Mola Mola Tambaqui

Responding to popular demand, Mola Mola launched the famous discrete DAC from the Makua as a separate unit.

Mola Mola’s Tambaqui DAC is the perfect upgrade for owners of complete high-end systems who want to retain the characteristic sound of their existing preamplifier whilst lifting their digital sources to another level. The converter is a two board stack. On the first board, all incoming digital audio is upsampled to 3.125MHz/32 bits and converted to noise shaped PWM. On the other board are two mono DACs, in which a discrete 32- stage FIR DAC and a single-stage 4th order filtering I/V converter, convert the PWM into analogue with a breathtaking 130dB SNR. This is near the theoretical limit for 24-bit files and far beyond that of even quad-speed DSD. Uniquely, distortion remains below the noise floor even for full scale signals.

With the addition of a lossless digital volume control and headphone outputs, it is also the ideal control hub of a minimalist audio system for music lovers who have moved on to a digital sources only system. This DAC, combined with a pair of Mola Mola Kaluga monoblocks constitutes the finest digital replay chain available, irrespective of price.

Operating Principle

PWM DAC with 32-stage discrete analogue FIR output stage. Avoids “sigma delta” tones and “R2R” glitch and low-level linearity errors.

Asynchronous upsampling to 3.125MHz/32 bit. 7-th order noise shaper clearing 80kHz band. Each input rate has an optimized upsampling filter chain.

I/O

Optical (Toslink)

S/PDIF (Cinch)

AES/EBU (XLR)

USB type B

Ethernet (Roon Ready)

Bluetooth (SBC, AAC, APTX, LDAC)

I²S over HDMI

Balanced output (XLR)

Headphone output (6.3mm Jack, Balanced XLR 4pin)

2 programmable trigger outputs (3.5mm Jack)

Processing balance and input gain offset

Selectable output levels

Phase invert

Supported formats

PCM up to 384kHz/32 bits (>192kHz and >24 bits via USB and Roon only)

DoP and Native DSD up to quad speed (USB and Roon only)

Performance

Full-Scale Output Level (XLR): 18dBu

Full-Scale Output Level (headphone): 18dBu

Signal to Noise Ratio: 130dB

THD, IMD: not measurable (estimated -140dB)

Bandwidth: Up to 80kHz (apodizing response)

Integrated jitter: <1ps from 10Hz upwards, <300fs from 1kHz upwards

Jitter rejection: >80dB at 1Hz after 20 seconds of loc

CONTROL

Front button source selection and volume setting

4 programmable presets

(Premium) Remote Control

Mola Mola Remote app

Dimensions and weight

200mm (W) x 110mm (H) x 320mm (D)

5.2kg