"Product Details/Highlights...
When it was introduced, the DS Pro set the standard for digital playback, making it into Class A of Stereophile's recommended components. The DS Pro was...the first software-based digital processor, employing Motorola 56001 DSP (Digital Signal Processing) chips.
All the DSPro Basic's electronics are carried on a single printed circuit board, separated into digital and analog sections. The unit has two separate power supplies, one for the digital section and one for analog circuitry. The digital supply consists of a transformer, rectifier, two 4700µF filter caps, and a large heat-sunk regulator in a TO-3 package. The analog supply is more elaborate, with a similar transformer, two rectifiers, and four 2200µF filter caps. Additional analog power-supply components are located at the other end of the PCB, next to the DACs and analog output stage. Six voltage regulators are used in the analog supply, but not the typical TO-220 type found in most digital processors. Instead, they are small round metal cans which, according to DSPro Basic designer Mike Moffat, offer superior sound over the less expensive and easier-to-implement TO-220s.
The digital section features the ubiquitous Yamaha YM3623B 16-bit S/PDIF decoder, along with a few chips whose markings were painted over. The Yamaha decoder extracts the clock information from the signal with an internal phase-locked loop (PLL), strips out the subcode, demultiplexes left and right audio, and sends the data to the next processing stage.
The wire carrying the digital data stream from the RCA input jack to the digital board was carefully chosen for its sonic virtues. This low-propagation delay wire was suggested by Dave Magnan, maker of the highly regarded Magnan Type V interconnects. According to Mike Moffat's listening tests, even this short (3") piece of wire carrying ones and zeros affects the processor's sound. Other design aspects of the DSPro Basic include careful attention to timing relationships and clock signals to avoid jitter, an input circuit to keep RF out, and minimizing ground-plane noise."
For the price, very worth checking out.
Thanks for listening,
Dsper
