Perreaux Silhouette SXCD owner manual

Increased Read Speed

Precision Master Clock

Ultra Short Signal Paths

Digital

Output

Transformer

BNC Digital

Output

Connector

Custom

Designed

Toroidal

Transformer

Multiple

Regulated

Power

Supplies

The increased 4x-8x read speed of the optical drive, compared with 1x-2x speeds of standard mechanisms, gives the drive more opportunity for error correction – ensuring the audio data stream is a true reflection of what is presented on the compact disc.

The master clock, and its implementation, is the single most important aspect of any CD player. A precision clock oscillator with high temperature stability, fast 8ns rise and fall times and jitter less than 5ps provides the foundation for best possible jitter performance. Optimal physical location close to the SPDIF transmitter and DAC ensure jitter levels are kept to a minimum.

The circuitry for the analog and digital outputs have been laid out with the utmost care – components are arranged as compact as physically possible to keep track lengths to a minimum, ensuring signal paths are as short and direct as possible.

Utilising what is arguably the best digital audio transformer on the market today, the digital output transformer from Scientific Conversion ensures the SPDIF signal maintains very low levels of jitter. High Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMMR) and decreased capacitance guarantee greatly reduced interference susceptibility, noise and pulse aberration.

RCA connectors are inherently disadvantaged for use with the high frequency (1.4MHz-2.8MHz) signals associated with 44.1kHz/16-bit digital audio. Design limitations mean RCA connectors can never achieve a characteristic impedance of 75<, resulting in reflections and signal loss due to impedance mismatch. In contrast, BNC connectors are purposely designed to carry high frequency signals, up to 2GHz for 75< – therefore overcome the problems exhibited by RCA connectors.

The 36VA toroid transformer is custom designed by Toroid International (Noratel) exclusively for Perreaux. The fully screened transformer, along with the low mechanical hum and low exterior magnetic field inherent in toroidal transformers, provides a solid foundation for the low-noise power supplies.

Stable, clean power is paramount in any CD player for good performance. Two transformer secondary windings, and three regulated power supplies, ensure power to the optical drive is isolated from the sensitive analog and digital supplies. The DAC is further isolated from the digital supply with its own local voltage regulator.

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