On the back are digital inputs for USB, SPDIF and optical and also analog RCA jacks. Also on the back are the digital and analog outputs and on the front a 100-step volume control and 1/4 inch headphone jack. Remote control is included.
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Sporting beautiful casework for relatively modest pricing, Burson's Conductor Virtuoso will be shipping in two versions: one with a Sabre ESS9018 DAC chip for $1,995 and the other with the BurrBrown PCM1793 for $1,495. Inside is a 4 watt headphone amp section along with PCM processing up to 24/192.
Another portable player in the $1k range is Sony's latest offering which includes the proprietary DSEE HX process to "upscale" music while streaming. Files up to 24/192 and DSD are supported and there is 128GB of built-in memory, as well as micro SD card slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and about 30 hours of HD playback per battery charge.
The NW-ZX2 will be available shortly for $1,199.
Aimed at the power portable user, the new Shift should be appearing in April for approx. $399 and features a luxurious leather covering on the case that attaches it to your portable. Can be used with a PC or phone, and can even charge an iOS device if needed.
Peachtree has several new digital products of note this year, one being the sanaDAC which will retail somewhere south of $1,500. It features native 36 bit architecture to process both PCM and DSD and has both balanced and unbalanced analog outputs on the back. There are a complete set of five digital inputs on the back as well as 1/4 inch headphone jack on the front backed by a 800mW (8 ohms) amp.
There will be more products in the series, such as a sanaAMP around the $1k range.
If you still have a pile of CDs but want to move firmly towards the modern age, this may be the Cary Audio product for you. In addition to the disc spinner, the DMC 600se can stream via USB or aptX Bluetooth and you can also connect other digital sources via the various inputs on the back.
Like the DAC 200ts, there is DSD 64/128/256 and PCM up to 32/384 and the company's Trubit Upsampling, allowing you to choose between seven upsamping rates as well as a switch on the front panel for choosing between the tube or solo state output stages.
There are two versions available: the se…
The Cary spokesperson suggested I think of the TL300d as a standard tube preamp with a digital section added. There are four analog inputs and five digital inputs including aptX Bluetooth capability and streaming on the USB input. Like Cary Audio's new DAC 200ts, there is DSD 64/128/256 and PCM up to 32/384 and the company's Trubit Upsampling, allowing you to choose between seven upsamping rates.
Due sometime in April for around $8-9k.
Both DSD 64/128/256 and PCM up to 32/384 are covered in the new DAC 200ts as well as aptX Bluetooth. There are five digital inputs on the back and both balanced and unbalanced analog outs. But what I found intriguing was a switch on the front that lets the listener choose between tube and solid state output stages.
The DAC 200ts should be available in February for $3,995.
The first thing you notice is the ginourmous display on the front, which you're tempted to tap like an iPad. But it's just a display and apparently very popular in some overseas (read Japan) markets. There are buttons on both sides of the screen however, so you can operate the 2120 with those or with an iPad. (Though it may be hard to tell from this photo, this is a large product, and that display is larger than an iPad mini.)
The 2120 is a UPnP streamer and should be available in a couple months for around $55-60k. It will support up to 32/384 PCM and DSD and there is a complete set of…
Here is a tentative newcomer to the US from Madrid, Spain and parent company Wadax, and I'm hedging because the potential distributor said they were showing these to "probe the market" for a possible mid-2015 launch. The Mizik system comprises three modules, at $3,500 each, that stack either vertically or horizontally to form a complete system. The styling is obviously unique and the displays auto-rotate depending on which direction you stack them.
The first unit is the dPlay preamp/DAC with USB and SPDIF inputs handling PCM or DSD and both balanced and unbalanced analog outs. There is…
Siltech has just released its Siltech Triple Crown interconnects (est. price in Europe, US prices still be determined, 20,000/1m pair) and speaker cables (est. price 35,000/2m pair). Touted as "cable royalty... sets new benchmark for interconnect and speaker cable performance," these major lookers utilize the company's newest mono-crystal technology. According to Lennart Thissen, who designed the cable's unique mechanical parts, they have "the lowest capacitance of any cable we know."
Interconnects are terminated with a unique, 24-carat gold-plated, four pin clamping mechanism to ensure…