SPL Mercury Mastering DA Converter

Cutting-edge digital, state-of-the-art analog

In Mercury development, SPL design engineers took special care with the analog circuitry — an area often given short shrift in many DA converter designs that feature whiz-bang digital tech. Perhaps this is because many developers today have a background in digital technology. In contrast, the SPL team brings three decades of analog experience to the Mercury design; so you can expect to find innovative, state-of-the-art analog tech under the hood, as well as the latest cutting-edge digital technology.

Massive dynamic range

The output of Mercury’s DAC-IC is an analog signal that must be lowpass filtered. This analog LP circuit is typically operated with the same voltage as the DAC-IC — 5 volts, for example. Now consider that the first stage the analog signal hits has a dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio limited by this puny voltage. That’s quite the bottleneck! Instead of standard technology, Mercury employs SPL’s 120V Rail Technology — twice, in the case of the newly developed DLP120 (Dual Low Pass) module, which comprises two individual analog filters using 120V technology. Depending on the type of digital signal, the analog signal passes through the PCM or DSD filter and can spread its wings, metaphorically speaking, into a massive dynamic range. Trust us — the audible benefits are amazing!

The benefits of 120V Rail Technology

SPL’s 120V Rail Technology lets the Mercury run on an operating voltage of 120 volts — twice that of discrete op-amps and four times that of semiconductor operational amplifiers — in order to achieve superior technical and sonic performance. On the technical side, 120V Rail Technology optimizes headroom and dynamic range — which manifests sonically in the effortless resolution of fine details and overall a confident, relaxed rendition of program material. Music sounds completely natural, while listening fatigue is dramatically reduced.

SPL Mercury Mastering DA Converter Features:

• Stereo digital-to-analog “Velvet Sound” converter
• 7 digital inputs: 2 AES/EBU, 2 SPDIF, 2 TOSlink, and USB
• DLP120 (Dual Low Pass) module with 120V technology
• State-of-the-art analog, cutting-edge digital engineering
• Analog signals unfold with massive dynamic range
• SPL 120V Rail Technology for superior technical and sonic performance