{"product_id":"cad-1543-mkiii-dac","title":"CAD 1543 MKIII DAC","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"pa-d5\" style=\"color:#080808;line-height:1.6;font-size:15px\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 6px;font-size:11.5px;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#8d1935;font-weight:600\"\u003eCAD · 1543\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 14px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.45;font-weight:600\"\u003eComputer Audio Design's third-generation 1543: twenty Philips TDA1543 chips in a filterless non-oversampling ladder, five discrete power supplies and a USB input that takes nothing from the server, in a hand-built acrylic case.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"display:inline-block;margin:0 0 18px;padding:4px 10px;border:1px solid #d8d5ce;border-radius:2px;font-size:13px;color:#55524c\"\u003ePrice is for one 1543 MKIII DAC with captive power lead. Custom colors and finishes are available on request.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(2,minmax(0,1fr));gap:1px;background:#d8d5ce;border:1px solid #d8d5ce;margin:0 0 22px\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"background:#f7f6f2;padding:12px 14px\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:20px;font-weight:600;line-height:1.2\"\u003e20 ×\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:12.5px;color:#55524c;line-height:1.35;margin-top:3px\"\u003ePhilips TDA1543 DAC chips\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"background:#f7f6f2;padding:12px 14px\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:20px;font-weight:600;line-height:1.2\"\u003eNOS\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:12.5px;color:#55524c;line-height:1.35;margin-top:3px\"\u003enon-oversampling, no digital filter\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"background:#f7f6f2;padding:12px 14px\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:20px;font-weight:600;line-height:1.2\"\u003e5\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:12.5px;color:#55524c;line-height:1.35;margin-top:3px\"\u003ediscrete linear power supplies\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"background:#f7f6f2;padding:12px 14px\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:20px;font-weight:600;line-height:1.2\"\u003e9.7 kg\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-size:12.5px;color:#55524c;line-height:1.35;margin-top:3px\"\u003e21.4 lb\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 12px\"\u003eScott Berry founded Computer Audio Design around a single conviction: that the Philips TDA1543, a 16-bit multibit converter from the late 1980s, sounds more natural than modern delta-sigma silicon when it is fed a clean signal and left to work without oversampling or digital filtering. The original 1543 DAC appeared in 2011; the MKII followed in 2015 and the MKIII went into production in 2025. The architecture is unchanged in principle, a resistor-ladder non-oversampling design with a passive output stage, and everything around it has been rebuilt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 12px\"\u003eThe MKIII runs twenty TDA1543 chips on a four-layer board, up from sixteen, which raises the output and lowers the noise of the paralleled array. Five independent, fully discrete power supplies replace the previous arrangement, each fed by an oversized EI transformer rather than a toroid, each with its own discrete linear regulator, a custom choke in the rectification and 110,000 µF of Japanese audio-grade reservoir capacitance in total. The passive output stage uses Duelund Coherent Audio capacitors and US-made resistors built to CAD's specification, and the internal wiring is custom UP-OCC copper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 12px\"\u003eThe single input is asynchronous USB. CAD implements it with a CPLD rather than an XMOS controller, which draws less current and radiates less noise, and clocks it with new oscillators specified at -100 dBc\/Hz at 10 Hz. Three EI transformers and three discrete supplies power the USB interface alone, the DAC never draws the 5 V from the USB cable, and galvanic isolation keeps the server's ground current away from the converter chips. The case is 10 mm laser-cut acrylic, chosen for its mechanical and electrical behavior, lined with the EMI and RFI materials CAD uses in its Ground Controls, and standing on Krion feet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 20px\"\u003eThe 1543 MKIII plays PCM to 176.4 kHz and nothing else; there is no DSD, no MQA and no filter menu. It works with most Linux-based servers, including Innuos, Aurender, Melco, Antipodes and Roon cores, and with Windows servers such as Taiko and Wadax after installing CAD's driver. Jason Kennedy reviewed it for The Ear in April 2025 and summed up the sound in one word, natural. The pairing CAD itself shows is with its own USB II-R cable and a Ground Control on the server.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-size:16px\"\u003eKey technologies\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul style=\"margin:0 0 20px;padding-left:18px\"\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin:0 0 5px\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTwenty TDA1543 chips.\u003c\/strong\u003e Paralleled Philips 16-bit multibit converters on a four-layer board; the MKII used sixteen.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin:0 0 5px\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNon-oversampling, filterless.\u003c\/strong\u003e No digital filter and no oversampling; the ladder output goes straight to a passive output stage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin:0 0 5px\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFive discrete power supplies.\u003c\/strong\u003e Five bespoke EI transformers, each with its own discrete linear regulator, a custom rectification choke and 110,000 µF of reservoir capacitance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin:0 0 5px\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCPLD asynchronous USB.\u003c\/strong\u003e Lower current and lower noise than an XMOS interface; new oscillators at -100 dBc\/Hz at 10 Hz; three transformers and three supplies for the USB section alone.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin:0 0 5px\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGalvanic isolation.\u003c\/strong\u003e The DAC takes no 5 V from the USB cable and blocks the server's ground current from reaching the converter chips.