The CNC-machined aluminum chassis feels very solid, with beautiful heat sinks running along the sides that aren’t just for show—they provide crucial passive cooling for the sophisticated internals. The fit and finish is flawless, with tight tolerances and a premium feel that rivals components costing significantly more.

What caught me off guard when I first turned it on? Those dual displays. The main 6.5-inch touchscreen is centered in the front panel with vibrant colors and crisp graphics, while a secondary OLED display sits elegantly beside it within the volume knob. The primary screen might just seem like eye candy to some, but it’s actually functional and provides real-time information about your audio signal. Depending on the theme, it is very readable from across the room as well, which is often a complaint with screens. As a bonus, we of course get all the digital VU meters that some just can’t resist—the number of options to choose from keeps increasing as well through their frequent updates. I’ll get into how this screen performs a little later when I dig into the actual user experience with the platform.

I just can’t leave the build section without talking about the volume knob display for a second. I really think it’s genuinely neat—you can customize what it shows, and honestly, I haven’t seen anything like it from other brands. I like to highlight the little things or quirks from time to time that make products interesting. In some cases, the quirks work against the product; in this case, it’s a nice addition for the aesthetic.

Features and Connectivity

The DMP-A10 is essentially four products in one chassis: a streaming transport, a flagship DAC, a sophisticated DAC/streamer/preamp combo, and a digital room correction system. Let’s break down what makes each component special.

Connectivity is absolutely comprehensive. You get multiple digital inputs including Ethernet and dual-band wireless connectivity, USB, 2 optical, 2 coaxial, 2 sets of RCA, as well as balanced XLR. The outputs are equally impressive—both single-ended RCA and balanced XLR, coax, optical, USB, and one of the improvements over previous models: 2 subwoofer outputs.

This one is equipped with HDMI as well, with eARC support. I tested it with my C4 LG OLED TV and everything worked flawlessly. It’s a great product for integrating into a hybrid space with 2-channel audio as well as all forms of video media.

The unit is Roon Ready, supports UPnP and DLNA, and can handle virtually every streaming service you can think of: Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, Apple Music, Hi-Res Audio, Paradise Radio, and one I want to highlight—Amazon Music. Amazon Music is missing on a lot of modern-day streamers but has been available for years with the Eversolo software suite.

The A10 includes two M.2 NVMe SSD slots underneath, allowing you to install up to 8TB of total internal storage. This transforms it into a complete music server, so I guess that makes it more like 5 products in one chassis.

But wait, there’s actually more. You get a fiber optic network connection—it’s not a common connection to see on streamers unless you start to shop the far ends of high-end audio. It’s in all reality a superior connection to Ethernet for noise isolation, transparency, and even reducing network latency. You need a bit of extra hardware for this one, but depending on your configuration, it might be worth looking into.

How about a little more yet? You can rip and play CDs using an external drive. If you utilize the SSD I mentioned earlier, you can store them right on the A10 itself.

Wrapping up the rear, we have trigger inputs and outputs that are a thoughtful touch for system integration, allowing the A10 to automatically power up your entire chain. Triggers are a must-have in my opinion on gear like this. When you have something like the A10 that can operate as the command center for your entire system, thoughtful integration and connections are key.

DAC Implementation

At the core of the DMP-A10 lies the ES9039PRO DAC chip rather than the two AKM DACs found in the smaller A8, but this isn’t just about the chip—it’s about the implementation. Eversolo has paired this with their proprietary EOS audio engine, which bypasses Android’s audio limitations to deliver bit-perfect playback. If you have preferences beyond the 9039, you can certainly utilize any of the A10’s digital outs to pass that digital conversion to your hardware preferences.

The power supply game is very strong: dual power supplies that are separate for both the digital and analog sections. This is the kind of design and performance-focused choice you see in much more expensive gear.

Clock precision is handled by an OCXO (Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator). This maintains incredibly low jitter, ensuring consistent performance whether you’re listening for five minutes or five hours. Jitter is a term that comes up often around streamers. I just want to let it be known that in lesser-performing clocks, you can run into timing issues that can degrade the quality and rob the music of its lifelike presentation. Breaking it down into a simple definition would be the presence of an artificial sound. The clock in the A10 is top-tier and really gives you nothing to complain about.

The fully balanced signal path maintains the audio’s integrity from input to output, while the R2R analog volume control preserves dynamic range even at lower listening levels. This is proper reference-level engineering—it’s a step above digital controls and it’s certainly not just marketing.

Room Correction: A Game Changer

Here’s where the DMP-A10 truly separates itself from the competition. The included room correction system isn’t just a simple EQ—it’s a sophisticated acoustic calibration system that analyzes your listening environment.

The process is surprisingly simple for someone to go in and produce an admirable result in a few minutes’ time, but what I truly like is how you don’t need to stop there. You can go beyond the standard correction with various settings that can fine-tune your sound a step further.

In its most simple form, you can pair this up with your phone, do a volume test to make sure you’re within the right dB range, and simply run a room sweep and apply your corrections.

What I would suggest doing is using a calibrated mic like the UMIK here and uploading the calibration file over USB. Then you will run it again, measure the speakers independently or combined, and then go into the filter settings to fine-tune your targets, range, maximum gain, and target gain. This is one of those things where the A10 works for everyone—the person who wants a simple integration as well as those seeking much more flexibility in their sound profile. Keep in mind this isn’t going to replace room treatments, but it can be very effective for cleaning up a frequency chart as well as integrating subs. Don’t expect miracles in every room, but don’t be surprised if your bass sounds a bit tighter as well as having a more linear response across the lower frequency bands.

Parametric EQ: Precision Control

Beyond room correction, the DMP-A10 offers a 10-band parametric equalizer that gives you even more control over your sound. Each band offers adjustable frequency, Q factor, and gain, allowing you to fine-tune your system’s response. There is plenty to dive into here if you’re working outside of the automated correction. You get access to importing FIR filters from REW, high and low pass filters, loudness, compressor, delay, and balance. Should be plenty to keep you busy here if you want to go the manual route or even stack some of these on top of the automated results.

Sound Quality: Where It All Comes Together

But features mean nothing if the sound quality doesn’t deliver, and this is where the DMP-A10 really impressed me. The sonic signature is remarkably neutral and revealing, with a level of resolution that exposes details and precision. This isn’t just a streamer supercomputer—it really has the sound to back it all up.

Pairing the A10 with the Hegel H600 and PMC Prophecy 9 speakers, I found this setup to be very revealing in a way where you could pick up the small differences in recordings quite easily. There is a dead-quiet noise floor and separation that occasionally made me think, “Did I ever hear that before?” In this particular pairing, it can be quite analytical, which depending on who you ask and what you listen to can either work for you or against you. If you’re someone who favors a bit more of a warm or lush sound, it’s really not a concern—the DSP and filter capabilities really open you up to finding the right sound for your preferences.

Bass response is tight and controlled, with excellent definition in the lower octaves. The room correction is definitely helping here, ensuring that the bass response doesn’t blur the bottom end. Mid-range reproduction is where the A10 really excels—vocals have a natural, present quality that makes you feel like performers are sharing the space with you.

The high frequencies are extended and airy without any hint of harshness. Complex orchestral passages remain coherent even at high volumes, with each instrument maintaining its distinct character within the ensemble.

