T+A elektroakustik HV Series Components

@blisshifi The Cable Company arranged for an extended in-home demo. I was interested in the SD but am so glad David Schultz sent me the SDV. Every combination of ’S/ D/ V’ versus my previous setup demonstrated the overall superiority of the SDV in my system. The ’V’ section is phenomenal....I’m emphasizing this because I notice a general focus (online) on the streamer and DAC aspects of the unit.

Have you compared the SDV 3100 HV to other DACs, and if so which ones?

I seriously auditioned dCS (Rossini and Vivaldi, pre APEX) in multiple dealer and audio friend setups. I was planning on an in-home demo with MSB but decided to move forward with the T+A SDV because it was abundantly clear how good the unit was. I also own the PA 3100 HV and already had a good feel for T+A’s ’sound,’ operation, build quality, reliability and support.

@david_ten Thanks for the context. I 100% agree with your comments on the V / line stage section of this unit. I owned the P 3000 HV prior, and the preamp in the SDV is just as good if not better. I’ve never heard a preamp like it, and I’ve demoed numbers of preamps up to the $20K range. It is a worthwhile addition for an extra $2500 in addition to the $36K for the base SD 3000 HV.

FYI --- there is a new product from T+A top HV series / tier, the PSD 3100 HV, a streaming DAC with pre-amp module built in: 

Priced lower than the SD / SDV line, which are very, very expensive. Not sure what the difference between the PSD and SDV 3100 HV is.

Having said this, it appears that although this was announced in Summer of this year, it is not available for purchase yet.

@thyname I can help with the distinction. The PSD 3100 HV is a trickle down of the SDV for sure, and in the following ways:

DAC

SDV: True 1-bit conversion DSD 1024

PSD: Max DSD512

Analog Inputs

SDV: one set balanced, one set RCA

PSD: only one set RCA

Both have one set XLR and RCA for outputs

SDV has multiple digital inputs for certain types (e.g. two USB in) where the PSD only has one.

I’m uncertain if the preamp sections, power supplies, and isolation technologies are equivalent across the two, but I can inquire. 

Thanks @blisshifi. At $22K, PSD seems to be quite a bargain. I didn’t realize SDV 3100 now retail for $39K 😳