{"id":3746,"date":"2025-08-05T15:49:42","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T13:49:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/?p=3746"},"modified":"2025-08-14T10:03:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T08:03:55","slug":"eera-minuetto-competitive-and-performant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/tests\/eera-minuetto-competitive-and-performant\/","title":{"rendered":"EERA Minuetto: Competitive and Performant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The latest addition to the EERA range, the EERA Minuetto is largely based on its predecessor, the Andante. Its rich connectivity and large display show at all times the input currently in use, along with the specific characteristics of the digital stream being processed. The main change is in the DAC itself.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reputation of Marseille-based DAC designer and manufacturer EERA is well established. The company has acquired undisputed expertise and mastery in the processing and decoding of digital streams. As a result, it has a vast range of top-quality products designed to meet the requirements of the most discerning audiophiles and professionals alike. The Minuetto DAC, despite its remarkable performance, is one of the brand’s entry-level products, at least in terms of price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The heir to long experience<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With the Minuetto, EERA’s ambition was to offer a DAC with great musicality at an affordable price. In order to achieve this objective, EERA has largely taken from its Andante model, renowned for the detail and finesse of its sound image. Similarly, this latest model boasts a rich array of connectors capable of accepting a wide variety of digital sources. For the most common sources, there are two coaxial digital inputs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To continue with the great classics, there’s also an optical input. But the Minuetto is also designed to handle digital streams from the most advanced, even professional, sources. To do this, it has an AES digital input on an XLR socket. It also has a USB-B port for direct use with music files stored on a computer. Finally, there’s also an I2S-compatible HDMI port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Balanced XLR outputs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The same universality is also found in its analogue outputs. While a pair of RCA sockets is available to handle the most common audio equipment, the Minuetto also has a balanced analogue output on a pair of XLR sockets. It is therefore designed to handle components such as power blocks or very high-end preamplifiers under optimum conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"eera<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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A \u2018boosted\u2019 core<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

However, the most significant change lies at the heart of the Minuetto. It is equipped with ESS Sabre 9038Q2M digital\/analogue converters, one per channel, managed by proprietary software. Capable of working in 32-bit\/768 kHz HyperStream, these chips boast exceptional performance both in terms of dynamic range, reaching 129 dB, and signal-to-noise ratio, announced at 120 dB including distortion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Symmetrical, pure Class A architecture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To take full advantage of the remarkable performance of these Sabre converters, the Minuetto adopts a \u2018fully symmetrical\u2019 structure that eliminates any risk of interaction between the two channels. Similarly, to maintain a very low level of distortion, the Minuetto’s output stages work in pure Class A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another key point in preserving the purity of the sound message is that the Minuetto’s power supplies are the result of in-depth studies to ensure the availability of stable voltages free from any radio frequency interference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sober finishes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the Minuetto comes in a box that is virtually identical to that of its predecessor. Sober and elegant, it is in keeping with the lineage of products offered by EERA. The same applies to the behaviour of this latest addition, which carries the signature sound that has made EERA such a success. A DAC offering remarkable value for money, capable of holding its own against much more expensive equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The set up<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite its compact size for a 19\u2019\u2019 rackmount, the Minuetto weighs a fair amount on the scales, which betrays the quality of its manufacture. So give it a stable, rigid stand. Pay attention to the mains side, as the correct position can be heard immediately. We can’t advise you enough to take care with the wiring of this device. That’s what we’ve done with the new Absolue Cr\u00e9ations Tim-Essentiel series, which we’ll be talking about at length in a future issue!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"eera<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The sound of the Eera Minuetto<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It had been several years since we had the opportunity to listen to a digital source from the French manufacturer EERA. Nevertheless, we had fond memories of the performance of its devices, which struck us with their extremely rigorous balance and marked resolving power. So it was a pleasure to listen to the new Minuetto digital\/analogue converter and rediscover these qualities, as vivid as ever, but with greater control. There’s no doubt that the balance favoured by the Marseilles-based manufacturer is still relevant today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it’s true that in today’s society, where some products are clones of others, a manufacturer with a real personality deserves our full attention. Didier De Luca’s leitmotiv has always been to highlight all the components of a recording, not just in quantity, but above all in the right proportions. To achieve this, he has developed circuits capable of deconstructing the sound signal with unprecedented acuity. And if, in the distant past, I could sometimes notice a slight lack of smoothness linked to a power of resolution that was too inquisitive, I am pleased to note that this is not the case today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only is the Minuetto a highly resolving source, as the designer likes them, and so do we, but it also adopts a subtle, nuanced personality. In its company, we enjoy an exhaustive show that highlights a sound recording with all its characteristics, its ambiences, its ability to caress the listener’s sensitive fibres, in other words to confer emotion, and not to confine itself to deciphering a sound message in a cold, disembodied way. The Minuetto is not one of those machines that repeat the same performance over and over again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather, it tends to take a back seat to the demands of the digital audio file it is charged with transcribing. Of course, EERA has always been consistent, right from the start. The Minuetto, like its brothers before it, is a machine to be classified in the category of precise sources. However, it is adorned with a softness that we were not used to finding from the manufacturer, at least in these proportions. And here, a certain delicacy in no way rhymes with \u2018softness\u2019. We could say that, without compromising the precision of the transcription, EERA is trying its hand at flexibility with some success. And in all sincerity, we like it a lot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the most part, we find sonorities free of any coloration, a persistence of sound that gives the recorded music a nice depth. The listening experience remains tense, nervous, fast and luminous, while at the same time approaching a territory of greater fluidity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"eera<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Our conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We were delighted to welcome back EERA with a machine at a particularly competitive price. This new Minuetto is as mineral as ever, with a hint of warmth that makes all the difference. Add to that the fact that this converter is made with great care in France and is particularly well equipped, and you have all the more reason to give this new product a careful listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Authors<\/strong>: Est\u00e8ve Fabry and Laurent Thorin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technical sheet: EERA Minuetto<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Origin<\/strong>: France<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Price <\/strong>: \u20ac3,500<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Dimensions <\/strong>: 445 x 85 x 320 mm<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Frequency response <\/strong>:
    • (20 Hz to 20 kHz), dB : +-0.1<\/li><\/ul>\n
        \n
      • (20 Hz to 20 kHz), dB : +-0.1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Dynamic range<\/strong>: 113 dB(A)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Digital audio inputs <\/strong>: HDMI DSD (type A) \/ USB (type B) coaxial, optical, AES\/EBU<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Resolutions<\/strong>: 16-bit, 24-bit<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Digital audio output<\/strong>: Coaxial<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Analogue outputs <\/strong>: RCA output level: 3 Vrms; XLR: 3 Vrms (1.5 Vrms per phase)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n



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        The latest addition to the EERA range, the EERA Minuetto is largely based on its predecessor, the Andante. Its rich connectivity and large display show at all times the input currently in use, along with the specific characteristics of the digital stream being processed. The main change is in the DAC itself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3747,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35,115,123,37,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tests","category-dac","category-eera","category-manufacturer","category-types"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3746"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4321,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3746\/revisions\/4321"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}