DACs Coming Soon?

[maltby]

Eastern Electric Minimax Plus and the Schiit Bifrost. Also the Audiolab MDAC and the improved version of the sold out Anedio D1. Any others?

 

 

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Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Plus

 

1. Sabre ES9018 DAC chip

2. A Sync USB 32/192

3. Dual power transformers separate digital and analog

4. improved tube output stage

5. improved PSU

6. improved signal input section with high frequency relays/resistors module

7. Tube/SS outputs selectable

8. Socketed output opamps

9. improved S/N level

 

 

No volume control.

 

Price will be $1100

Pre-order introductory price will be $998 for the first 100 DAC's.

 

 

Specification:

Frequency Response : 10Hz – 40KHz?Sampling rates : 16-32bit 32KHz - 192KHz

Dynamic Range : 135dB

Digital Input Impedance : 75 ohm

Output Impedance : Tube 3K

Solid State 200 ohm

Output Voltage : Tube 2.5V +- 0.5dB

Solid State 2.5V +-0.5dB

S/N ratio : Tube 105dB

Solid Sate 120dB

THD : 0.2%(Tube) 0.02%(Solid State)

Dynamic Range : 129dB

Power Consumption : 14W

Main Voltage : 120V, 230V, 240V switchable

G.W. : 5.6kgs

N.W. : 4.1kgs

 

Schiit Bifrost DAC

6/30/11

Los Angeles, CA. Today, Schiit Audio announced the introduction of Bifrost, its first standalone DAC and the world’s most affordable fully upgradable DAC. Featuring modular design with upgradable USB Input and DAC/Analog Output boards, Bifrost offers virtually future-proof performance at an entry-level price.

“We’re changing the level of entry-level,” said Mike Moffat, Co-Founder of Schiit Audio. “Low cost shouldn’t be an excuse for a throwaway product. In fact, entry-level products are where you want upgradability the most. It lets someone get in and get a taste for what high-end audio can do, and then can grow with their needs.”

Despite Bifrost’s low cost, it’s packed with advanced features and high-end components, including the AKM4399 32 bit D/A converter, used in other DACs costing nearly 5X more than Bifrost, a fully discrete analog section like DACs costing thousands of dollars, a sophisticated bit-perfect clock management system to ensure the delivery of original music samples to the D/A converter, an advanced asynchronous USB 2.0 receiver implementation that offers 24 bit / 192 kHz playback from both Windows and Mac computers, and a low-jitter SPDIF receiver that is also 24 bit/192kHz capable.

“Bifrost offers much higher performance than the last DAC Mike and I collaborated on (the Cobalt 307), has more features and more inputs, and costs only about half as much as the Cobalt,” said Jason Stoddard, talking about an iconic DAC that he co-developed with Mike during his Theta Digital days. “And the Cobalt didn’t have discrete analog, and wasn’t upgradable. Progress is a wonderful thing.”

Schiit Audio announced pre-order availability today for Bifrost, at a retail price of $349 (without USB 2.0 input) and $449 (with USB 2.0 input), sold direct from Schiit Audio’s online store, and through select international distributors and US dealers. Bifrosts ordered without USB can be upgraded to add the USB input at any time with a $100 board, thanks to its upgradable design. Bifrost is scheduled to begin shipping on August 31.