Displaying items by tag: dac - StereoLife Magazine

Unison Research has always been associated with vacuum tubes, elegant Italian craftsmanship, and a certain old-school approach to music reproduction. Yet the company has never been particularly interested in treating tradition and technological progress as opposing forces. Its latest creation, the Unico DS, is perhaps the clearest expression of that philosophy to date. This flagship digital source combines a network streamer, CD transport, and sophisticated DAC with a fully balanced, Class A tube output stage. At its heart are an ESS SABRE ES9038Q2M converter, advanced digital signal processing, and a proprietary technology called F.D.F. (Frequency-Dependent Feedback). Rather than producing yet another streamer whose main selling point is a slick smartphone app, Unison Research has set out to build a serious source component for high-end stereo systems. The idea is to bring together the precision, transparency, and dynamic capabilities of modern digital audio with the natural presentation and tonal richness that have long defined the company's tube amplifiers.

Not every stereo receiver needs to be a miniature computer. Over the past few years, even relatively inexpensive hi-fi components have acquired features that were once reserved for considerably more sophisticated equipment. Built-in streaming platforms, wireless networking, HDMI connections, music services, smartphone apps, and increasingly elaborate digital processing have become almost standard. There's nothing wrong with any of that, of course, but it does raise an interesting question. What if someone simply wants to build a conventional stereo system, connect a turntable or CD player, and listen to music without having to configure another device on their home network? Yamaha's new R200A is designed for precisely that kind of listener. It's a full-size, two-channel stereo receiver offering 100 watts per channel, a dedicated phono input, several analog connections, conventional radio tuners, and Bluetooth. There is no Wi-Fi, no MusicCast, no HDMI, and not a single digital audio input. Even the USB port on the rear panel is reserved exclusively for firmware updates. In other words, this is a stereo receiver in the traditional sense of the term: an integrated amplifier with a built-in radio tuner, intended to form the foundation of a straightforward hi-fi system.

For many years, Canor built its reputation primarily on tube-based audio equipment, but the Slovak manufacturer has recently been expanding its solid-state offerings with increasing confidence. The latest example of this strategy is the Crius H5S, a compact headphone amplifier, digital-to-analog converter, and preamplifier combined in a single chassis. The new model marks the debut of the Essential Line, a series intended to bring engineering solutions developed for Canor's more expensive components into smaller, more versatile, and more affordable products. Although the Crius H5S has been designed primarily for owners of high-quality headphones, it can also serve as the control center of a compact stereo system, feeding a separate power amplifier or active speakers.

It hasn't been long since the launch of the iDSD GR 2, but iFi Audio has already prepared a special version of its latest portable DAC and headphone amplifier. The iDSD GR 2 MT, with the final letters standing for "Master Tuned," was developed in collaboration with Steve Levine, the British record producer whose credits include Culture Club, The Beach Boys, Gary Moore, and Motörhead. This is not, however, the usual kind of special edition where the differences amount to a new finish, a celebrity signature, and a few additional menu options. For the GR 2 MT, iFi has upgraded several components in the analog signal path, replaced the circuit board material, and introduced two exclusive digital filters developed with Levine. The starting point remains the standard iDSD GR 2, introduced in June 2026 as the successor to the popular xDSD Gryphon. Rather than treating it as a modest update, iFi approached the GR 2 as a substantially new design, introducing a revised DAC architecture, fully balanced amplification, a color OLED touchscreen, and support for the latest wireless audio technologies. At the heart of its digital section is the Burr-Brown PCM1795, a current-output DAC chip that gave the company's engineers considerable freedom in designing the analog circuitry that follows it.

Fosi Audio started out making small, affordable amplifiers designed to deliver as much performance as possible for relatively little money, while occupying considerably less space on a desk or shelf than conventional hi-fi equipment. Over time, however, the Chinese company's portfolio has expanded well beyond that original concept. DACs, preamplifiers, monoblocks, headphone amplifiers, and, more recently, loudspeakers and a dedicated music streamer have all joined the lineup. Now, Fosi Audio is attempting to bring these developments together into something that can reasonably be described as a complete audio ecosystem. At its core are four components with similar dimensions and a consistent visual identity: the S3 network streamer, ZD3 digital-to-analog converter, ZH3 headphone amplifier, and PSU20 linear power supply. Each can operate independently, but all four have been designed with the idea that users can gradually assemble a more sophisticated system as their requirements evolve.

