Description
Enjoy a lifetime of listening to astounding audio fidelity—record it in DSD.
“High-Resolution” is the latest audio frontier. USB DAC hardware is now plentiful, and various high-resolution formats are available. The only thing lacking has been an ample supply of music or source material available in a high-resolution format.
KORG was among the first to embrace the potential of high-resolution DSD audio with its MR Series of rack-style studio recorders, portable solutions, and hand-held devices. In addition, their complementary AudioGate software works with all the latest formats and has quickly become the standard for high-resolution audio playback.
Now KORG is proud to add the DS-DAC-10R to their list of DSD hardware and software products that were created to satisfy audio lovers everywhere. This revolutionary USB DAC (Digital-to-Audio Converter) recording system also offers professional-grade Analog-to-Digital conversion, an audiophile-grade headphone amp, and is even equipped with phono inputs—ideal for archiving your vinyl records.
If you can’t find the high-resolution audio materials that you’re craving to hear, record them yourself with the DS-DAC-10R; the 1-bit USB-DAC/ADC from KORG.
DS-DAC-10R + AudioGate 4: Everything you need for DSD recording!
Phono inputs provide a direct connection to your record player
Vinyl records have soared in popularity over recent years. Certain audiophiles and enthusiasts prefer vinyl sources for the pure enjoyment of music, and cite a warmth of tone lacking in digital sound sources. The KORG DS-DAC-10R allows these retro-audio fans to manage their record collection 
as music data and enjoy it more easily. Phono input jacks allow the DS-DAC-10R to connect directly to your record player—there is even a grounding terminal. Your records can be quickly turned via DSD into high-resolution data files with their quality unimpaired, allowing you to use AudioGate to easily manage your music library. The input jacks also support LINE level signals—such as from a cassette deck or open reel tape deck–making this the ideal system for archiving your irreplaceable collection.
DSD Phono Equalizer available for Recording or Playback (*1 & *2)
The AudioGate 4 contains a DSD phono equalizer that restores all of the sound that went into cutting the record, while minimizing any effect of the equalization process on the sound. In addition to the standard RIAA curve, five other curves(*2)are also supported. Phono equalization can be applied 
as you record, or when playing back an un-equalized DSD recording made from your vinyl sources. This versatile cutting-edge technology lets you appreciate the true power of vinyl records in a way until now impossible—even on high-end audio equipment.
*1. The record lathes used in the process of producing vinyl records cut a wider groove as the frequency of the sound becomes lower; this makes it difficult for the needle to accurately trace the groove during playback, and also decreases the recording time. For this reason, the record being cut is equalized to attenuate the low-frequency range and boost the high-frequency range, and the opposite curve is applied during playback. This compensation is applied by the “phono equalizer.” Since record players have a lower output level in comparison to most audio devices, it is necessary to boost the signal, and the phono equalizer typically performs this role as well. However on the DS-DAC-10R, the amplification is handled by an analog circuit and the equalization is separately performed using digital signal processing (within AudioGate 4).
*2. RIAA is the standard recording/playback equalization curve for records defined by the Recording Industry Association of America. It became a standard in 1954, but prior to that date there was no standardization between the various record labels. Since the curve is not indicated on the records themselves, it’s not possible to know which curve was used to record a given record; however it is said that nearly all records can be covered by the RIAA curve and five other curves. Try selecting different curves in AudioGate 4 and enjoy the resulting changes in tonality.
DSD native playback of 2.8224 MHz and 5.6448 MHz DSD files
KORG was among the first audio companies to focus on the high sound quality benefits of DSD, using DSD as the recording format for the highly acclaimed MR series of studio and field recorders. Now that major music distribution sites such as Blue Coast Records and Channel Classic Records have started distributing data in the DSD format, and major audio manufacturers have also started to release USB DAC units, the DSD format has become acknowledged by audio fans as a synonym for the utmost in high-quality playback. The quality of this DSD data is fully realized by the “DSD native playback of DSD data” offered via these USB DAC units, the DS-DAC series.
These units support playback not only of 2.8224 MHz DSD data but also the still higher-resolution of 5.6448 MHz, which is even more faithful to the original source.
