DAC•WRAP Magnetic Shield

DAC•WRAP isolates a DAC from magnetic and low frequency RF fields generated by proximate component power supplies, AC power cables, transformers and the household environment. For maximum sound transparency, you need to block external electromagnetic energy from entering a DAC's enclosure to induce unwanted electrical current along internal signal and power paths. Dan suggests that Faraday's law and Hall effect are causal. DAC•WRAP is laminated foil sheets of highly permeable alloy with performance similar to MuMETAL®. Impinging magnetic fields are deflected to flow along the outside of the DAC. The beneficial effects are immediate and obvious. Standard shielding is recommended and sufficient for most systems. Consider Extreme shielding on a highly resolving system in a EMF noisy environment.

Installation

Remove DAC•WRAP from packaging and unroll on a flat surface. It’s durable and flexible but its core is made of thin metal so it may crease and dent under bending or stress; however, this will not affect the performance. The cobalt alloy composition acts as a guide to deflect lines of magnetic flux: overlapped coverage is more important than a tight fit. 

DAC•WRAP’s is not electrically conductive and will not affect contact with cables. DAC•WRAP is thermally conductive so it will only have a nominal impact on the internal temperature of DACs with radiative cooling, however DAC•WRAP is not recommended for DACs with chassis air vents. 

DAC•WRAP Standard provides shielding from field sources located up/down/left/right of the DAC, so audio rack components, monitor speakers as well as any electronics above and below the DAC (upper and lower floors) are shielded. The front and rear of the DAC is exposed for practicality, so consider moving any potential sources on the same floor away from those angles for maximum shielding benefit.

DAC•WRAP Extreme adds front and back shielding from medial field sources and provides an extra layer of shielding in the body of the DAC. Remote control of the DAC may be nominally hindered as the foil surface is reflective to infrared yet a remote signal may pass through gaps to the IR sensor. For convenience and reliability, consider utilizing an IR repeater (user installed).

For Chord Dave and larger DACs, DAC•WRAP Standard includes two sheets: a lateral sheet'L' wraps around the sides and a top sheet 'T' rests on the top (or bottom). For Chord TT2 and smaller DACs, DAC•WRAP Standard includes a single lateral sheet. DAC•WRAP Extreme adds a (front to back) medial sheet 'M' for increased shielding. 

*MuMETAL® is a trademark of Magnetic Shield Corporation