Distributor Audio Focus has announced that it will become the distributor for the Berkeley Audio Design brand starting in 2026.
To start with, the Alpha DAC Reference Series 3P model will be promoted. Considered by some to be the gold standard in converters, particularly in the United States, this model does not use oversampling or offer the very high frequencies of current conventional DAC chips. Instead, it focuses on the essentials, namely playing PCM or MQA files at sampling rates of 32 to 192 kHz up to 24 bits, as well as DSD up to DSD128. As a reminder, this covers the vast majority of current audio files and, in higher sample rates, most of them are larger and more often oversampled or upsampled, and therefore non-native.
To achieve extremely high precision sound levels, the Alpha DAC Reference 3P implements exceptional electrical and mechanical isolation against noise, combined with extreme stability in the time domain. Aerospace-grade ceramic materials are used in all critical areas, and the housing is designed to minimize electrical noise and maximize mechanical and thermal stability. As proof, the device weighs 13.6 kg, and the entire housing is precision-machined from solid 6061-T6 aluminum alloy.
Of course, this comes at a price, and it matches the exceptional nature of the product: 39 990 €.
To avoid the pollution created by a USB port, even one that is shielded and electrically and mechanically isolated, this input is only available on the DAC by adding a second case, the Alpha USB Reference Series. Completely galvanically isolated in this smaller 1.27 kg box, the USB Audio 2.0 port is fully re-clocked by an exclusive ultra-low phase noise clock technology, identical to that of the DAC, and then sent back to the AES or coaxial port (BNC or S/PDIF, as desired). You can then connect to the DAC via these links. But here again, this box comes at a price, costing a whopping 7 000 € in Europe.
In a second phase, the importer will also bring the Alpha series to France, which is about three times less expensive, again with the DAC separate from the USB box.
06/12/2025
