When one of France’s specialists in streaming devices joins forces with one of the world’s specialists in streaming solutions, the result is the DSAS.
In a silver or black chassis similar to that of the DSS 2 network transport (4 750 €), but with the third bar and the blue-purple logo identifiable to Audirvāna, Métronome releases a new streamer fully manageable by French streaming software.
We recently reported on Audirvāna’s interest in now running under Linux, with the possible developments of being able to be directly integrated into streaming devices, without needing a computer again to make use of the sharing application. The idea goes even further with Métronome’s DSAS, where Audirvāna is directly integrated on a Linux processor with 4 GB RAM to be the main application for network playback.
Thanks to this partnership, you no longer need an external processor or a computer to use the software, but only an iOS (Apple) or Android (Google) compatible smartphone or tablet to use the Audirvāna Remote App. Thanks to this, Métronome associate director Jean-Marie Clauzel announces that he is offering “a new versatile source” with a solution that he has “long appreciated for its features and sound quality ”.
A network transport and a server, the DSAS features a 2TB internal SSD drive that can be expanded to 4TB, but requires a USB connection to a DAC to convert the digital signal to analog. It operates via Ethernet and Wifi and is Chromecast compatible; its launch is scheduled for just after the Munich show, at a price of 5 990 € incl. VAT.
After the triumphant success of Eversolo in 2022, it’s hard to say where Zidoo will stop. In addition to presenting three new models at Munich for its streaming brand, Zidoo is also adding a new brand to its portfolio.
Called Luxsin, this first product features two new high-end conversion chips (one AKM4499EX per channel) combined with a delta-sigma AKM4191EQ modulation chip. Destined to become a high-performance headphone amplifier and an excellent analog preamp, the X9 combines three headphone outputs (unbalanced 6.35 mm and balanced 4.4 mm & XLR 4-pin jacks) with fully balanced R2R volume control.
The unit adds an ultra-low-noise power supply to premium components such as WIMA Red capacitors, and again sets itself apart from the competition with an HD touchscreen, this time 4″. Two Accusilicon AS318-B-451584 crystal oscillators with extremely low phase noise enable frequency management up to 45MHz.
While the power of the 6120 A2 headphone amplifier has not yet been specified, ARC, USB-B, coaxial, optical and RCA inputs are all present, as are Bluetooth 5.0 and, for the preamp part, one XLR and one RCA pair. Although not a streamer (an Eversolo T8 network transport is expected in Munich), the X9 is capable of decoding files up to DSD512 and PCM 768 kHz / 32 bits. Add to this a negative feedback circuit and a control adaptable to most headphones on the market, and it’s hard to see how the Chinese engineers could have hit harder… especially for a device launched at 1 099 € in Europe !
Discovered with the S1 streamer, XACT is the hardware counterpart to the JPlay software created by the engineer Marcin Ostapowicz. For the more affluent, the S1 could be duplicated to use one as a pure Internet switch and the other as a network transport – an expensive and complex solution, now simplified with the new N1 switch.
Still based on the components and circuits developed by the Polish engineer, the XACT N1 incorporates some elements from his OEM brand JCAT, integrated in a smaller case than the S1. Linear power supply is thus derived from an OPTIMO N1 toroidal transformer filtered by two capacitor sections, connected by cables to a second circuit on which are arranged five RJ45 Ethernet ports -one of those galvanically isolated- and one SFP fiber port.
The signal is handled by a processor and a network chip, and controlled by an OXCO ultra-low-noise clock powered by its own current section. Launched this month, the XACT N1 is a top-of-the-range audiophile switch, priced at 6 000 € incl. VAT.
Presented last year at the Munich High End, the Madison Amplifier never saw the light of day in this prototype version, but now appears in an optimized version, of which we have the first worldwide test in Vumètre n°59.
For a quick reminder, let’s recall that immediately after the Munich 2024 trade show, the takeover of Swiss company Wattson Audio was announced by compatriot high-end company CH Precision. The engineers immediately decided to collaborate, with the result that the largest streamers (Madison & Madison LE) were redesigned as one, and the brand-new power amplifier was revised.
A year later, the Madison Amplifier finally saw the light of day, and while it retains the launch case, identical in design but much larger than that of the Streamer, it has benefited from numerous internal modifications. Intended to be bridgeable (i.e., monophonic, to be combined with a second Amp to drive each speaker separately), the Amplifier can now also, like the big CH blocks, become “bi-amp”, i.e., still be used on one side only, but in order to use its two pairs of terminals for the two pairs of speaker terminals (when the latter have four terminals each).
From 2 x 50 W into 8 ohms and up to 2 x 120 W into 2 ohms, the Madison Amplifier can be integrated with a preamp or a source with digital volume control via one RCA and one XLR pair, and is available in Europe at a price of 6 495 €, a substantial but ultimately reasonable price when you consider that the product is now a small CH.
Smaller than the Euphoria Evo (reviewed on VU#51), the Echo headphone amplifier from Polish manufacturer Feliks Audio becomes mkII Vibe.
Immediately recognizable from the first version, its real wood sides are now outlined by a CNC-milled pattern. The hood has been redesigned at the same time as the chassis, to better armor the little device, which can also be used as an analog preamplifier thanks to a pair of RCA output terminals, in addition to three pairs of inputs – also unbalanced RCA.
As an OTL (Output TransformerLess) tube amplifier, the Echo mkII Vibe has four upgraded filter capacitors, and two 6NP6 double triodes to handle amplification power up to 2 x 350 mW. Two further double triodes (6N1P) are used for preamplification, with inputs selected by a knob on the right of the front panel, while volume is controlled by an ALPS potentiometer with a large central knob.
On this new entry-level model from Feliks Audio (which has three other models for headphone amplification alone), only a 6.35 mm jack is available – by far the most useful in this range – capable of bringing extra power to many headphones compared with the less sophisticated connections of most integrated amplifiers. Recommended for headphones with an impedance of 80 to 600 ohms, it is 100 € more expensive than the Echo mkII, since the Vibe is launched in Europe at 999 €.