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin:0 0 5px\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePassive output stage.\u003c\/strong\u003e Duelund Coherent Audio capacitors and US-made resistors to CAD specification; UP-OCC copper wiring.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin:0 0 5px\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAcrylic casework.\u003c\/strong\u003e 10 mm laser-cut acrylic, hand-built in the UK, with internal EMI\/RFI absorption and Krion feet; modular construction for future upgrades.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdetails open style=\"border-top:1px solid #080808;margin:0 0 6px\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"cursor:pointer;padding:12px 0;font-size:16px;font-weight:600\"\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003ctable style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:14px;margin:0 0 14px\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003eType\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003eNon-oversampling resistor-ladder digital-to-analog converter\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003eConverter chips\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003e20 × Philips TDA1543\/N2\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003eDigital input\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003eAsynchronous USB (USB B), CPLD-based\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003eFormats\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003ePCM to 176.4 kHz, 16\/24-bit (The Ear, April 2025); no DSD\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003eAnalog output\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003eSingle-ended RCA, passive output stage\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003eOutput level\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003e1.75 V RMS (The Ear, April 2025)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003ePower supplies\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003eFive discrete linear supplies, five EI transformers, 110,000 µF reservoir capacitance\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003eMains\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003eCaptive power lead; internal mains conditioning\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003eDimensions (H × W × D)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003e85 × 430 × 280 mm (3.3 × 16.9 × 11.0 in) (The Ear, April 2025)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003eWeight\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003e9.7 kg (21.4 lb) (The Ear, April 2025)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003eCasework\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003e10 mm acrylic; custom colors and finishes on request\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003eWarranty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003e2 years\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 10px 7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top;width:40%;color:#55524c\"\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"padding:7px 0;border-bottom:1px solid #d8d5ce;vertical-align:top\"\u003eUnited Kingdom\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 14px;font-size:13px\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.computeraudiodesign.com\/1543-mkiii-dac\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eCAD 1543 MKIII DAC product page\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails style=\"border-top:1px solid #080808;border-bottom:1px solid #080808;margin:0 0 22px\"\u003e\u003csummary style=\"cursor:pointer;padding:12px 0;font-size:16px;font-weight:600\"\u003eWhere it sits in the range\u003c\/summary\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"padding:0 0 14px\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 8px\"\u003eThe 1543 MKIII is CAD's only converter and the component the rest of the range was developed around.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/cad-usb-control\"\u003eCAD USB Control\u003c\/a\u003e: plug-in USB noise filter, $825\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/cad-ethernet-control\"\u003eCAD Ethernet Control\u003c\/a\u003e: in-line Ethernet noise filter, $1,400\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/cad-ground-control-gc1\"\u003eCAD Ground Control GC1.1\u003c\/a\u003e: two-socket grounding box\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/ground-control-gc3\"\u003eCAD Ground Control GC3.1\u003c\/a\u003e: six-socket grounding box\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCAD 1543 MKIII DAC\u003c\/strong\u003e (this model)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/cad-ground-control-gc-r\"\u003eCAD Ground Control GC-R\u003c\/a\u003e: reference grounding box, up to ten connections\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:10px 0 0\"\u003eCAD's USB II-R cable and a Ground Control on the server are the natural partners; ask us about them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-size:16px\"\u003eReviews\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul style=\"margin:0 0 22px;padding-left:18px\"\u003e\n\u003cli style=\"margin:0 0 5px\"\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/the-ear.net\/review-hardware\/cad-1543-mkiii-digital-4-analog-addict\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eThe Ear: CAD 1543 MkIII, digital streaming for the analogue addict\u003c\/a\u003e (Jason Kennedy, April 2025)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"padding:16px 18px;background:#f7f6f2;border-left:3px solid #8d1935\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0 0 4px;font-weight:600\"\u003ePlan your CAD system with Pearl Audio\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin:0;font-size:14px\"\u003ePearl Audio is an authorized CAD dealer. Tell us about your server or streamer and we will confirm compatibility and arrange an audition in our Portland showroom. Call \u003ca href=\"tel:+15032222599\"\u003e(503) 222-2599\u003c\/a\u003e or email \u003ca href=\"mailto:sales@pearlaudio.com?subject=CAD%201543%20MKIII%20DAC\"\u003esales@pearlaudio.com\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"CAD","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50792429748322,"sku":null,"price":25000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2475\/2780\/files\/CAD-2416v2.png?v=1793261747","url":"https:\/\/pearlaudio.com\/products\/cad-1543-mkiii-dac","provider":"Pearl Audio","version":"1.0","type":"link"}