I also took the opportunity to pair the A10 with 2 sets of very capable powered speakers: the Buchardt Anniversary 10 as well as the Econik Six. Both of these use the same amplification and streaming platform—WiSA in this case over a Platin stereo hub. The WiSA actually works really well on these, but I wanted to see if I could get a bit more out of this configuration over a direct XLR connection through the A10. It didn’t disappoint with either model—the fine-tuning allowed me to dial these speakers into what I would call the next tier. If you have a powered speaker like these, it very much can be an upgrade in sound as well as convenience, utilizing the streaming platforms included as well as taking advantage of the sound tuning potential. I added an additional cable to a wireless setup, but it was worth it.

System Integration and User Experience

The user experience is where Eversolo has really thought things through. You can control everything—your music, streaming services, settings, and more—right from the front touchscreen or through their well-organized and frankly fast app. The main touchscreen interface is responsive and intuitive, featuring great colors, fast responses, and logical menu structures that make complex adjustments surprisingly straightforward. You can also set favorites, customize the home screen—lots of really nice options here for someone who wants either album art or track info that can be seen from across the room.

With the large center touchscreen paired with the smaller screen on the volume knob, you’ll have all the info you need right at a glance! The secondary display adds more at-a-glance information without cluttering the main interface and adds a touch of fun factor to the whole thing. Eversolo really nailed it with these screens, and I can’t stress that enough.

Innovative Screen Casting Feature

One unique but also in certain circumstances really useful feature is the ability to cast the screen from your A10 to your phone. The screencast feature pulls up a screen clone of what is on your A10’s touchscreen and functions just as if you were touching the screen itself. Where this might be most useful is with third-party apps. Since the third-party apps won’t be accessible on the Eversolo phone app, just mirror the screen, open third-party apps, and have complete control through your phone.

The Eversolo App Experience

The Eversolo app itself deserves special mention—it’s one of the better streaming apps available, with stable connections, intuitive navigation, and comprehensive yet simple-to-use feature access. It’s easy to navigate, allows you to sign in and stream your music from your favorite music platforms right in the app, and even has a universal music search feature to find songs across all of your streaming services.

I generally used the app as it functioned very well during testing and it’s the easiest way to access the massive amount of settings and configurations, but Eversolo does include a remote that is pretty nice and gives you some quick-change capabilities should you need it. I am always in favor of a remote on a product like this—we don’t always listen by ourselves, and unless we want to pass our phone around, it offers a great way for others to interact with the music.

Value Proposition and Competition

At $3,999, the DMP-A10 isn’t inexpensive, but consider what you’re getting: a reference-level DAC, sophisticated streaming capabilities, a high-end preamp, and professional-grade room correction—all in a single chassis. To replicate this functionality to this level of performance with separate components, you could easily spend multiples of this.

What’s particularly impressive is how Eversolo has managed to implement all these features without compromise. Lesser products often sacrifice sound quality for features, but the A10 maintains reference-level performance while offering unprecedented functionality.

Where I Feel This One Makes Sense

• You want the convenience of an all-in-one solution
• You’re the type of user who will actually use the DSP and room correction features
• You’re planning to integrate subwoofers, even better a pair of them
• You like having tons of connectivity options, for current and future system changes

Many people really want something that can grow with your system. Whether you’re building a new system or upgrading an existing one, the DMP-A10 fits the bill. It’s a rare product that manages to be both technologically advanced and musically satisfying. I was concerned with the amount of tech in this one if it was going to be plagued with bugs and broken features, but honestly this has been very refreshing and it appears their app support team keeps pushing it further with frequent updates as well.

Are you two sisters?

Visually, the new G2.2 is identical in size, shape and colour to the G2.1. Indeed, from the front, it’s nearly impossible to distinguish between them. The rugged build quality and durable high-quality finish remain unchanged. However, take a look at the rear panel, and you’ll notice quite a number of changes.

The exceptionally solid housing of the ALTAIR G2.2 protects its delicate, sensitive innards. Four support feet contain five decoupling springs to isolate the chassis from outside vibration. Don’t put heavy things on the unit, as this will compress the springs.  

AURALiC’s ALTAIR G2.1 is a mature, highly capable product that remains competitive. But if a week is a long time in politics, three years is a lifetime in digital audio. Hence, the decision to update it. The goals were reduced noise, increased capacity, faster processing and improved sonics.

The maximum output voltage has been increased from 4.4V to 6V. This additional output will be beneficial when the G2.2 is utilised as a preamp in conjunction with low-sensitivity power amplifiers driving inefficient speakers. If 6V is too high, you can easily adjust it to a lower value.

The G2.2 now has Galvanic isolation between its Tesla G3 processing platform and balanced Class A ORFEO output modules. This protects the analogue circuits from noise and unwanted interference, resulting in 90% less noise and jitter than the ALTAIR G2.1.

Quad-core

The G2.2’s quad-core 64-bit processor (eight times faster than the one used in the G2.1) delivers superior performance that can cope with evolving digital streaming demands. AURALiC’s DMA (Direct Memory Access) technology allows direct connection to the processor’s Core.

AURALiC asserts that DMA is the reason for reductions in latency and jitter. With 4GB of system memory and data storage, the G2.2 provides rapid signal processing that better accommodates advanced high-resolution signals and enhances the unit’s futureproofing.

There’s space inside for a solid-state hard drive with a maximum internal capacity of 4TB for those wishing to rip their existing CD collections. As I already own an external stand-alone solid-state hard drive, I haven’t utilised this feature myself – but it’s available if you require it. 

Alongside USB and coaxial digital inputs, the G2.2 offers HDD USB and HDMI eARC inputs, as well as two TOSlink optical digital inputs—whereas the G2.1 only provided one. However, the G2.1’s AES Balanced XLR digital input has been omitted due to space constraints.

Mellow moods

A new feature is the option of a ‘Clear’ or ‘Mellow Tone’ setting. The latter adds harmonics to enhance the sound subjectively. Unfortunately, I wasn’t particularly impressed by ‘Mellow’, but it’s worth noting that this feature is still in Beta and may well be improved. More work is required, but the idea has potential. 

Hopefully, one day, ‘Mellow’ will provide a useful alternative for those who find ‘Clear’ too direct and rigid on certain recordings. Any future changes or updates will arrive through a firmware update.

One of the key features of the G2.1 was its lossless stepped analogue resistor volume control. The G2.2 retains this feature, and AURALiC asserts that it provides significant advantages over digital volume control systems. While the latter accurately reduce signal levels, they do not lower the noise floor. 

A true analogue volume control lowers signal levels and the noise floor while maintaining the full dynamic range. Eight coil-latch relays use no power, and no EMI noise is produced when the relays are inactive. 

The result is a noise- and distortion-free, lossless analogue volume control featuring 100 steps in 1dB increments. AURALiC asserts that its implementation consistently remains electronically transparent, ensuring no difference in sound quality between full and attenuated output.  

On balance 

It’s disappointing to lose the AES/EBU digital input. I frequently used this input when pairing my G2.1 with a CD transport, as it provided superior sound compared to coaxial. However, I now use a PS Audio PerfectWave SACD transport, which features an I²S output through an HDMI socket.  

I hoped this might work using the G2.2’s eARC HDMI input, but sadly, it didn’t! I encountered the same issue with Topping’s DX9 DAC. Alas, it seems the I²S output offered by PS Audio’s CD/SACD transport only functions when connected to the  I²S input of a PS Audio DAC. 