For years, we've been told that the future of home audio belongs to wireless speakers, streaming services, and devices controlled entirely through smartphone apps. And yet, somehow, the traditional micro hi-fi system refuses to disappear. It's not particularly difficult to understand why. For plenty of music lovers, a compact stereo with a built-in CD player, radio tuner, and two separate speakers remains one of the simplest and most practical ways to enjoy music at home. No complicated setup, no need to assemble a collection of separate components, and no requirement to reach for a phone every time you want to hear something. Panasonic clearly believes there's still a market for this kind of equipment, as the Japanese manufacturer has just introduced two new micro systems, the SC-PMX112 and SC-PM302. The former is a more sophisticated, 180-watt model with internet radio, Spotify Connect, and two-way speakers, while the latter offers a simpler, more affordable 60-watt alternative for listeners who are perfectly happy with CDs, radio, and Bluetooth streaming. Both retain the familiar micro hi-fi format while introducing a few welcome modern touches, including color displays and USB playback.

Digital audio has come a long way in recent years. There was a time when all you needed was a computer, a modest collection of files on a hard drive and a DAC connected over USB. Today, we have music servers, network transports, dedicated operating systems, control apps, streaming services and an entire infrastructure that some audiophiles take just as seriously as their amplifiers or speakers. For a long time, I found myself somewhere between those two worlds. I was eager to try anything that promised a better way to listen to files, seeing it not just as a matter of convenience but as a chance to get around some of the limitations of CD. I extensively modified my PC to make it quiet and efficient, and just about every DAC from a familiar hi-fi brand found its way onto my desk: the Meridian Explorer, Primare DAC30, Hegel HD25, Atoll HD100, iFi Audio iDSD Micro and Marantz HD-DAC1. Back then, this was seen as a harmless eccentricity. For most audiophiles, the only serious source of music was a CD player, but that began to change quickly. Today, streaming is a galaxy of its own, with streamers, servers, dedicated operating systems, control apps, streaming services, specialist power supplies and even LAN cables with prices that can make your head spin. For some people, streaming is simply a more convenient way to listen to music. For others, it is another area where they can spend hours searching for small improvements. But even the most ambitious system needs one more key component: software for playing music. You can use one of the free apps, download the one supplied by your streamer’s manufacturer or switch between them depending on where you want to access your music. Or you can bring all of that together with a specialist app such as JPLAY.

In 2026, Arcam celebrates its 50th anniversary. The British company's story began in Cambridge, where two engineering students and friends, John Dawson and Chris Evans, combined their interest in music with their technical expertise to establish Amplification and Recording Cambridge, later known as A&R Cambridge. Its first major product was the A60 integrated amplifier, introduced in September 1976. It not only gave the fledgling company a successful start, but also established the direction it would follow for decades to come. Although Arcam's catalogue eventually expanded to include disc players, digital-to-analogue converters, streamers and sophisticated home cinema electronics, amplifiers remained at the heart of the company's identity. To mark its golden anniversary, Arcam has introduced two new components positioned at the top of the Radia range - the A50 Signature integrated amplifier and the CD25 compact disc player.

Hegel is introducing two new integrated amplifiers built around the same core platform but aimed at different types of system. The H200, described by the manufacturer as "The Connected", combines a 2 x 150 W amplifier with a digital-to-analogue converter, network player, MM phono stage and headphone output. The A200, or "The Classic", retains the same power output and key circuit solutions, but is an entirely analogue design intended for use with external sources such as streamers and DACs. Both amplifiers employ a Class AB output stage delivering 150 W per channel into 8 ohms. The H200 and A200 are designed to remain stable into loads as low as 2 ohms, while the damping factor of their output stages exceeds 4000. Both models also feature Hegel's SoundEngine2 technology, which is designed to detect and reduce distortion at the point where it occurs, before it travels further through the signal path. The basic amplifier architecture is therefore shared, with the main differences concerning connectivity, features and the role each model is intended to play within a system. Rather than creating one heavily equipped amplifier for everyone, Hegel has developed two versions - a complete network-enabled model and a more traditional integrated amplifier without a digital section.

Topping has never been particularly shy about squeezing ambitious specifications into inexpensive little boxes, but DX1 II is a much more substantial update than its familiar name might suggest. The original DX1 was deliberately simple - a USB-powered DAC and headphone amplifier built around AKM's AK4493S, with a single USB input, RCA output and 3.5 mm and 6.35 mm headphone sockets. DX1 II keeps the compact desktop format and USB-powered operation, but almost everything around it has changed. There is a new ESS converter, fully balanced analog architecture, considerably more headphone power, optical input and output, 4.4 mm connections, parametric EQ, a display and remote control, plus features aimed specifically at PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch users. In other words, what started as an inexpensive way to improve computer audio has evolved into a surprisingly complete little DAC, preamplifier, headphone amplifier and digital signal processor.