Mytek Nears the Big Launch of the Empire Streamer DAC and Empire Monoblocks

AXPONA offered the public a long-anticipated first listen to prototypes of Mytek's forthcoming Empire Streamer DAC ($24,995) and Empire GaNFET class-D monoblock amplifier ($9995/each or $19,990/pair). The former, which I'll review, may be in production by Munich High End in May; the latter is expected to launch in September.

The Empire monoblocks weigh only 30lb each. Mytek's Chief Design Engineer, Michal Jurewicz, told me they output 300Wpc into 8 ohms and 600Wpc into 4 ohms. He also claimed that their gallium nitride transistors are 10 or 20 times faster than MOSFETs and produce far more of the squarewaves essential for distortion and overshoot-free playback. "The transfer characteristic is a straight line similar to what tube amplifiers produce," he said.

"Our goal is to create a one-box solution by combining the highest performing DAC with an internal Roon system that includes an integrated streamer," Jurewicz told me.

"The Empire platform allows for continual upgrades. We are planning all kinds of software updates, including DSP for both rooms and headphones. The Empire's preamp function will also allow you to play vinyl and, with a future software upgrade, convert analog to file format." The DAC, which Mytek's website touts as "most likely the best DAC ever made," uses two ES9038PRO 8 channel chips, one chip per channel, in dual mono fully balanced configuration. The chip claims a 140dB dynamic range in balanced mono mode

Paired with Wilson Audio Sasha DAW loudspeakers ($39,000/pair) and connected by Mytek interconnects and Transparent Ultra speaker cable, the system sounded open, clear and dynamic on a track from Steely Dan, and solid, clear, fast, and warm on Mickey Hart's drum heavy "The Gates of Dafös." I'm not a Hans Zimmer fan, but there was no denying that the bombastic "Theme from Dark Night Rises" filled the room with sound. (I expect there is more to say about the sound, but I was too busy wishing that the track would end to pay close attention.) Happily, Wesley Schultz, the lead vocalist of The Lumineers, sounded really fine on "Salt and the Sea."

COMMENTS
Glotz's picture

No one asked about the tubes sticking out of the monoblocks?!

I did. They are not vacuum tubes! The rest of the story will hopefully come from Stereophile at some point...

Jason Victor Serinus's picture

this one did. And, thanks to you, what I didn't say in this report has now been said, at least in part. As I move on to more show reports, I invite you to elaborate further.

As a footnote, these are not the first product to feature GaN "tubes."

Glotz's picture

I was talking with two of their reps and he was making light of the tubes and implied that they were not. Clearly he was kidding.

Michal Jurewicz's picture

Michal Jurewicz here, I am the chief designer of the new Mytek GanFET monoblocks. We have placed an "imitation tube" which is designed to reinforce the illusion that the amp sounds like a tube amp. The original idea comes from Alberto Guerra at agdproduction.com who created a GanTube (tm) which contains the GanFET output power stage. When I worked on our design our GanFET design with another engineer during the Covid lockdown we were looking at AGD page and scratching our heads why , with a Class D GanFET topology, there was a repeated claim that the circuit sounds like "tube". We were building our own circuits and evaluating them with listening every other day. Then one day I had a revelation: the circuit started sounding like a tube amp, specifically the velvety top and beatiful midrange. Expect for the bass, which is usually problematic in most tube amps, here , the bass was tight and controlled like in a good transistor amp. Well executed GanFET is an amazing technology, you get the best from tube world (top and midrange) and transistor world (tight bass). The imitation tube represents the soul of this amp. Mytek is offering the Empire Monoblocks with two covers: one featuring the tube (which is controllable- can be dimmed, different color) and the second cover is just plain cover for the users who'd rather not have the tube.

Glotz's picture

The sound was absolutely excellent and I have my eye on the new Liberty II dac as well. Very nice review out already.

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