Does this matter? Probably not… With CDs in decline, it’s unlikely many will be particularly bothered. However, it’s a pity, as  I²S  maintains the various clock and signal data lines separately (instead of multiplexing them), which noticeably enhances CD sound quality compared to coaxial or AES/EBU. 

Vinyl and cans

The G2.2’s built-in MM phono stage is quite respectable, as is the headphone amp. Although a good outboard phono stage or dedicated headphone amp will undoubtedly sound even better, both options are perfectly acceptable and useful to have.

As a streamer, the G2.2 supports all the usual platforms: Spotify, TIDAL, Qobuz, Amazon Music, and AirPlay2. It is also Roon-ready. When using Qobuz through AURALiC’s Lightning app, you receive CD booklet notes and images for most classical music releases— a very useful feature in my opinion. 

I reviewed the original ALTAIR G2.1 in the summer of 2021, shortly after its introduction, and was so impressed with its performance that I went ahead and purchased one. Sound quality was a significant factor, but what truly clinched the deal was AURALiC’s IOS Lightning App. 

Lightning’s slick user interface was a revelation when partnered with an Apple iPad. Alas, Android users are less well served. AURALiC abandoned the development of its dedicated Android App due to variations and inconsistencies between different phones. 

However, although AURALiC lacks an Android app, you can utilise OpenHome-based control software such as BubbleUPnP and Linn Kazoo. My advice? Don’t waste your time! Beg, borrow, or steal an iPad to experience the superb user interface of AURALiC’s Lightning iOS app. You won’t regret it.

Setting up

The installation was relatively straightforward, and the G2.2 was soon operational via its balanced XLR outputs. These provide a slightly superior sound compared to the unbalanced RCAs, delivering a bigger, more dynamic audio experience with enhanced presence. Additionally, you receive a bit more gain. 

I switched the anti-aliasing filter from ‘Smooth’ to ‘Dynamic’ to align with my G2.1. While many DACs offer various anti-aliasing filters, the differences are often so subtle that they hardly justify the effort. However, AURALiC’s four filters — ‘Precise’, ‘Dynamic’, ‘Balance’ and ‘Smooth’ — produce a noticeable difference and are worth exploring. 

When comparing the G2.1 and G2.2 streamers for sound quality, it is clear that the G2.2 surpasses the former. Tonally, both are quite similar in terms of voicing, and each provides a natural and unexaggerated sound. However, with attentive listening, it soon becomes clear that they are not exactly the same.

Comparing the two

Beyond a few native similarities, the G2.2 delivers a smoother, more flowing musical presentation. It is cleaner, more refined, more fluid and more relaxed. The music sounds silkier, with improved purity on vocals and less harshness on bright percussive instruments like the harpsichord.  

In comparison, the G2.1 appears slightly grainier. It isn’t quite as clear and pure. A recital for violin and piano featuring Viktoria Mullova and Katia Labeque on Signum showcased a few key differences. Through the G2.2, their performance exhibited a clean, limpid transparency that was highly engaging.

The G2.1 also sounded good, but I noticed a slight tonal coarseness. The music didn’t flow as effortlessly, and the playing felt a touch less gracious. It wasn’t significantly worse, but the G2.2 was somewhat more persuasive and drew one deeper into the music (and performance).

The G2.2 sounds like a genuinely good analogue source rather than a digital one. The G2.1 isn’t quite as effortlessly neutral or fluid, as if there’s a slight noise component present that introduces a hint of glare. Why? I believe the G2.2’s cleaner sound is attributed to its galvanic isolation.

Listening to the G2.2 was easier and more comfortable. There is an innate rightness about its musical rendition that is very compelling. While the differences between a G2.1 and a G2.2 may appear superficial, once identified, they become surprisingly significant and difficult to overlook. 

Additional refinement

The additional refinement and clarity of the G2.2 makes it more tolerant of flaws and limitations in the source material. However, that’s not entirely accurate. The G2.2 is not so much ‘forgiving’ of flaws as it is less reactive to them. It doesn’t introduce any unpleasant artefacts of its own…

I noticed this while playing some historical albums by Sir John Barbirolli, including his pioneering 1950 account of Rubbra’s 5th symphony. The G2.2’s clarity and focus allowed me to hear deeply into the recording, and the result sounded surprisingly good.

Streaming Rubbra 5 through the G2.1, I noticed a slight glare that obscured low-level detail, rendering the limitations of EMI’s 1950 mono recording more apparent. The result remained very listenable, but there is no question that the G2.2 performed better. 

Using the PS Audio PerfectWave SACD Transport and DirectStream DAC as a reference, I compared various CD and SACD recordings with the streamed version via Qobuz. The PS Transport and DAC set a very high standard, yet the G2.2 effortlessly matched it in terms of clarity and tonality.

Indeed, CD and Streaming sounded very close most of the time, making it difficult to discern any meaningful difference or say which was better. Typically, a Hi-Rez stream from the G2.2 matched the equivalent SACD played on the PS Transport/DAC. 

Many brothers

Another album I compared was Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms, specifically the original first-press CD from 1985, the 1996 CD remaster, and the 2005 20th Anniversary SACD. How did these fare against the album streamed from Qobuz? Once again, it was a close-run thing.

I was surprised Brother in Arms was still in vanilla-plain 16-bit 44.1kHz rather than Hi-Rez. Is that because it’s an original digital recording? Nonetheless, it sounded very good—noticeably fuller and richer than my original 1985 CD, which seemed to have been transferred at a slightly lowish level.

The 1996 remastered CD represented a superior transfer and sounded better, comparing very favourably to the Qobuz stream via the G2.2. Indeed, once I had equalised the levels, it was difficult to discern a significant difference between the 1996 CD and the streamed album.

The SACD offered a slightly airier and more spacious sound, though the difference was minimal. The PS Audio combo excels with CD, making the perceived distinction between CD and SACD rather small. The higher frequencies tend to be generally freer and more open with SACD, although this effect is subtle. 

Outstandingly good

From this, I conclude that the ALTAIR G2.2 is outstandingly good—to all practical intents and purposes, nearly perfect. It extracts every last scrap of musical information from streamed digital files and delivers a rewarding and involving musical presentation that is coherent, refined, and precise. 

But who knows? Three years from now, AURALiC might launch a revamped ALTAIR G2.3 with even better specifications. However, unless some unforeseen major breakthrough takes place, I worry it won’t be easy to produce something that sounds significantly superior to today’s G2.2. Here’s why…

We’ve reached a point of diminishing returns where improvements are becoming increasingly minimal. A future upgrade might well deliver an astonishing 80% reduction in noise. But – so what? If that noise is already at vanishingly low levels, having 80% less is unlikely to seem particularly significant subjectively. 

For those looking to buy their first streamer or upgrade from something older and more basic, investing in AURALiC’s ALTAIR G2.2 will be pure delight. You’ll get a versatile unit with great sound quality and the matchless user interface of AURALiC’s Lightning App on an iPad. 

What more can I say? If the AURALiC ALTAIR G2.2 appeals to you, simply purchase one and live happily ever after…

Specs & Pricing

Manufacturer AURALiC
www.auralic.com

The WiiM platform features extensive support for streaming services—essentially everything except Apple Music—and includes a commendable internet radio function along with Chromecast compatibility. Standard WiiM highlights, such as the ability to utilise your phone’s microphone for EQ adjustments and an excellent Amazon Alexa integration, are also maintained. 

