Some companies were originally created with a view to being among the leaders of any field. A striking example is the Canadian Resonessence Labs, founded by people from ESS, the manufacturer of, perhaps, the best Saber delta-sigma DACs. Not surprisingly, almost everything that is done in Resonessence, becomes a real masterpiece. No exception and the DAC with headphone amplifier Concero HP, which will be discussed today.
The main difference of Resonssense Labs products from all the others is a considerable number of completely unexpected functions with which they are filled. For example, in the company's first product, the Invicta expensive top-end DAC, the user will find non-standard features such as support for playing music from SD cards and the HDMI output, which allows you to connect an external monitor to display the interface. Of course, Invicta’s possibilities are not limited to this, but now it’s not about him.
The average budget in the company's lineup is represented by the Concero series of devices, produced in three versions. Two of them are simply DACs, differing in DSD / DXD mode support and noise level characteristics. The simple Concero, built on the ES9023, costs $ 600, the Concero HD, using ES9018-2M, is 850. The hero of this review, the Concero HP, also built on ES9018-2M, is a “combine” - an external DAC combined with an amplifier for headphones ( and also costs $ 850). Despite the relatively high price, Concero are exceptional devices, both in design and in sound. The main (and perhaps the only major) disadvantage of Concero HP is its lack of a linear output, which is strange considering the price, but this is a deliberate company policy, if you need a pure DAC, your choice is Concero HD.
The number of technical developments housed in a small Concero HP case is really impressive. In addition to the ES9018-2M DAC, the inside contains: an asynchronous USB receiver from Cypress Semiconductior, a pair of Analog Designs AD8397 operational amplifiers and a Xylinx Spartan 6 CPU, which is responsible for processing the digital signal and upsampling mechanisms, if necessary. Signals with a sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz can be increased in frequency by 4 times to 176.4 kHz and 192 kHz, respectively, using an apodization filter and using a filter with an infinite impulse response. The difference between the filters clearly demonstrate . To switch between modes, just press the volume knob.
We should also note that the Concero HP uses high-quality film capacitors, high-precision quartz resonators (no PLL), and hardware volume control.
Specifications
- Maximum bit depth: 24 bits
- Maximum sampling rate: 352.8 kHz
- DSD / DXD support: yes
- Output level: 3.5 VRMS
- Output Impedance: 2.2Ω
- Total harmonic distortion + noise: <0.001% @ 100 dB
- Output power: 270 mW @ 32Ω, 206 mW @ 60Ω, 45 mW @ 300Ω, 22 mW @ 600Ω
Design and management
The DAC comes in a simple black cardboard box, as it is very small - most of the box is taken by a foam polyethylene latch. The device itself is carefully placed in a high-quality fabric bag on the strings, which will be useful later for transportation. In addition to the Concero HP, you get a few pieces of paper and a USB cable.
The main thing that captivates in the device is its small size and total conciseness. The flat, square black aluminum box, with a minimum of controls, easily fits in your hand, making the Concero HP the perfect companion to the mobile user. Despite its small size, the DAC is quite weighty, in combination with rubber feet, this ensures reliability on the table. It is not possible to accidentally “brush” him off the table as lighter brethren.
On the back are the USB and coaxial inputs. When enabled, the Concero HP scans USB and, if it detects that it is connected to a computer, the coaxial input is disabled. If it receives only power from USB, the Concero, on the contrary, waits for a signal at the coaxial input. In the future, Ressonesense promise a special utility that will allow the Concero HP to switch to USB-SPDIF converter mode.
On the front side there is a 6.3 mm headphone jack, volume control and LED indicator combined with the logo. When turned on, the indicator lights up red, if there is a signal, it is blue if the upsampling filters are disabled, and crimson if one of the filters is active. Of course, one more color of the indicator is missing, which would allow to distinguish one filter from another, but what is not - that is not.
Volume control is very unusual. The fact that it is pressed to switch filter modes, I have already said. What is more unusual is that the Concero HP connects to the computer as an HID device and, when the volume knob is turned, sends the same commands to the system as the volume buttons on the keyboard. If the player you are using supports it, then it reacts accordingly to a change in volume (for example, the Audirvana rotates the volume knob). If the player does not understand these commands, then the volume changes in the system. Concero HP itself supports software volume control, and with appropriate support from the player, it adjusts the volume using Saber. Naturally, when the Concero is switched in the SPDIF DAC mode, all volume control is performed in the device itself. Thanks to this approach, we are completely devoid of all the disadvantages of analog volume control.
Of the rest of the decorations can be noted only the inscription on the top stamped Concero.
Concero is able to work with the console for Apple technology, without the need for "pairing". The Menu button switches the filter modes, the remaining buttons are translated by the Concero into the corresponding playback control commands and sent to the host computer, so you can control even a Windows computer from the console, which is a nice bonus.
Sound
The following equipment was used for listening:
- MacBook Pro Retina Late 2013 as a source;
- Audirvana Plus as a player;
- Headphones Philips Fidelio X1, AKG K702, ZMF Fostex, Fischer Audio FA-003 Bog Oak Limited Edition, Fischer Audio FA-011 Limited Edition Japan, Sennheiser HD600, Dunu DN-2000, HiFiMan Re600;
- Records in lossless and DSD format.
DAC pleases with its unpretentiousness. It easily “chews” on sound with any sampling rate and bit depth, as well as new-fangled DSD recordings, producing an excellent sound. And so great that you simply forget that in front of you is a compact device powered by USB. Of course, with an output power of 270 mW on headphones with an impedance of 32Ω, the Concero HP cannot be called a power monster capable of uncovering any headphones, but for 90% of the solutions available on the market it is enough with a good margin. The output impedance of 2.2 Ω can make itself felt on very low-impedance multi-driver headphones, but all the multi-drivers from those that I have on hand have become friends with Concero HP very well.
In general, I want to separately note that for IEM (except, perhaps, for individual models), this amplifier fits more than well: no hint of noise, excellent control over all frequencies, including the lowest ones.
The bass is well controlled, and even “bass” headphones, such as V-Moda products, sound in great detail without bass and bass cuts to the rest of the range. Hybrid headphones are very good with this DAC, they gain the necessary power and impact, for which their dynamic emitters are created.
Middle frequencies are solid and full of nuances. Due to the good resolution, all the tools are separated from each other, their character is perfectly readable.
Upper frequencies are also good. They are devoid of excessive brightness, but they will be pleased with the resolution and detail.
In general, the Concero HP did well with almost all the headphones that were offered to it, including the 300-ohm Sennhiser, with a few quite explainable exceptions. The first exception is isodynamic headphones, which require more energy for their disclosure, the second exception is the expected AKG K702, which, due to its design features, is quite capricious of choosing a source and also requires sufficient power from the amplifier.
findings
Very unusual device that is difficult to accurately position. On the one hand, the relatively high price of $ 850 and the lack of a linear output look inhumane. On the other hand, very high-quality sound, small size and excellent design make the DAC of its kind unique. If you are looking for one device that will stay with you for a long time and will “endure all the hardships and deprivations”, Concero HP is more than a good choice. It supports all modern formats and the highest sampling rates currently available, so you will not have to think about the upgrade for a very long time.
The article is based on materials .
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