Simple and stylish design
The elegant diecast body of the DS-DAC-10R emanates precision construction and craftsmanship. Sleek and uncluttered, the front panel provides simply a headphone jack and a volume control. The DS-DAC-10R is designed to provide effortless integration with your existing audio system. LED illumination also indicates the playback format and the recording status. Inside and out, attention was given to using premium materials—highlighted by the copper-plated rear panel and the gold-plated connectors.
DSD DAC Comparison Chart
| DSD DAC Manufacturers | DoP Input | Native DSD Input | DSD 64 | DSD 128 | Phono Preamp | Headphone Amp | Bi-Directional USB | Custom Software | List Price | ||
| KORG DS-DAC-10R | USB | USB (ASIO) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Audiogate 4) | $599 | ||
| Aesthetix Pandora Sig. | USB | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $9,000 | ||
| Antelope Zodiac Platinum | USB | USB (ASIO) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $5,500 | ||
| Asus Essence III | USB | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $2,105 | ||
| Audio Alchemy DDP-1 | USB | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | $1,995 | ||
| Auralic Altair | USB | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $1,899 | ||
| Aurender Flow | USB | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $1,295 | ||
| Ayre Codex | USB | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $1,799 | ||
| Benchmark DAC2 DX | USB | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | $1,895 | ||
| Bryston BDA-3 | USB | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $3,495 | ||
| Chord Electronics Hugo TT | USB | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $4,795 | ||
| exaSound e12 | USB | USB (ASIO) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $1,999 | ||
| LH Labs Geek Pulse X | USB | USB (ASIO) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $2,999 | ||
| M2Tech Young | USB | USB (ASIO) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $1,695 | ||
| Meitner Audio MA-1 | USB | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | $7,000 | ||
| Mytek Brooklyn | USB | USB (ASIO) | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $1,995 | ||
| NuPrime DAC-10H | USB | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $1,795 | ||
| Oppo HA-1 | USB | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $1,199 | ||
| Peachtree SonaDAC | USB | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | $1,299 | ||
| PS Audio NuWave DSD | USB | I2S | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | $1,299 | ||
| Wyred4Sound DAC-DSD | USB | USB (ASIO) | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | $1,599 | ||
Simon Buckmaster, Audiophile Consumer Feb 2021 –
I’ve now had the KORG DS-DAC-10R for a few weeks – it came out of the box sounding pretty great! Compared with the sound of my Oppo UDP-205 the KORG has more relaxed highs, and isn’t fatiguing to listen to. That isn’t to say the detail is missing. It can provide a very large, airy soundstage while still being very focused which is appealing. Thanks very much once again! The DS-DAC-10R is a great product for its price! I’m really glad that I bought it. Simon Buckmaster, Audiophile Consumer Feb 2021
Michael Trei, Sound & Vision Dec 2017 –
“The Korg DS-DAC-10R lets you move your music from LP records into state-of-the-art high-resolution PCM or DSD files, all while retaining their essential vinyl character.” Michael Trei, Sound & Vision Dec 2017
Oliver Masciarotte, Editor HiFiZine, Feb 2017 –
“Does the product do the job? Absolutely! The DSD-DAC-10R is a great combination of features at a very reasonable price. Along with exceptionally good build quality, very attractive casework, and simple setup, it’s a no brainer for folks with time on their hands and a (small) collection of vinyl to digitize”. Oliver Masciarotte, Editor HiFiZine, Feb 2017
Steven Stone, Audiophile Journalist, Feb 2017 –
“The Korg DS-DAC-10R DSD Recording System with Phono Preamp is the prefect component for anyone with a collection of analog recordings they would like to have in a digital format. It includes not only a analog-to-digital converter in addition to its 2x DSD digital-to-analog converter. It also includes a full–featured copy of Korg’s Audiogate 4 software, which lets you make recordings in either PCM or DSD formats. With a single large volume knob on its front panel the DAC 10R’s unique shape and form factor it’s simple to use and easy to carry”. Steven Stone, Audiophile Journalist, Feb 2017
John Darko, DAR July 2016 –
“AudioGate’s clean intuitive UI makes for a pleasurable experience – one that’s generally in short supply in the vinyl-ripping world and unheard of at the DS-DAC-10R’s asking price. What a find!” John Darko, digitalaudioreview.net July 2016
