Product Overview

The Ultimate Bridge Between High-Resolution Digital Systems and Pure Analog Masters

In a world crowded with over-spec'd digital converters, the bottleneck to achieving an open, life-like sound is rarely the digital DAC chip itself; it is the analog reconstruction and low-pass filtering stages that follow it. Traditional DAC designs drop the digital audio signal down to standard consumer or semi-pro operational voltages, causing minute details to compress or sound brittle.

The SPL Mercury changes this approach entirely. By deploying a custom AKM Velvet Sound AK4490 converter chipset and immediately feeding its differential current outputs into a high-voltage 120V analog matrix, Mercury ensures that digital audio is reconstructed with its full spatial depth, micro-dynamics, and transient punch completely intact. Serving as the primary converter link for a mastering console (like the SPL DMC), Mercury decodes everything from multi-rate DSD streams to standard playback files with microscopic accuracy and zero acoustic fatigue.

Product Description

Unrivaled Analog Reconstruction with 120V Rail Technology:

The defining character of Mercury is its analog backend, running on SPL’s high-voltage plus/minus 60V DC internal audio rail—effectively double or four times the operating voltage of common conversion units. This huge power architecture allows the discrete 5G SUPRA op-amps to drive the low-pass filter stage without getting close to their clipping thresholds. The result is a massive +32.5 dBu of output headroom, a vanishingly low noise floor, and an expanded dynamic range. Digital files lose their characteristic "coldness," adopting a wide, relaxed, three-dimensional soundstage where instruments sit perfectly separated.

Advanced Digital Inputs and Dual-Wire Interfacing:

Mercury features an expansive digital connectivity panel to tie all your studio hardware decks and DAWs together seamlessly:

• Asynchronous USB: Decodes PCM signals up to a breathtaking 768 kHz and native DSD streams up to DSD256.

• Dual-Wire AES/EBU: Features two dedicated XLR inputs that can function independently for two separate stereo sources, or combine into a specialized "Dual-Wire" link to capture ultra-high-rate sample streams from legacy digital hardware.

• Coaxial & Optical (S/PDIF): Pristine digital inputs to interface consumer CD players, stream decks, or secondary audio interfaces.

Selectable PCM Low-Pass Filters and Level Matching:

To let engineers adapt the converter's conversion response to their specific monitors, Mercury includes two distinct, selectable hardware low-pass filters for PCM playback:

• DAC Filter 1 (Short Delay Sharp): Employs an ultra-fast roll-off to provide tight, punchy transients and analytical accuracy.

• DAC Filter 2 (Short Delay Slow): Offers a smooth, gentle roll-off that softens harsh digital ripples, providing an organic, tape-like top-end sheen.

  Additionally, a dedicated front-panel analog volume potentiometer allows you to run Mercury as a direct-to-monitor controller, or you can switch it into a fixed "Fix Out" mode to bypass the volume pot entirely, sending an uncompromised line-level signal straight into an external mastering console.

Key Features

• 120V DC OPERATING VOLTAGE: Powered by SPL’s proprietary 120V rails for unmatched analog headroom and zero internal signal compression.

• 5G SUPRA OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIERS: Utilizes Fifth-Generation custom op-amps optimized for ultimate thermal stability and open, transparent sound.

• AKM VELVET SOUND CONVERSION: Employs an premium AK4490 architecture for highly musical, low-distortion digital-to-analog decoding.

• DUAL-WIRE AES INTERFACE: Dual XLR digital inputs that support classic independent configurations or combined high-bandwidth Dual-Wire streaming.

• 768 KHZ AND DSD256 SUPPORT: Decodes high-resolution PCM up to 768 kHz and native DSD up to DSD256 over asynchronous USB.

• SELECTABLE RECONSTRUCTION FILTERS: Quick front-panel access to toggle between Sharp and Slow digital low-pass filtering algorithms.

• FIXED OR VARIABLE LEVEL OUTPUTS: Switch between a fixed mastering line level or a variable path controlled by a large, premium volume pot.

• BIT-PERFECT LED DISPLAY: A highly visible alphanumeric display shows the exact incoming sample rate and source lock validation.

• SYNCHRONIZED GROUND MATRIX: Isolated digital and analog power rails prevent computer grounding noise from leaking into the pristine audio outputs.

• ULTRA-WIDE BANDWIDTH LINEARITY: Passes reconstructed analog signals smoothly across an expansive 4 Hz to 300 kHz frequency spectrum.

Technical Specifications

Analog inputs & output; XLR (balanced)

Maximum input & output gain

32.5 dBu

Input impedance

20 kΩ

Output impedance

75 Ω

Common mode rejection

-82 dBu

Frequency range (-3 dB)

4 Hz – 300 kHz

Crosstalk (1 kHz)

-108 dBu

THD (0 dBu, 1 kHz)

0.000992 %

Noise (A-weighted)

-102.5 dBu

Dynamic range

135 dB

Digital Inputs, DAC768

AES/EBU (XLR), PCM sample rates

44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz

Coaxial SPDIF (Cinch), PCM sample rates

44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz

Optisch SPDIF (Toslink F06), PCM sample rates

44.1/48/88.2/96/with Glass fibre <1 m: 176.4/192 kHz

USB (B), PCM sample rates

44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192/352.8/384/705.6/768 kHz

USB (B), DSD over PCM (DoP), sample rates

2.8 (DSD64), 5.6 (DSD128), 11.2 (DSD256) MHz

0 dBfs calibrated to

15 dBu

Internal Linear Power Supply with Shielded Toroidal Transformer

Operating voltage for analog audio

+/- 60 V

Operating voltage for relays and LEDs

+ 12 V

Mains Power Supply

Mains voltage (selectable, see fuse chamber)

230 V AC / 50; 115 V AC / 60 Hz

Fuse for 230 V

T 500 mA

Fuse for 115 V

T 1 A

Power consumption

max. 40 VA

Stand-by power consumption

< 0,3 W

Dimensions & Weight

W x H x D (width x height x depth)

482 x 44 x 300 mm

19 x 1.73 x 11.8 inch

Unit weight

4.55 kg

10 lbs

Shipping weight (incl. packaging)

6.7 kg

14.77 lbs

Reference: 0 dBu = 0,775 V. All specifications are subject to change without notice.