T+A PSD 3100 HV DAC/Preamp

The decoding for this extensive connectivity follows the T+A practice of splitting by format. It supports PCM to 768kHz precision, and this is decoded via a quartet of Texas Instruments (nee Burr Brown) PCM1795 chips running in dual differential mode and with a choice of four filters and the choice of switching to non-oversampling mode. Meanwhile, it takes DSD to 11.2MHz via a separate decoding module with its own pair of filters. You select these filter options via the app, and to T+A’s lasting credit, the process is far simpler to tinker with in reality than it might sound on paper. 

The PSD 3100 HV has one of the most elaborate power supply arrangements I’ve experienced on any product in any category. Many manufacturers will claim that they have split the power supply for the analogue and digital sections, but this feels a bit half-hearted compared to the lengths that T+A has gone to here. On the rear panel of the PSD 3100 HV, you will find an IEC socket at each end of the casework, each feeding a power supply, one of which is for digital and one for analogue. Both must be connected for the unit to work. Fortunately, I have 24 AC sockets available for moments like this; it might be something to consider in more ‘conventional’ setups. 

Will it fit?

Of course, this will be secondary to whether the T+A will fit in your system full stop. It is a vast bit of kit, more akin to a power amp than a digital front end, and you’ll need a fairly hefty rack to accommodate it. However, how T+A builds the PSD 3100 HV will leave many people making room for it. The immaculate casework has details like the top panel’s porthole showing off the decoder. These (not-so) little touches speak to a level of care and attention that justifies the price tag. How the controls operate and how they feel while they do so is hugely confidence-inspiring. Details like the soft touch buttons on the front panel that work seamlessly underline an unquestionable fastidiousness in engineering. The only slight oddity is that, while the display is vast, it is not a full-colour type, and some bits of information are more challenging to read than expected. The enormous metal remote is an absolute joy and a minor work of art in its own right. 

I initially connected the T+A up as a line-level DAC, running via XLR into a Chord Electronics CPM2800MkII integrated amp and Kudos Titan 505 speakers and listening via UPnP. I did so without an idea of what to expect because the company has been on a sonic journey over the years, particularly with digital. What was once scrupulously accurate if a trifle dry has become more full-bodied and engaging. 

In this case, the sound the PSD 3100 HV generates is as expansive as the casework. The opening brass of Gregory Porter’s Concorde [Blue Note] is a wave of scale and texture that washes over the listening position, effortlessly replicating the effect of sitting front and centre before the real thing. When Porter begins singing, the PSD 3100 HV transports you to this big, confident, immersive presentation. There is an unflappable quality in the T+A’s response to the layers of musicians that helps reduce the perception of any digital decoding happening. 

Something notable and admirable about this effortless ability to unpack material is that it doesn’t harm the T+A’s ability to deliver more aggressive material with the speed and punch it needs. Steven Wilson’s The Future Bites [Caroline International] maintains its relentlessness and energy, even as the sound envelopes you. This album has a surround mix, but I suspect most T+A owners won’t want to listen to it, such is the PSD 3100 HV’s ability with the stereo mix. 

As good as the T+A is as a line-level device with PCM, it has more to give. One of the reasons that I would be keen for T+A to secure their Roon certification is that using my resident Roon Nucleus via the USB input and upsampling to DSD sees the PSD 3100 HV become even more lush and expansive. Visual Audio Sensory Theater by VAST [Elektra] opens with the slow building ‘Here’, and how the T+A keeps adding scale while keeping everything intelligible yet ballistic is a near-perfect tightrope walk. I rarely think DSD is ‘better’ than PCM under all conditions. What T+A is doing, though, is genuinely exceptional. 

I then roped the PSD 3100 HV into testing the unusual Kudos Sigao Drive external crossover system. This arrangement meant running it as a preamp and using analogue input for a Violectic PPA V790 phono stage. This new configuration took about five minutes to establish that the T+A’s preamp section is far from an afterthought. As you might expect from a resistor ladder-based control, it’s beautifully linear and allows ultra-fine adjustment. It also effortlessly reflects the qualities of the Violectric and connected Vertere MG-1 MkII turntable.

Uncompressed effortlessness

Some of that same uncompressed effortlessness is present with just the analogue section running, and it meant that a spirited blast through Super Superabundance [Transgressive], the vinyl reissue of the Young Knives classic retains a ballistic edge but with enough forgiveness to handle less-than-perfect mastering that it demonstrates from time to time. At no stage do you find yourself listening and framing the result as ‘good for a DAC.’ It’s a meaningfully excellent preamp in its own right. And finally, it’s a shame that FM and DAB radio have become a minority sport in modern hi-fi, because they are more than welcome additions that far from let the side down.

What this all means is that while the T+A is rather large and not inconsequentially expensive, it has the scope to replace more than one existing box in your system (potentially freeing up that second mains socket as you go) while feeling completely and utterly free from compromise as it does so. The PSD 3100 HV is an entirely up-to-the-minute product that retains enough of the T+A fastidiousness to delight while showing a level of musical joy that it is hard not to fall for entirely. The PSD 3100 HV is undoubtedly very big, but it’s also very clever and an absolute delight to listen to. 

Specs & Pricing

Product T+A PSD 3100 HV 

Type: Digital preamplifier
Digital inputs: 1x AES/EBU (XLR), 4x S/PDIF (1x coaxial, 1x BNC, 2x Toslink), 2x USB (1x DAC, 1x Mass Storage, 2x HDMI, 1x RJ45, 1x IPA (LVDS), Wireless LAN connection
Analogue inputs: 1x RCA pair line-level input, FM/DAB antenna, HLink connection to other T+A devices
Digital Outputs: 1x HDMI (ARC), 1x coaxial S/PDIF
Analogue outputs: 1x RCA pair, 1x XLR pair, HLink
Digital input precision: AES/EBU, S/PDIF to 24bit, 192kHz PCM. USB to 24bit, 768kHz, DSD 512
D/A-Converter: Double-Differential-Quadruple-Converter with four 32-bit Sigma-Delta D/A-Converter per channel. 705.6/768 kHz conversion rate (PCM), T+A-True-1Bit DSD D/A-Converter, up to DSD 512 (24,5 MHz), native bitstream (DSD)
Dimensions (H x W x D): 17 x 46 x 46 cm
Weight: 26 kg
Price: £14,900, $22,000, €16,500

Manufacturer
T+A elektroakustik GmbH & Co.
www.ta-hifi.de