Oladra DAS

A DAS (Digital Audio Source) is everything your system uses to turn stored or streamed music into the digital audio signal that reaches your DAC.

For some listeners, that “source” is simply the streaming service’s servers and the long path through the internet. Others add a local server, use a computer with an audio card, or choose a purpose-built music server–streamer.

An Oladra DAS combines server and streamer functions in one platform, with every stage designed to deliver a digital signal of unusually high integrity to your DAC.

How does a DAS affect the sound?

In any audio system, the source has two essential jobs: to establish timing accurately, and to add as little noise as possible.

A turntable does this mechanically, by keeping platter speed steady and tracing the groove cleanly. A digital system does it electrically, by generating and delivering the audio signal with precise timing and in a low-noise environment before the DAC converts it into analogue music.

So while digital audio may seem like “just 1s and 0s”, the realism and naturalness of the sound depend heavily on how stably that signal is created, how cleanly it is delivered, and how much unwanted noise comes with it.

The DAS and DAC work together. A better DAS gives the DAC a better starting point, and that allows the music to sound more convincing, more expressive, and more alive.

Doesn’t the DAS just send the 1s and 0s while the DAC handles the timing?

This is one of the most common misunderstandings in digital audio.

For everyday digital tasks, it is fine to assume that the bits are all that matter. But when the goal is natural, lifelike music reproduction, how those bits arrive matters a great deal.

DACs generally try to stabilise incoming data using buffers and internal clocks, or with recovery circuits that track and adjust the incoming signal. These methods are beneficial, but they do not make the source irrelevant.

Two things still matter enormously:

• the timing stability of the incoming signal — the more stable it is, the less corrective work the DAC has to do
• the noise arriving alongside it — the less noise there is, the less the DAC’s clock and analogue circuits are disturbed

A cleaner, more stable signal from the DAS allows the DAC to do its job under better conditions. The data may be the same, but the musical result is often clearly better.

What makes the Oladra Platform different?

When music arrives from storage or from the internet, it does not arrive with usable musical timing intact. The DAS must create that timing and preserve it through every stage before the signal reaches the DAC.

That first step is the most important — and also the most difficult.

It requires real computing power, yet ordinary computing power usually brings electrical noise and interference with it. That noise does not just travel down wires. It also affects power, ground, and the electrical environment around the circuits that follow, including the clocking and analogue stages in the DAC.

Traditional audio servers usually begin with a general-purpose computer and then try to control its side effects with software, power supplies, and output cards. This can help, but the limitations of the underlying architecture remain.

The Oladra Platform takes a different approach. We designed the software stack and the computing hardware together as one purpose-built high-end audio system, including development of our own Oladra motherboards. Every stage — from the first handling of the data to the final audio output — is engineered to maximise timing precision and minimise noise.

That total-system design is what allows an Oladra DAS to deliver a signal of exceptional integrity to your DAC.

And in keeping with that philosophy, Oladra always puts sound quality first. Where convenience or features conflict with performance, the Oladra Platform chooses performance.

Installation

1. Place Oladra on a level shelf with good ventilation, away from direct heat and sunlight.
2. Connect power, network, and one digital audio output to your DAC.

Powering On/Off

The front panel has two buttons and four status LEDs.

Power on

1. Switch the rear power switch ON (Standby LED lights).
2. Press the front Power button.
3. Wait for the last step to complete (Network and Running LEDs on).

Power off (Standby)

1. Press the front Power button again.
2. Wait until the unit returns to Standby.

Lights

• Press Lights to toggle LEDs on/off.
• Pressing Power will wake the LEDs.

Are there benefits to adding network switches to a DAS setup?

Often, yes.

Your local network is part of the audio chain, and it affects what reaches your DAS. A high-quality switch placed close to the DAS can reduce the amount of unwanted electrical noise travelling through the Ethernet connection.

But a switch is only part of the picture. The first priority is a well-designed DAS and a sound local network: a good router, sensible network layout, and good cabling. Without that, an expensive switch can become more of a band-aid than a real solution.

A good switch can help. But it cannot compensate for a weak DAS, and it cannot fully repair a poor network.

Should I add a reclocker or other device between my DAS and my DAC?

Usually, no — unless something earlier in the chain is letting the system down.

A reclocker can reduce some timing-related problems, but it also adds its own circuitry, power demands, grounding paths, and opportunities for interference. The same caution applies to fibre conversion: while it may break one electrical path, it also adds extra devices and extra complexity.

If the DAS and DAC are already well engineered, a bolt-on device in the signal path can easily do more harm than good.

That does not mean reclocking has no place. Reclocking designed as part of a complete solution inside the DAS or DAC can play an important role. But as a general rule, a high-performing DAS and DAC should not need extra boxes inserted between them.

The most productive bolt-ons are usually improvements to the network and to the quality of the cabling — power, network, and signal.

What are the differences between the Flow, Sentia and Presence?

All three models share the same Oladra Platform design approach, but they are optimised for different needs.

Presence is the absolute expression of the Oladra Platform — every part, circuit and circuit trace is optimised for maximum sound quality.

Sentia and Flow embody the same platform principles, but reach lower price points through carefully chosen parts that reduce cost while preserving as much performance as possible.

Flow is designed for streaming-only use. Its computing resources are reduced accordingly, and it does not play stored music files.

What is the difference between the Optimal and Extended motherboards?

Most owners have music libraries that fit comfortably within 4TB of storage, and the Optimal motherboard is designed around that reality with sound quality as the highest priority.

Adding more connected storage carries a sonic penalty, because it increases interface activity and electrical noise on the motherboard and from the drives themselves, whether they are actively reading music or not.

The Extended motherboard supports two additional internal drives. For example, adding two 8TB drives increases total internal capacity to 20TB.

Offering two motherboard options lets us deliver the very best sound for moderate libraries, while still supporting very large internal libraries when required. Owners can also change between Optimal and Extended later at a reasonable charge.

Why all the output options?

Every additional output in a system adds circuitry, power demands, earth paths, and more opportunity for interference. So from a pure sound-quality perspective, fewer outputs are usually better.

In many systems, the best sound comes from a high-quality USB connection, and a USB-only configuration is often the best choice. But different DACs respond differently, some work better with other interfaces, and some DACs have focused their attention on a specific connection.

That is why we offer modular output options. These include USB-only, or USB plus a synchronous output such as AES3, S/PDIF, or I²S. We are also in the process of developing specific outputs for specific DACs, including clock-slaving options where appropriate.

Because most of the important noise-control and timing work happens before the final transmission stage, changing output method is relatively simple and cost-effective. The modular design of the Oladra Platform makes those upgrades straightforward for your local service centre.