Following on from the DAC Z6 and Z8, EverSolo continues to expand its range of digital-to-analog converters and its 10 series with the DAC Z10.
A true high-end preamp-DAC, this new model once again opts for conversion based on a chip structure that is new to the Chinese brand. Rather than using the best Sabre ES9039PRO chip from the DMP-A10 streamer (Vumètre 57 FR review; Remarkable), the Z10 leans towards a configuration closer to that seen in the Luxsin X9 headphone amplifier, with a pair built around the AK4191 and AKM’s best DAC chip, the AK4499. In this DAC, each channel integrates the pair of chips in a perfectly dual-mono architecture.
As with the DMP-A10, the volume is analog and based on an R2R system, which is also perfectly symmetrical here. Each element is perfectly isolated in the chassis, distributed according to a patented FIA™ (Fully Isolated Architecture) process where the DAC and volume control parts are each on a board placed at a higher level than the main board. In the center, an OXCO temperature-controlled crystal oscillator is combined with PLL (Phase-Locked Loop) technology.
To minimize power-related interference, the power supply is divided into three ultra-low noise (42 µV) shielded toroidal transformers positioned at the front of the device. On the far left, a small amplification module (1 W) allows headphones to be connected via a 6.35 mm output.
As is usual with EverSolo, a magnificent IPS touchscreen sits in the center of the front panel, here wide of 8.8″ (22.4 cm), next to a volume knob with a backlit outline whose color can be changed. The rear panel also features a plethora of inputs and outputs: analog XLR and RCA; optical digital, S/PDIF, AES, HDMI I2S and eArc, USB Audio, but surprisingly, no USB-C. However, Bluetooth is also included via a Qualcomm QCC5125 chip, and an FPGA chip is used to ensure signal reliability.
And if you think the internal 3.3 V clock running at 10 MHz is not good enough, you can always add external modules via the two 50 Ω and 75 Ω BNC ports, at 10 or 25 MHz. Thanks to all these technologies, files are supported up to DSD512 and PCM 768 kHz/32-bit formats.
Icing on the cake, the European price is set below 2 000 €, at exactly 1 990 € including tax.
Distributor Audio Focus has announced that it will become the distributor for the Berkeley Audio Design brand starting in 2026.
To start with, the Alpha DAC Reference Series 3P model will be promoted. Considered by some to be the gold standard in converters, particularly in the United States, this model does not use oversampling or offer the very high frequencies of current conventional DAC chips. Instead, it focuses on the essentials, namely playing PCM or MQA files at sampling rates of 32 to 192 kHz up to 24 bits, as well as DSD up to DSD128. As a reminder, this covers the vast majority of current audio files and, in higher sample rates, most of them are larger and more often oversampled or upsampled, and therefore non-native.
To achieve extremely high precision sound levels, the Alpha DAC Reference 3P implements exceptional electrical and mechanical isolation against noise, combined with extreme stability in the time domain. Aerospace-grade ceramic materials are used in all critical areas, and the housing is designed to minimize electrical noise and maximize mechanical and thermal stability. As proof, the device weighs 13.6 kg, and the entire housing is precision-machined from solid 6061-T6 aluminum alloy.
Of course, this comes at a price, and it matches the exceptional nature of the product: 39 990 €.
To avoid the pollution created by a USB port, even one that is shielded and electrically and mechanically isolated, this input is only available on the DAC by adding a second case, the Alpha USB Reference Series. Completely galvanically isolated in this smaller 1.27 kg box, the USB Audio 2.0 port is fully re-clocked by an exclusive ultra-low phase noise clock technology, identical to that of the DAC, and then sent back to the AES or coaxial port (BNC or S/PDIF, as desired). You can then connect to the DAC via these links. But here again, this box comes at a price, costing a whopping 7 000 € in Europe.
In a second phase, the importer will also bring the Alpha series to France, which is about three times less expensive, again with the DAC separate from the USB box.
Fully symmetrical, the new Zanden 6000F integrated amplifier allows you to choose between KT-120 or KT-150 power tubes.
The latest model in the Modern range, it features the same sleek white design in a solid chassis with dimensions similar to those of the 8120 power amplifier. Like this one, the 6000F uses two tubes per channel and delivers a comfortable rated power output of 90 W into 8 Ω (with KT-120).
Also featuring four 12AU7 preamp tubes, this new integrated amplifier follows the principles of the 6000 model, but in a superior chassis with reinforced feet. The circuit diagrams have also been revised, as have the components, the RFI/EMI shielding (see our review of the Model 120, VU#58), the filter capacitors, and the internal wiring.