Bill Fort, vinylengine forum, July 2016 –
“Very happy with the first few recordings I’ve attempted; the air, soundstage depth, detail and presence I love about my vinyl front-end is there without the glare, edge or cardboard cut-out imaging I often hear in digital. This might be very much about capturing the color and shadings I’ve come to like in my turntable set-up or maybe feeding my preferred digital playback method (DSD5.6) in a more direct way, but I really like the results so far. I have no desire to take these recordings into the PCM realm for de-clicking, DSP, etc. then back to DSD – a little noise doesn’t bother me with vinyl and the fact that the clean and simple path straight to DSD sounds so good has me pretty convinced to keep it simple – less is more.” billfort, vinylengine.com, July 2016
Roy Boy, vinylengine.com, July 2016 –
“I took the plunge and bought the Korg DA-DAC-10R. I started experimented with ripping vinyl. One limitation I had was that my Lumin A1 streamer would not support DSD128 only DSD64, but I discovered that by I installing Minimstreamer on my Synology NAS I could transcode Dsd128 to WAV 24/384. So my experiment was to compare ripping at 24/192 vs DSD128. I also invested in a Wireworld Platinum USB cable based on the recommendation of a friend. What I found was that I really liked 24/192 but the DSD128 contained more detail/info. Things like the soundstage clues (if there is one) and other small details. It was a little difficult to compare as the playback volume of the DSD128 was lower than the 24/192 even though they were both ripped with the same input gain
I think in some ways the ripped file is superior to the vinyl playback since you totally remove any issues of acoustic feedback influencing the performance of the table/arm/cartridge at high playback volumes. I am quite pleased other than the amount of time it takes to rip and tag an album.” Roy Boy, vinylengine.com, July 20
Bill Fort, Hi Fi Haven June 2016 –
“As an ADC for ripping vinyl though – oh man – this is an exciting piece! My first ‘hack’ at a recording was done by just queuing up what I had on the table (Muddy Water’s Folk Singer), pressing Record in Audiogate, adjusting recording levels and letting it run for a few tracks. The resulting file (DSD5.6 dsf) went to a generic place on the hard drive and was given a cryptic name – 1 long file for the session. I pointed Roon at this new location to ‘watch’, the cryptic file came up as ‘unknown’ DSD128, pushed Play and…
Amazing – it was like I still had the record playing. There was depth, the big airy soundscape, the ‘bite’ of the guitar without the digital edge, the big tone and soaring vocals – almost all I love about this record was now playing out of the much maligned ‘computer junk’ in my room. Sure, this might just be ‘my’ personally colored rendition as-per my chosen vinyl front end but that’s exactly what I was after – I want my digits to sound like my turntable – and it seems to work.
I’ve gotten a little better with the workflow – I’ll clean the LP on the VPI machine, set recording levels, start the rip, add the artist and album tags as it goes, pause to change sides and finish out the file. I’ll then go in and add ‘breaks’ between cuts and add track names as I go, export the files to an ‘album name’ folder and move it off to my network attached file server. Roon picks it up, identifies it, adds artwork and all the Roon value-add stuff and it’s now part of my regular library, ready to playback as native DSD5.6.
Much more to dive into here with lots of variables, options and tweaking to come but my first few rips have pulled me into just listening to the music like digital has rarely done before. I’m going to try a few albums where I have them in several formats to get a good read on ultimate quality potential here but in the end, this is mostly about getting all my valuable (to me) vinyl into a format that lets me enjoy it more – both in my listening room and everywhere else I listen to music.
So far, so good.”
Bill Fort, Hi Fi Haven, June 2016
http://www.hifihaven.org/forum/records-and-the-gear-that-plays-them/41951-vinyl-ripping-to-dsd5-6-the-korg-ds-dac-10r-adc-dac
Christo, Vancouver Audiophile, July 2016 –
I have not yet digitised LPs, but the Korg sounds gorgeous on playback of ordinary MP3s via the included AudioGate software. A big step up from Audioengine. Clear, separated sounds with wide range (bass and treble). Almost takes MP3s into HiFi era. The Korg is an audiophile component which suits a proper HiFi system. I will figure out how to permanently connect it to the sound system in my living room, with the record player hanging off it. Christo, Vancouver Audiophile, July 2016