono preamp in that it contains a high-performance fully analog phono preamplifier and a separate high-resolution A to D converter on the same chassis. I appreciate that he shares his insider viewpoint in his genuine, open, and non-pushy manner. “Paul’s Posts,” where Paul provides short blogs on many audiophile topics including the rationale behind PS Audio’s product development, occasionally sprinkled with some very interesting and amusing anecdotes. Over the past few years I’ve become a fan of PS Audio’s Paul McGowan and his daily e-mail blogs, i.e. ![]()
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