Tambaqui DAC
Digital That’s As Good As Analogue
Responding to popular demand, Mola Mola launched the famous discrete DAC from the Makua as a separate unit.
Mola Mola’s Tambaqui DAC is the perfect upgrade for owners of complete high-end systems who want to retain the characteristic sound of their existing preamplifier whilst lifting their digital sources to another level. The converter is a two board stack. On the first board, all incoming digital audio is upsampled to 3.125MHz/32 bits and converted to noise shaped PWM. On the other board are two mono DACs, in which a discrete 32- stage FIR DAC and a single-stage 4th order filtering I/V converter, convert the PWM into analogue with a breathtaking 130dB SNR. This is near the theoretical limit for 24-bit files and far beyond that of even quad-speed DSD. Uniquely, distortion remains below the noise floor even for full scale signals.
With the addition of a lossless digital volume control and headphone outputs, it is also the ideal control hub of a minimalist audio system for music lovers who have moved on to a digital sources only system. This DAC, combined with a pair of Mola Mola Kaluga monoblocks constitutes the finest digital replay chain available, irrespective of price.
Key Features
OPERATING PRINCIPAL
PWM DAC with 32-stage discrete analogue FIR output stage. Avoids 'sigma delta' tones and 'R2R' glitch and low-level linearity errors.
Asynchronous upsampling to 3.125MHz/32 bit. 7-th order noise shaper clearing 80kHz band. Each input rate has an optimized upsampling filter chain.
I/O
Optical (Toslink)
S/PDIF (Cinch)
AES/EBU (XLR)
USB type B
Ethernet (Roon Ready)
Bluetooth (SBC, AAC, APTX, LDAC)
IВІS over HDMI
Balanced output (XLR)
Headphone output (6.3mm Jack, Balanced XLR 4pin)
2 programmable trigger outputs (3.5mm Jack)
Processing balance and input gain offset
Selectable output levels
Phase invert
SUPPORTED FORMATS
PCM up to 384kHz/32 bits (>192kHz and >24 bits via USB and Roon only)
DoP and Native DSD up to quad speed (USB and Roon only)
PERFORMANCE
Full-Scale Output Level (XLR): 18dBu
Full-Scale Output Level (headphone): 18dBu
Signal to Noise Ratio: 130dB
THD, IMD: not measurable (estimated -140dB)
Bandwidth: Up to 80kHz (apodizing response)
Integrated jitter: <1ps from 10Hz upwards, <300fs from 1kHz upwards Jitter rejection: >80dB at 1Hz after 20 seconds of loc
CONTROL
Front button source selection and volume setting
4 programmable presets
(Premium) Remote Control
Mola Mola Remote app
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
200mm (W) x 110mm (H) x 320mm (D)
5.2kg
Mola Mola embodies the idea that once you've removed everything that isn't the music, that what remains is the music.
This is radical. Today's high-end audio has become all about mixing circuit topologies and parts to make a sonic blend that the designer thinks “sounds about right”. You'd almost forget that getting closer to the sound as crafted by the artist really means keeping the replay system from changing it.