The Ultra is only getting started, though. It is a fully functional preamp that boasts an optical and analogue input, like the Pro and Pro+. The Ultra then sets about adding to this functionality. First up is an HDMI ARC connection for straightforward TV integration. This first appeared on the WiiM Amp, but the implementation here seems considerably more responsive and stable. 

The Vinyl Frontier?

A notably unusual addition is the arrival of a phono stage. This supports both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges, elevating the Ultra to a distinctive product category compared to anything else in a similar price range. In terms of pure functionality (streaming, analogue and digital inputs, on-board EQ), the closest match for the WiiM is the NAD M66, priced at over ten times more. While I won’t claim that everything they do is executed at the same level, it is nonetheless immensely impressive. 

The Ultra also benefits from enhanced casework compared to the smaller Pro and Pro+ models. It shares a similar shape with the WiiM Amp, but represents another step forward. The glossy front with a metal top plate is appealing, and the addition of a touchscreen display is genuinely useful here. It is sufficiently large to serve as a viable point of interaction with the unit, allowing you to adjust functionality on the fly. This is complemented by a physical volume knob, making the Ultra less daunting to use as a preamp than relying solely on a software volume slider. The RCA stereo output is accompanied by a dedicated sub-out, featuring adjustable crossover and EQ settings. Additionally, the Ultra can also function as a streaming transport via optical, coaxial, and USB outputs. 

This offers an extraordinary amount of functionality for the asking price. While I don’t believe the WiiM app is as appealing as some competitors for browsing and interacting with a large music collection, it has demonstrated consistent stability in testing and day-to-day use.

I initially connected the Ultra up to a Cyrus 40 AMP via the RCA outputs to get a handle on the on board decoding. Like a few pieces of affordable digital I have tested in recent times, I found myself making criticisms and then realising that they are being applied to a device that, while pricier than most nights out, has still only reached the level of ‘pleasant weekend away.’ Listening to the Ultra power its way through The Greatest Love, the latest offering from London Grammar [Ministry of Sound], the effect, more than anything else, is to question why you would ‘need’ to spend more. 

With the opening ‘House’, the Ultra showcases the drum and bass-adjacent lower registers with sufficient control, texture, and speed to keep them engaging while ensuring that Hannah Reid’s vocals above it possess the space, clarity, and tonal realism required to capture your attention and anchor the track. It’s not overly flashy; there’s no prioritisation of any part of the frequency response over another, and if you revert decoding back to the Cyrus, there is a noticeable jump in the three-dimensional space, but it remains very listenable. 

Ultra Roon

If you disconnect the RCA connection and ask the WiiM to communicate with the Cyrus via USB, the differences between it and the Roon Nucleus—previously performing the same function—fade into the long grass of subjectivity. This is particularly true once you start using the Ultra as a Roon endpoint. While listening to Hayden Thorpe’s gloriously odd Ness [Domino], one could convincingly argue that the Nucleus exhibits a slightly lower noise floor than the Ultra, which extracts a bit more nuance from this curious collection of tone poems. However, the difference is minimal. It’s unfortunate that the USB output’s addition hasn’t been accompanied by the formidable sample rate handling of the Pro+, but for most available recorded music, the Ultra will serve as an excellent means of connecting those digital input-equipped devices to the outside world. 

You can connect a turntable to it. In this case, I conducted most of the testing with a Pro-Ject Debut Evo2 that was available at the time, and listening to Labi Siffre’s Remember My Song [Mr Bongo] proves it isn’t just ‘good for a streamer digitising the signal on the fly’; it’s a genuinely enjoyable listening experience. Noise levels are impressively low, ensuring that fine details are released from the record, making it sound altogether more dynamic and believable. Connecting a Vertere MG-1 MkII and switching to the moving coil function outperforms expectations. It might be fair to say that high-end phono stage manufacturers needn’t concern themselves quite yet, but equally, if you had told me at the start of the year that I’d be testing a £350 streamer with moving coil cartridge support, I would have thought you were joking; perhaps they don’t have as long as they think they do. 

Evolutionary Leap

What the Ultra does rather well is serve as another evolutionary leap in affordable audio, achieved without burning any bridges. If you seek a line-level streamer to connect to an amplifier, it still leaves most conventional rivals appearing somewhat feature-light. As a USB transport, it operates flawlessly too, providing the type of flexible front end for DACs and digital input boards that users are likely to find extremely easy to live with. 

Finally, there’s the intriguing nature of the next step. When connected to a power amplifier or a pair of active speakers, the WiiM can collate your likely existing inputs, such as a TV and a turntable, and manage them sufficiently well to prompt more than a few people to ask if they truly need anything more. WiiM’s relentless pursuit of affordable digital has expanded into a broader challenge against the entire entry-level audio market, and given the level of performance on display here, it’s very difficult to see them being halted anytime soon. 

Specs & Pricing

Type: Streaming preamp
Analogue Inputs: RCA Stereo pair (line), RCA Stereo pair (phono)
Digital inputs: HDMI ARC, USB-B, Toslink optical S/PDIF, RJ45 Ethernet
Analogue outputs: RCA Stereo pair, subwoofer RCA, 12V trigger
Digital outputs: Coaxial and Toslink optical S/PDIF
Supported Streaming Services: Spotify Connect, Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon Music, Deezer and SoundCloud,
Smart home support: Chromecast Audio, Google, Siri and Alexa,
Internet radio support: TuneIn, iHeartRadio, vTuner and Radio Paradise
Roon Ready
Audio Codecs Supported: MP3, AAC, ALAC, APE, FLAC, WAV, WMA, AIFF, OGG
Analogue Input (ADC): Fixed 192k, 24bit
Memory: 512MB Flash + DRAM
Tone Control:  Adaptive EQ and Graphic Equaliser built-in
Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 5.3
DAC Chip: Dual ES9038Q2M
App Control WiiM Home
Dimensions (W x H x D): 205 x 205 x 73 mm
Weight: 1.3 kg
Price: £349, $329, €399

Manufacturer WiiM
www.wiimhome.com

Designed with equal emphasis on performance and flexibility, the SM1.3 Music Streamer features an AKM 4499EX DAC and AK4191 Modulator. Also included is the TPA6120 dedicated headphone amplifier for listening with the most demanding headphones on the market.

The SM1.3 employs the most up-to-date streaming options, including Bluetooth 5.2 with LDAC, SBC, aptX Adaptive, aptX Low Latency, and aptX HD support. Apple AirPlay 2 is also included. Internet connectivity is acheived through Wi-Fi 6 and Ethernet (Gigabit LAN).

In addtion to wireless options, the SM1.3 makes it easy to add a variety of external sources through coaxial and optical connections, as well as USB, SSD, and DLNA-compatible hub inputs. Outputs include both RCA and XLR jacks, and an I2S digital output (HDMI) 10 compatibility modes.

For further information about the Shanling SM1.3 Music Streamer, visit https://forte-distribution.com.

Based on the body types trotting around AXPONA, the Venn diagram of audiophiles and cyclist has little overlap, so I’ll keep this succinct.

On the farthest reaches of the road bike end of the spectrum, we have race bikes; designed to transfer power from rider to road as efficiently as possible, rider comfort – while considered – doesn’t top the list of priorities. Think, CH Precision 10 Series.

