Category: News

Alpha Design Labs GT40α USB DAC

Purchased this on Tuesday from my good friends at Audio Advisor who shipped it out quickly arriving at my door on Thursday. I was happy with the Schitt Mani pre-amp but not completely satisfied with it so while I was off sick last week I did some research and came across the Furutech/ADL GT40a (Alpha). Since it has been around a while it has been tried and tested with great reviews. I decided to order it and give it a try, so far I am very pleased with it, the soundstage seems wide with clarity and great bass. There will be some burn-in time as it really gets warmed up and starts developing its sound as is the case with most audio electronics. I look forward to hearing your feedback on how you think it sounds. Yesterdays OMD post was the first one using the GT40a.

-Paul

The GT40α built for enthusiasts with growing music collections on their computer hard drives. It’s a high-performance 24bits/192kHz USB DAC that’s amazingly affordable. Looking to convert your LPs or other analog sources to digital? The GT40α will take you to the podium with every album you archive.

The seriously-shielded audiophile-grade GT40α features a low-latency USB 2.0 audio driver that plays and records at 24bits/192kHz. A likely first for this category, the GT40α includes a built-in low-noise MM / MC phono preamp! Record your favorite vinyl to hard disk via the USB output.

The ADL GT40α features L/R analog outputs, and switchable line or phono inputs with a vivid, captivating sound that is simply unheard of in this category.

The ADL GT40α (wired with ADL’s Formula 2 cable of course!) brings Furutech’s signature sound — smooth, detailed clarity — to desktop systems, especially with high-resolution 24bits/192kHz files, but even 16-bit/44.1kHz files sound impeccable and very musical.

 

FEATURES:

High-performance 24bits/192kHz “VIA VT1736 “USB chip and 24bits/192kHz “Cirrus Logic CS4270” DAC /ADC chip

Enjoy audio in high resolution at 24bits/192kHz surpassing conventional 16bit/44.1KHz standards

Incorporates the most trusted driver in professional audio for 24bits/192kHz recording and playback

External power supply: while a USB-powered device might be convenient, it won’t develop the power required for high-resolution playback, so we designed the GT40α with an external power supply to solve the problem.

Headphone Amplifier: It contains a high performance “Maxim MAX9722A” headphone amplifier with ample drive for good headphones

Analog-to-Digital Converter: The GT40α sports a high-performance ADC IC chip for high-resolution recordings via analog inputs including phono, AM/FM radio, or other analog signals.

Convenient Clip signal Toggle switch for Recording Attenuation: Adjust the recording attenuation to avoid any distortion during recording: 0dB, 6 dB, or 12dB (RecAtt/db signal light comes on when input level exceeds circuit Gain).

Phono Preamplifier: A first for this class, the GT40α features a phono equalizer for recording your precious LPs. Switch between Moving Magnet (MM) and Moving Coil (MC) or Line input

Highest Quality Parts: The GT40α features a high-quality amplifier and condenser supporting its high-performance analog circuit (NJM5532 OPAMP： for ADC,DAC,Line in and out and NJM2068 OPAMP： for Phono )

High-End Audio Grade Connections: The GT40α is equipped with gold-plated Teflon-insulated RCA jacks with an extremely high-quality aluminum chassis and machined volume knob

GOING FORWARD

Hey Everybody,

I have made a decision about the site going forward. I thought about it long and hard and decided that I will be doing away with MP3 and 24-bit files. The happy medium is to keep the 16-bit FLAC format because it is still lossless CD quality and can be easily converted to MP3 without taking up to much space on hostgator’s shared server. I know that this will not be popular for some but I had to do what I thought was best to keep the site open. I will also be uploading my files to a third-party host like Mega. The drawback is that there is a monthly fee of $33 for a registered account with 8TB of storage and 16 TB of transfer rate. If the 16TB of transfer is used up due to excessive downloads they will halt downloads and make you wait two weeks until more transfer rate is available. All files will still be password protected and it is up to you to read the FAQ for that information.

With this said I will have to rely more frequently on your donations to help cover the cost in addition to site hosting fees, site security fees, and equipment maintenance.

I will be working in the coming days to get all of this put in place and continue posting.

Thank you so much for your understanding, support and patience.

Regards,

-DjPaulT

More Site Problems

Hi guys,

I have once again been contacted by my hosting service Hostgator. This time the issue is sharing files on their servers and using too much of their disk space. I have been using Hostgator since 2012 and they have never mentioned a breach of my service agreement with them. The only solution(s) is to remove all of the downloads that are currently available on the site and start using third-party file-sharing services like We Transfer etc. which would mean none of the old files would be available any longer. The other solution is to move to another hosting service or close the site altogether. I will be looking into my options and keep you informed as best I can. Remember you can always follow BTg on Facebook for updates as well.

Regards, Paul

New Zealand

Sending my Deepest heartfelt sympathies to the people of New Zealand and those affected by gun violence. We grieve with you. We must all unite together against hatred in all of its forms.

Love & Light
-DjPaulT