Anyone know anything about Empirical Audio?
http://www.empiricalaudio.com/What do y'all think of this?
Monarchy DIP Mods/add USB
The Monarchy DIP upsampler utilizes the same upsampling chip as our
reference DAC, the P-3A. For a jitter-reducing device, it has a number of
circuit weaknesses that can be improved to reduce jitter even more.
This mod takes it to a new level of clarity and focus, matching the output
impedance to exactly 75 ohms and speeding-up the edge-rates so that
a shorter output S/PDIF cable can successfully be used. When the USB
interface is installed, this makes a very convenient method to interface
your PC to your favorite DAC or SS integrated amp. The length of the USB
interface can be much longer than the S/PDIF and will not degrade the
audio quality.
The Monarchy mods include:
1. Power supply improvements - FREDs in place of rectifiers
2. Power delivery improvements to the upsampling chip, including Black
Gates
3. output S/PDIF driver circuitry redesign - new pulse transformer
4. Optional modded Superclock3 or SuperTurboclock3
The USB mods include:
1. Adding USB interface and eliminating the Toslink input
2. Redesign of the S/PDIF input to improve jitter
3. Sheet-metal work for USB
Pricing:
Monarchy mod - $500
Modded Superclock3 - $450
SuperTurboclock3 option - Add $100 to Superclock2
Add USB interface - $325
The mods take 2-3 days to complete, depending on backlog.