Conversely, on the opposite end of the spectrum we have downhill bikes. Often incorporating suspension travel nearing 8 inches, rider comfort nears the top of the priority list hear if only to ensure rider and bike make it to the bottom of the mountain with one accord as quickly as possible. Think Dumbleland – and nobody could send that baby headlong down a mountain as well as Stevie Ray Vaughn.

I’m going to let that analogy marinate for a bit while I touch on the specs and user experience with the MSA5500.

Esthetically speaking let’s just say, if you lost your ability to see in 1975, even you know what this amp looks like. That is, Mc developed a design that connected with consumers decades ago and has leveraged that design to this day to remain one of the top selling brands in the industry.

The MSA5500 is by no means a compact amp at roughly 18” wide, 6” high and nearly 19” deep. Coming in at 38 pounds, this Mc – like its siblings – is bound to make a statement.

Okay, so this is McIntosh’s first attempt at an ‘all-in-one’ box and up until 4 weeks ago, I would have ignorantly said the only real difference between streamers is their software and how the unit displays “Now Playing” information. Two areas where McIntosh didn’t seem to devote much time when developing the MSA5500.

It shares the same dot matrix LED display panel as just about every other Mc product – again if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – and relies on Connect services from the likes of Tidal or Spotify for software. Another option here is to connect via a Roon server – this is what I opted for when listening.

The Mc specific software that did exist – both as a web app and mobile device app – offered nothing more than the ability to enable Google Cast and to change the network name of the device. These two setting, along with a handful of others, were also available within the units own 2-dial settings interface.

In the past, the sonic difference between entry-level streamers that I was familiar with was quite small and difficult to articulate.

That was until I heard the Antipodes Kala 50 that Tom had in his listening room – that listening session was seriously revelatory. Not all streamers are created equal.

All of this to say, when I noticed the absence of a high-resolution color display on this streaming amp, I was hopeful McIntosh went the route of focusing on the sonic characteristics of the streaming DAC module.

In an effort to approach this more scientifically, I enlisted the help of a Wiim Pro Plus streaming DAC. I first listened with the digital out from the Wiim in an attempt to mark the characteristic of the DAC in with the Mc. Then I switched to analog out using the single ended connections offered on the Pro Plus – bypassing the MSA5500’s streaming DAC altogether.

I rounded out my experiment streaming directly from the Mc. I was a bit disappointed that the differences weren’t more than subtle. Especially seeing as how the McIntosh is an $8,000 US piece of equipment.

But, McIntosh is primarily an amp manufacturer so enough with the potatoes and beans let’s get to the meat.

At risk of being too vulnerable, this amplifier had me tearing up and feeling a bit nostalgic. Let me set the stage.

I started down my typical path of analytical listening using familiar test tracks to really draw out what this amplifier had to offer, and I wasn’t initially impressed.

I was trying to contrast this feeling with the understanding that there are a great number of audiophiles who hold McIntosh in high regard and – certainly – they can’t all be wrong, so I put my nose down and dug in to figure out what I was missing.

After noticing subtle distortions in otherwise clear and detailed recordings, I began to think what if distortion was the name of the game and thought of 70’s rock.

I had to go back and tap the annals of my childhood and was brought back to sitting in the child car seat in the back of my parents car in the early to mid-90s.

At that time, my parents listened to the oldies station in our town and on that station: a lot of 70’s rock. So, I queued up some Boston and I was immediately transported back in time.

I think this was the first time since I began listening to high-end gear that this genre sounded so right. The big sound of the 70s; meters waving away; this amp rocks!

Brad Delp screaming away; Tom and Sib rocking out; A truly energetic and engaging performance.

After wiping my tears of anamnesis, I returned to my familiar playlist of test tracks – music with breath, openness, and minute detail – to develop a clearer understanding of what the MSA5500 has to offer.

This is where I return to my analogy; the MSA5500 is like a cross-country mountain bike which has suspension with minimal travel and wider tires to absorb some of the bumps along the way.

It’s certainly more forgiving than the road race bike, but not so mushy gushy that you’ll wanna send it careening down the side of a mountain.

This also means that if you just want a little easy listening in the back, the MSA5500 puts on quite a detailed and balanced sonic performance – the amp sounds well composed.

It’s when you give the volume knob a twist that it begins to color the music a little more, favoring energy in the bottom end.

For instance, on Tu Con El from Rauw Alejandro’s 2024 album Cosa Nuestra. Alexis Perez’s snaps on her upright bass are presented with force. This bump in bass energy left for relaxed and sustainable listening even if it didn’t offer the greatest fidelity.

This favoring of the bottom end tends to leave the upper octaves sounding ever so subtly dissonant. That said, I feel this may we well judged by McIntosh as often listeners find equipment that more transparent in the upper half of the frequency spectrum to be fatiguing – although I argue this doesn’t have to be the case.

With 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms, dynamically rich recordings are no trouble for the MSA5500.

The Audiophile Society’s recording of the Czech National Symphony performing Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra is just one example of this. Many of you are likely familiar with this piece and this particular recording presents Strauss’ work in all its dynamic glory.

I was blown away at how effortlessly the Mc rendered this and, again, a dramatic performance from the meters.

With its gently juicy sound and powerful dynamic punch, this amp is likely to impress.

If you’re more of an analytical listener who wishes to queue up an aria from an 18^th century opera and settle in with a glass of wine, there’s equipment on the market that will certainly please you – this isn’t it.

However, if you’re more inclined to grab some beers and rock out with some buddies while going hand after hand in poker or covering each other’s back in Call of Duty, look no further than the McIntosh MSA5500 Streaming Integrated Amplifier.

And don’t forget to make listing fun again!

Built for Versatility and Seamless Integration

The Ideon Audio Absolute Stream META will work perfectly and seamlessly with DACs from any brand, including of course Ideon Audio own DACs. Ideon Audio believes that any one component they build, should be able to function perfectly with any brand’s DAC, not inventing limiting connections that makes it complicated for music lovers to connect with any of their current favorite gear. So whether you prefer to stream music using Roon software, directly through Qubuz, or prefer listening to your own downloaded files, the META is up to the task.

Future Proof Protection and Longevity

All Ideon Audio’s devices are available with a 7 year warranty, signaling the companies confidence in their in-house build quality and choice of ultra high-end components, occupying each Ideon Audio device. The Absolute series is furthermore milled out from a solid piece of aluminum, to further eliminate any virbrations to interfere with the sound quality.

A Visual and Sonic Statement

With a sleek black or sliver aluminum finish, and milled out from a single block of aluminum, Ideon Audio’s Absolute META stream, not only performs at the highest level but also looks stunning.

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

The Ideon Audio Absolute Stream META is available now through authorized Ideon Audio dealers with an MSRP $24,000 USD. The small version, the Ideon Audio EOS Stream is also available now with an MSRP of $14,000, and features all the same features.

Ideon Audio will have both streamers at the MOC Munich High End show 2025.

The strength of a submarine Canyon

Named after the Portuguese submarine canyon – creator of some of the biggest waves in the world, Nazaré delivers unparalleled sonic realism, and clarity. It brings the visceral energy and emotional depth of live music with unparalleled sonic transparency. Faster but smoother, this product is a technological marvel, engineered to deliver a listening experience that feels just as profound. You’ll hear the subtle textures and dynamic range you never knew existed.

