Berkeley Audio Design Alpha USB

Berkeley Audio Design is a highly awarded digital audio specialist manufactuer, winning many stereophile and absolute sounds accolades.

USB interfaces are notiorious for being problematic, interms of injecting noise and jitter into audio gear, but are often the preferred intreface for hi-res audio due to their support for high resolution sampling rates. 

Even when they could include their USB re-clocking technology in their high end DACs, Berkely often preferred to do the conversion externally with a separate box with its own power supply (the Alpha USB).

Its an unassuming box but irrespective of the DAC used and even it already has a USB inout this has been my preferred way of getting a digital signal into my DAC.  Only being sold because I now purchased an all-in-one integrated streamer DAC.

One reviewer (Chris Connaker - the computer audiophile from Audiophile Style) stated: - "Sonically the Alpha USB is extremely impressive. After four months using the Alpha USB, in combination with the Alpha DAC Series 2, I'm continually astonished by its level of performance. In fact, the Alpha USB is so good I've yet to hear a better digital interface. Period"

Robert Harley, from Absolute Sound stated:

“The Berkeley Audio Design Alpha USB is a breakthrough product that not only overcomes the limitations of the USB interface, but provides a state-of-the-art method of getting audio out of a computer.”

Specifications

Input: USB Audio 2.0 Standard asynchronous connection, type B receptacle

Outputs: switch selectable, coaxial SPDIF on 75Ω BNC connector or balanced AES on 110Ω XLR connector

Supported sampling rates: 44.1kHz to 192kHz

Supported word lengths: up to 24-bit

Supported operating systems: Apple, Windows and Linux

Enclosure dimensions: 2.3”H X 10.5”W x 5”D, 2.55”H including feet

Weight: 2.5 lbs.

Mains power: 100/120/240VAC, 50/60Hz, IEC power input connector

Power consumption: 3W, designed for continuous operation