There are both digital and balanced and unbalanced analog outputs on the back as well as wired and wireless networking for NAS drives. Around a dozen file formats are supported including all the big players.
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This is the third year I've seen QAT at CES and they seem to making steady improvements. Part of that progress is the new RS3 server, from their lower-priced KUAN series, which retails for $1,800 and is available now. Features include a front-loading replaceable 2.5 inch HDD/SSD with capacity up to 2TB as well as both PCM and DSD support.
In the Devore Fidelity room was the Line Magnetic DAC that sports both a tube and solid state user-selectable output section via a front panel switch. Async USB, SPDIF, optical and AES/EBU connectors on the back and the LM-502CA has been updated inside to accept up to 32/356 PCM. Available now for $1,795.
Though they only had a prototype board (in the photo below) as well as the poster (in the photo above) in the room, Calyx were announcing the new PaT DAC which should hit retailers in February for $99. Handles PCM up to 16/48, but no DSD. One interesting feature is the buttons on the panel can control your play, volume and skip features on the connected phone.
This is a handsome iPod like player with 4.65 inch OLED display on the front and a pair of memory slots on the top (as shown in the photo below). The slots included are one micro SD and one regular SD with current maximum capacity of 512GB. The company says that they should be able to accept cards of up to 2TB in the future.
Price is $1,099 and now includes a new time domain minimum phase digital filter. Handles both DSD 128 and up to 32/384 PCM via a handful of formats including DXD. The only thing I didn't see on the list were FLAC files.
The DAC BOX has now been upgraded to include DSD decoding in addition to 24/192 PCM. There are USB 2.0, SPDIF and optical inputs as well as analog RCA outputs on the back and a button for two filter settings on the front. Price is $499.
This is one of the smallest boxes I've seen that handles both streaming and conversion, and the price is tiny to match: $249. The BurrBrown chip inside handles up to 32/384 via USB and there are also analog RCA outputs on back. Though not listed in the catalog, there is a filter switch on the display unit.
Pro-Ject also has another new streamer that didn't make it to the show called the Stream BOX S. It will include UPnP and DLNA ethernet and WiFi connectivity to your network and support app control of your streams. No pricing yet, but should show up near the middle of the year.
Another interesting small package from Pro-Ject is the new Bluetooth BOX S which includes aptX for streaming from your pad or smartphone. Pro-Ject says the BOX S can memorize up to eight different Bluetooth sources and works up to about 30 feet away. There are both 3.5mm stereo analog and optical digital outputs.
BTW, the plastic panel on the front is not a display, but hides the antenna.
Another music server that caught my eye was the latest offering from SOtM, which will hit retailers in February for around $3k. Though the front of the box is plain, this is a full-featured machine, as evidenced by the back panel. USB inputs and outputs support up to 32/384 PCM and native DSD, and networking support for DLNA is included.
There is also an auto-ripping CD slot, as well as balanced and unbalanced analog outputs. Several choices for digital out are listed in the brochure, though the photo I took at the show doesn't reveal these on the prototype. There is an HDMI and VGA jack…
With the demise of the iPod, the number of high quality portable players has jumped. Case in point are these two new players from Questyle. Both play DSD and Double DSD files along with about a dozen PCM formats up to 24/192. The players also feature the company's unique "current mode" headphone amplification.
Inside each is the same Cirrus Logic chip found in the Astell&Kern's AK240 and 8GB of stock internal memory. Two microSD slots allow you to seriously goose that meager storage to 256GB. Questyle also noted that these devices are made at the Foxconn plant where Apple makes their…
The big news at Ayre is that the standing range of "5"-series components is being upgraded to "The Twenty Editions," which incorporate the circuit and performance facilities of the well-received flagship KX-R Twenty, MX-R Twenty and VX-R Twenty. All that is on the inside but all Ayre has done on the outside is add a little plaque saying "Twenty" which, IMHO, is not an aesthetic triumph. The sound, however, was a triumph with the new KX-5 Twenty preamplifier ($8950, above) driving a pair of VX-5 Twenty amps ($8950 each) with all the clarity and dynamics reminiscent of the Reference series.