The Nazaré can be enhanced even further by adding the Nazaré Flow and Nazaré Net to form a three-piece solution for the ultimate audio experience.

These products embody the pinnacle of Innuos’ five core pillars of engineering focus:

– Processing – Using a deeply tuned and customised PreciseAudio mainboard, Nazaré benefits from new dedicated PreciseUSB and PreciseNET boards, independently powered and connected directly to the CPU to bypass conventional mainboard implementations, with substantial processing capability from 10 performance cores allowing even greater AudioCore processing. Up to 16TB of internal SSD storage is available to accommodate large music libraries

– Power Supply – Nazaré sets a new standard in power supply design, combining premium components with cutting-edge engineering for exceptional performance. It features high-precision multifilar toroidal transformers, custom-made Lundahl inductors, and premium internal cabling. Advanced DC4 regulation modules with low-noise foil resistors, innovative GaN-based active rectification, and an upgraded NGaN+ regulator with high-performance filters ensure clean, stable power delivery. This is further supported by an immense 752,000μF of capacitance, provided by dual banks of eight high-quality capacitors for uncompromising power quality

– Output – The Nazaré Flow is a dedicated high-performance output stage designed to complement the Nazaré streamer, while remaining fully compatible with any USB audio source. It features a high-precision USB reclocker with synchronized clock connections to internal boards, ensuring accurate signal timing. The Flow also includes on-board I2S output conversion and supports dedicated output modules for proprietary DAC interfaces like MSB ProISL. All components are powered by the latest generation Nazaré PSU architecture, which provides separate, low-noise power rails for the clocks, reclocker, and output boards

– Network – The Nazaré Net is a state-of-the-art audiophile network switch, housed in a matching Nazaré chassis and powered by the latest generation of Nazaré PSU architecture. It features a next-generation board with both SFP+ fibre and RJ45 input/output options, offering maximum flexibility and speed. Dedicated power rails for the network boards and clocks ensure uncompromised signal integrity and optimal performance throughout the system

– Chassis – All Nazaré products feature a newly engineered high-quality chassis and benefit from advanced SmartStack technology; a high-performance vibration dampening system applied through collaboration with TONEO and is used across key components including PreciseAudio boards, toroidal transformers, inductors, capacitor banks, and regulators. The asymmetric fascia and cover help dissipate standing waves and reduce structural resonance throughout the full aluminium enclosure. For further isolation, system-tuned feet developed with IsoAcoustics ensure optimal performance. An environmentally friendly ceramic coating completes the design, offering a durable, scratch-resistant finish with a refined, long-lasting appearance

Perfect symbiosis between Electronics and Software through the new Sense 3.3

Complementing the Nazaré flagship is the official launch of Sense 3.3, the new version of the in-house developed software that works in conjunction with the synergistic electronics built with high-quality components.

This update brings enhanced functionality, improved performance, and more intuitive user experience.

Key highlights from this latest update are:

• Stream directly from the Qobuz app through Qobuz Connect support
• Spotify Connect support for streaming directly from the Spotify app to your Innuos system
• Introducing SmartQ – keep the music flowing your way when you reach the end of your track queue. You can even control the contents of the SmartQ: music from your library, new music or both
• New Presets widget to quickly access your favourite playlists, smart mixes and stations from the Sense App homepage

Exclusive experiences @ High End Atrium 4.1 – F106

. High-End system: Innuos setup for this show includes the new Innuos Nazaré connected to a MSB Cascade DAC. A Gryphon Commander pre-amplifier and Gryphon APEX Stereo power amplifier will drive a pair of the Marten Coltrane Quintet speakers. Power conditioning and cabling will be handled by Transparent – all hosted inside an Artesania Exoteryc audio rack.

Visitors will be able to compare, via A/B demos, the new Nazaré to the previous flaghsip STATEMENT Next-Gen as well as to the ZENith Next-Gen.

How much of the Reference products’ performance has been incorporated into the Studio Player? That’s the question this review will explore. An enticing detail is that the Studio Player’s DAC circuit is identical to that of Wadax’s $175k Reference DAC, but with a less elaborate implementation. Fortunately, I’m able to directly compare the full suite of Reference products with the Studio Player. It should be interesting.

Three of us from The Absolute Sound heard the Studio Player at its introduction in Munich last year, and to a person we were greatly impressed. The Studio Player directly fed a pair of Audio Research’s new 330M monoblocks (watch for JV’s upcoming review), which drove Magico S3 2024 loudspeakers, all connected with Shunyata’s new affordable Theta interconnects and speaker cables. As someone with many hundreds of hours of listening time with the Wadax Reference components, I could hear the Wadax “DNA” in the sound. Tom Martin remarked that within seconds of hearing the first piece of music he had the impression that something was fundamentally right about the sound. Tom, Alan Taffel, and I singled out this room as one of the best-sounding in Munich, which is saying a lot in a show packed with vastly more expensive systems.

Description

The Studio Player’s casework is unmistakably Wadax, with a close family resemblance to the Reference products. The Studio Player, however, is more streamlined and conventional looking than the polarizing styling of the Reference components. The front panel is dominated by a 5″ color touchscreen that controls all functions. The Studio Player can also be controlled by the supplied ultra-slim remote control, although you’ll need to use the touchscreen for setup. Beneath the touchscreen is a disc drawer for CD and SACD playback, which glides in and out with silky smoothness.

The rear panel holds a pair of XLR analog output jacks. No RCA analog outputs are provided, although an option provides RCA outputs as well as a headphone jack. There are three digital output jacks in case you want to use the Studio Player as a streamer or disc transport (AES/EBU, RCA, BNC) as well as two clock inputs. The two clock inputs and optional power-supply jack allow the Studio Player to be upgraded as your budget permits.

The Studio Player can connect directly to Spotify, Qobuz, and Tidal through their native apps, with more streaming services on the way. The Studio Player is also one of the first streamers to support Tidal MAX, a new option that provides for up to 192kHz/24-bit playback through Tidal. Within the various streaming apps, you can see artwork, select music, and create playlists. Wadax has applied for Roon certification, but at press time the Studio Player is not yet a certified Roon Endpoint. The option of streaming from one of the streaming services directly is a feature that’s friendly to non-audiophiles in the household. Any user logged into the network can send music or playlists to the Studio Player through the native Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, or Qobuz Connect apps. MQA from both disc and streaming is supported, as is DSD streaming (DSD64, DSD128, DSD256). (Note that MQA decoding isn’t provided on the digital outputs because of digital rights restrictions.) The Studio Player is UPnP compliant and incorporates AirPlay. This latter capability allows you to stream from a TV to the Studio Player, with the Studio Player acting as the audio device to reproduce soundtracks from Netflix, Prime, and any other AirPlay device for improved sound quality. For example, if you have an AppleTV streaming box, you can select the Studio Player as the audio output device in the setup menu and enjoy movies and television shows in much greater fidelity through the Studio Player’s vastly superior DAC, power supplies, and clocking. The only requirement is that the Studio Player and AppleTV must be connected to the same network.