With extremely low feedback, the 6000F can amplify most speakers on the market and has four pairs of analog inputs, either RCA or Neutrik XLR, including one unity gain input for use in a home theater environment. With ergonomics worthy of the most modern devices, this integrated amplifier comes standard with a remote control and features such as polarity reversal.
Soon to be tested by VUmètre to verify the transparency and expressiveness that are hallmarks of this Japanese family brand, which we featured in our issue 62 Special Japan (in French), the 6000F model is being launched at a price of 32 900 € until the end of January, then 34 900 € for 2026.
During a visit to Hifi113 in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, we had the opportunity to rediscover the Serbian Dayens amplifiers, which we hadn’t heard in several years.
Founded in 1991, the company still manufactures all its products by hand in Serbia. Its catalog now includes a dozen models of wooden speakers and around ten electronic devices. Focusing on amplification, as it does not produce any sources, the manufacturer offers interesting and very affordable integrated amplifier models.
Ampino Very compact, with a chassis measuring only 15 cm wide, 9 cm high, and 28.5 cm deep, the Ampino uses an ALPS RK27 Blue Velvet volume potentiometer. On the amplification stage, a pair of Japanese bipolar transistors powered by a 100 VA toroidal transformer, filtered by Mundorf MCap® ZN Classic capacitors, develops 25 W per channel under 8 Ω or 40 W under 4 Ω in class AB. This model is available for resale at a price of 800 €.
Menuetto Still compact but this time in a “shoebox” format, the Menuetto uses the same volume potentiometer, this time motorized. More ergonomic, it offers a remote control and four pairs of RCA inputs, selectable via a dial that activates the various internal relays. Its class AB power is almost double that of the Ampino, as the Menuetto’s 200 VA transformer allows the output transistors to deliver 50 W per channel into 8 Ω and up to 70 W into 4 Ω. This model costs 1 290 € in Europe.
Ecstasy III With a more conventional format (46 cm wide), the Ecstasy III can incorporate a 400 VA toroidal transformer, with the current this time filtered by Mundorf MCap® Supreme EVO capacitors. The volume knob remains unchanged, as do the relays for the four inputs, but a “tape” output is also available this time.As with the power supply, the available power is doubled, this time thanks to two pairs of transistors per channel with a total value of 100 W under 8 Ω and 150 W under 4 Ω. Weighing in at a substantial 14 kg, its circuits and components are selected from among the best to deliver the highest possible sound quality. Its European price is 2 150 €.
In addition to these devices, there are four power amplifiers and two preamplifiers, under the names Ampino or Ecstasy IV (Power or Preamplifier). Don’t hesitate to give them a listen when you get the chance!
Through distributor Ana Mighty Sound, high-end Aidas cartridges are now available in France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Starting out as a cartridge repairer in the late 1990s, Aidas Svazas quickly became a refinisher, then a designer. At first, this resulted in models that were even better than those on the market once they had passed through the Lithuanian’s hands. Then, in 2010, the inevitable happened: the first AS-1 cartridge from a new brand, simply named after its creator: Aidas.
All moving coil (MC) cartridges, they are now available in four series. The first, labeled CU, uses copper coils and wood for its chassis. This series includes the Panzerholz, Durawood, Durawook BE, and Composite (all priced at 4 500 €). With an AlNiCo5 magnet system and a Japanese Namiki boron cantilever, these cartridges, like all the others, use a MicroRidge stylus.
The AG series features a 6N silver-plated copper coil (0.03 mm) in the unique Malachite Green model, made of green hard stone (5 500 €). Then the AU-CU series makes way for a gold-plated copper coil, with the Tru-Stone Gold Web, African Blackwood, and Brazilian Purpleheart Wood models, the latter two in a rare wood chassis from Gabon and Brazil. In this range, while the stone version may be risky on certain tonearms due to its 12.6 g weight, the wooden versions weigh just 8 g, and the first black wooden version even offers a “Baby” version, weighing 6.8 g (still 5 500 €).
And to top off the range, an AU series now incorporates pure gold for its coils. But while the Tru-Stone Violet Gold stone version (6 700 €) is already impressive, the cartridge that everyone remembers at each of the brand’s presentations is the latest: the Mammoth Gold. Available in a classic version (11.2 g; 9 000 €) and a Baby version (6.8 g; 7 900 €), this cartridge is simply made from one of the lightest and most resistant materials: ivory. But to protect living animals, the use of elephant ivory is prohibited, which we fully support. Aidas Svazas simply recovered a piece of mammoth tusk that could not be used by museums. This provided him with material for a limited and exclusive number of cells, which can be heard very soon in Paris in the new Ana Mighty Sound showroom, right next to the Eiffel Tower.