Qobuz, Spotify, and Tidal, in their “Connect” mode, as well as when used with a music-management app like Roon, are clocked by the master clock inside the DAC—a good thing. But AirPlay is the opposite; it wants to be the master clock to which the DAC locks, an arrangement that introduces jitter. This applies to any AirPlay device, from an iPhone to AppleTV, to Macs, and to iPads. To sync the DAC to the incoming data stream, the typical method is to use an asynchronous sample-rate converter (ASRC). The problem with an ASRC is that it resamples the incoming data so that it can output data at a known and precise sample rate to which the DAC can lock. That means that it changes the sample values, introducing small amplitude errors in the output signal. This was unacceptable to Wadax, so they designed a proprietary AirPlay implementation that allows the DAC to be the master clock without an ASRC. Wadax reports that in their listening tests, their method is significantly better sounding.

The front panel provides a wealth of set-up adjustments. One setting is whether the Studio Player has a fixed or variable output level. The former is for using the Studio Player with a preamplifier, the latter when driving a power amplifier directly. When in the variable-output mode, you can select the size of the steps in the volume adjustment. When I started using the Studio Player, I found the volume step sizes a little too big but easily reduced the step size, which made it easier to dial-in the precise volume I wanted. You can also set the nominal output level to 1V, 2V, or 4V (2V is the standard output level of DACs). Other adjustments include the player’s output impedance, polarity inversion, balance control, and the default playback layer of hybrid CD/SACD discs. When streaming, the display shows the album art and volume level. When playing a disc, the display shows track and time information.

Design

As with Wadax’s Reference products, the Studio Player is built to a very high standard of construction. It is made from more than 4500 discrete parts distributed over 40 separate printed circuit boards. The power supply is elaborate, with distributed regulators next to the circuits they supply. There are five stages of initial DC regulation followed by 30 local regulation stages.

A power supply regulator smooths out any fluctuations in the DC voltage that supplies a circuit. A large number of regulation stages better isolates the subsystems from each other as well as delivering cleaner DC to the audio circuits. Cascaded regulation, in which the output of one regulator feeds the input of another, results in smoother and quieter DC. Indeed, Wadax claims the total noise on the voltage rails is 0.5µV (1Hz–100kHz), an astonishingly low figure. This is a very sophisticated power supply by any measure.

The Studio Player benefits from Wadax’s proprietary “musIC 3” feed-forward error-correction system that operates in the time domain. According to Wadax, “by mapping the error mechanisms of a chosen DAC chip under load using Adaptive Delta Hilbert Mapping, we can develop an algorithm that examines the incoming signal and calculates the induced error (both linear and nonlinear) that will result. By applying an inverse signal at the input, we can real-time correct for the time and phase error that is so musically destructive in other, conventional decoding systems. This process requires a massive number of mathematical operations and a considerable data transfer rate of 12.8GBytes/s. Processing is done at 128-bit internal resolution to precisely render the output and generate the smallest feed-forward corrections.” This Wadax-developed technology has proven itself in the Reference DAC.

As I mentioned previously, the Studio Player’s DAC circuit is the same as that in the Reference DAC, but without the cost-no-object implementation. It is a fully balanced dual-mono design with complete physical separation of the left and right channels in both the analog and digital domains. The balanced DAC operation is why the Studio Player has only balanced outputs; the performance would be compromised by summing the two halves of the balance signal, or simply discarding one phase (which is sometimes done). The DAC stage benefits from the topology developed for the Reference DAC, as well as from the use of the same approach to clocking and power supply design but implemented within space and cost restrictions. The Studio Player’s DACs are on modular boards that can be replaced in the future as technology improves.

An unusual feature is the ability by the user to adjust the Studio Player’s output impedance. This feature, also found on the Reference DAC, allows you to better electrically match the Studio Player to the power amplifier it is driving. It’s a subtle difference but meaningful at this level of performance.

The Studio Player is solidly built, weighing 66 pounds out of the carton. The build-quality and fit ’n’ finish are exceptional. It’s also very easy and pleasant to use daily.

Listening

I auditioned the Studio Player primarily in its variable-output mode driving the CH Precision M10 amplifiers directly through AudioQuest Dragon interconnects. Being intimately familiar with the sound of Wadax’s cost-no-object Reference digital playback system, I was eager to hear its technical and spiritual descendent through the same playback system—Wilson Chronosonic XVX loudspeakers driven by the CH Precision amps.

It was immediately obvious that the Studio Player was cut from the same sonic cloth as its antecedent; the Studio Player shared a similar sonic signature to that of the Reference system.

Specifically, the Studio Player had fabulous bass—extended, full, warm, and rich. This tonal foundation set the stage for the Studio Player’s overall density of tone color and saturation of timbre. This is one quality I greatly appreciate in the Reference products, and now in the Studio Player; the Wadax products don’t have the characteristic thinness of tonal density and bleaching of tone color so common in digital. The weight and textural density in the bottom octaves through the lower midrange establish the player’s overall warmth. The Studio Player avoids a common shortcoming of digital—a threadbare character in the midbass that bleaches tone colors like an underexposed photograph,

The Studio Player avoided another drawback of digital—a bottom end that has weight but no textural detail. In many digital products, there’s plenty of energy in the bottom end, but the presentation sounds a bit mechanical, lacking the inner detail that reveals the mechanism that produced the sound. Two reference-quality tracks for assessing this attribute are the famous Ray Brown release Soular Energy, along with “Blue Bossa” from Brian Bromberg’s Wood II. On the Ray Brown album, the Studio Player not only reproduced the full weight and inner detail of Brown’s instrument; it also conveyed his unmatched sense of swing (you can also hear him swing hard on the terrific Duke’s Big 4). Bromberg’s solo acoustic bass performance covers an amazingly wide scale, revealing any anomalies between registers. The Studio Player’s highly resolved bottom end reveals nuances of expression in dynamics, timing, and timbre that add to the sense of hearing music-making. The acoustic trio album The Rite of Strings by Jean-Luc Ponty, Al Di Meola, and Stanley Clarke features some intricate unison passages between all three acoustic instruments (violin, guitar, bass). Through the Wadax Reference system, and now through the Studio Player, I could clearly hear the pitch and dynamics of Stanley Clarke’s acoustic bass rather than a slow and muddled blur. The Studio Player beautifully revealed the timing precision of these three superb musicians. This quality added to the sense of liveliness and musical energy.

The Studio Player’s midrange manages to sound rich, warm, and dense in tone color without being overly romantic. I attribute this quality to the Studio Player’s purity of timbre and its lack of grain, edge, and hardness. The Studio Player’s freedom from a hard and glassy edge on forte piano passages was evident on the beautiful solo by Rachel Z on the track “Inamorata” from her album Sensual. I can’t overstate how important the Studio Player’s smoothness and liquidity of timbre is to its overall sense of ease and ability to become absorbed in the music. Without the whitish grain and metallic edge overlaying timbres, music listening is so much more involving because one’s attention is on the performance without having to listen past the artifice. The rich density of timbre and lack of grain gave the music a natural and organic sound that promotes the experience of engaged relaxation, of slipping into musical immersion quickly and deeply. In fact, that’s perhaps the best barometer of a component’s quality—along with the urge to continue listening long past the planned time of the session.

Similarly, the treble is smooth and extended yet infused with detail. On the Rachel Z album, drummer Omar Hakim (Rachel Z’s husband) provides some delicate and sympathetic percussion that the Studio Player reproduced with gentle ease. Listen, for example, to the sensitive and perfectly balanced ride cymbal accents on the title track. The cymbal shimmers with a wealth of inner detail without a trace of hardness or glare. Moreover, the Studio Player resolves the cymbal’s inner detail as it decays. For another example of the Studio Player’s purity of timbre, check out Roy Hargrove’s trumpet on Jimmy Cobb’s Jazz in the Key of Blue on a Chesky SACD. This is perhaps the best-recorded trumpet sound I’ve heard, and the Studio Player reproduced it with a bell-like clarity and freedom from artifact that were breathtaking.

The Studio Player’s great achievement is delivering this smoothness and ease without sacrificing resolution. The resolution is presented not as sonic detail, but as musical expression. It’s not resolution that’s thrust at you and calls attention to itself. Rather, the resolution is in subtle details that reveal the inner character of an instrument’s timbre, the low-level decay of a cymbal, a vocalist’s unique turn of a phrase that adds poignancy to a lyric.

Although the Studio Player has a highly refined and sophisticated presentation, it doesn’t lack rhythmic drive and power. It can convey the high energy of a great band hitting on all cylinders. In addition to the fabulously weighty bass mentioned, the Studio Player has exceptional transient speed and dynamic agility. You can hear this in the way a bass guitar and kick drum work together to create a whole-body rhythmic flow. Listen to the track “Hands On” from Bob James’ Morning, Noon, and Night to hear the Studio Player’s dynamic prowess unleashed. Or how the Studio Player conveys the electric energy of Diana Krall’s first-rate band on Live in Paris, here played via SACD in the Studio Player’s disc transport.

Finally, we come to a quality that distinguishes Wadax from other digital products—dimensionality. The first time I heard the Reference DAC I was taken aback by the soundstage’s depth and three-dimensionality. The Studio Player continues that legacy, not just with depth and layering but also with a tangible sense of air between images. Images appear in the soundstage spatially distinct from other images, as separate entities rather than fused into the soundstage fabric. A recording with an amazing sense of space is The Astounding Eyes of Rita by the Tunisian oud master Anouar Brahem. The unusual instrumentation combines this ancient Middle Eastern instrument with bass, percussion (the darbuka and bendir), and bass clarinet. This ECM recording is spectacular in its dimensionality, with tangible air and the instruments lighting up the surrounding acoustic. Through the Studio Player, the playback system completely disappears, with images detached from the speakers and precisely located in space. The fabulous bass clarinet solo on the nine-minute title track also exemplifies the Studio Player’s richness and density of tone color in the lower registers, conveying the delicious deep woody character of this instrument. This recording also revealed how the Studio Player makes images suddenly appear in the soundstage in a way that is sometime startling—the entrance of the percussion, for example. I attribute this to the Studio Player’s transient speed as well as the utterly silent background.

As great as the Studio Player sounds, it is unsurprisingly not at the same level as the Reference system. That $465k package has deeper and more precise bass, greater dimensionality, and even smoother textures. But I’ll share with you an experience I had on more than one occasion that puts the difference into perspective. Many times, I was in a listening session at night for pleasure (not critical listening) and would completely forget that I was listening to the Studio Player and not to the usual Reference System. That’s how musically involving it is. When reviewing a “lesser” component in place of your reference component, there’s the tendency to feel something is missing and to want to finish the evaluation so that you can go back to hearing the system at its maximum performance level. The greatest testament to the Studio Player’s fundamental musical rightness is that I spent many evenings completely immersed in the music and didn’t give a second thought to the Reference system sitting in my rack unused. And remember that this comparison was made within the context of an ultra-high-resolution system of the Wilson Chronosonic XVX driven by state-of-the-art CH Precision amplification.

Conclusion

I’m thrilled that Wadax has distilled the technology and “soul” of the Reference system into the convenient, easy-to-use, and relatively affordable Studio Player. It’s a wonder that they managed to combine a streamer, DAC, CD/SACD player, and volume control into a single chassis while retaining the virtues that have distinguished Wadax’s best efforts. The Studio Player is the ideal heart of a compact and user-friendly system—just add a control tablet, power amplifier, and speakers. I also like the fact that it can be upgraded in the future with the addition of an outboard power supply and external clock. Moreover, the DACs are on modular boards that can be swapped if new technologies come along, protecting your investment. Best of all is the Studio Player’s sound quality. It has a tonal warmth and body that comes from its rich full bass and midbass, coupled with a lack of metallic sheen in the upper midrange and treble that make for a relaxed and involving listening experience. This ease doesn’t come at the expense of resolution; the Studio Player’s resolution is the musical kind that doesn’t rely on sonic fireworks. And then there’s the outstanding dimensionality and expansive soundstage that better allows the speakers to disappear.

Although not a budget-priced component, the Wadax Studio Player is, nonetheless, a bargain that delivers fabulous sound, sophisticated technology, upgradability, and ease of use in a single chassis. I think of it as The One-Box Wonder.

Specs & Pricing

Disc formats: CD, SACD
Streaming: Tidal and Spotify (more streaming services coming)
Analog output: Balanced on XLR jacks, fixed or variable, selectable output levels
Digital outputs: AES/EBU, SPDIF on RCA jack, SPDIF on BNC jack
External clock inputs: 2 on BNC jacks
Other inputs: Optional external power supply
Display: Five-inch color touchscreen
Output level: Fixed level selectable,1V, 2V, 4V; variable output level from front panel or remote control
Dimensions: 18.9″ x 10.45″ x 17.1″
Weight: 66 lbs. net, 99 lbs. shipping
Price: $39,800

WADAX S.A.
Ulises 108, 2A
28043 Madrid
wadax.eu
info@wadax.eu

Associated Equipment

Analog source: Basis Audio A.J. Conti Transcendence turntable with SuperArm 12.5 tonearm; Air Tight Opus cartridge; Moon 810LP phonostage; DS Audio ST-50 stylus cleaner
Amplification: CH Precision L10 linestage, CH Precision M10 power amplifiers
AC Power: Shunyata Everest 8000 conditioner, Omega and Sigma NR V2 power cords; Shunyata AC outlets, five dedicated 20A lines wired with identical length 10AWG
Support: Critical Mass Systems Olympus equipment racks and Olympus amplifier stands; CenterStage² isolation, Arya Audio RevOpods isolation
Cables: AudioQuest Dragon interconnects and AudioQuest Dragon Zero and Dragon Bass loudspeaker cables
Acoustics: Acoustic Geometry Pro Room Pack 12
Room: Purpose-built; Acoustic Sciences Corporation Iso-Wall System

Among the N1’s standout features are:

• 100% custom-designed motherboard, engineered exclusively for audio streaming
• OCXO master clock with dedicated linear power
• Fully isolated 1 Gbit RJ45 port, optically separated at data, clock, and ground level
• 1x SFP port, 4x standard LAN ports, 1x galvanically isolated port
• OPTIMO N1 linear power supply, with three separate galvanically isolated rails
• Audio-optimized firmware, fine-tuned through extensive listening tests

The result is a sound signature free from digital harshness, offering exceptional clarity, space, and emotional realism — a rare achievement in network audio.

The XACT N1 is now available through selected dealers and at the official JCAT online store, priced at 6.000EUR.

More than just an upgrade, the OMNI LAN is a safeguard for your entire system – a purpose-built foundation that ensures your network performs at its peak. With full remote control via the iFi Nexis app, it can be monitored, updated, and trusted to perform from anywhere in your home. Install it once, and forget it – while your system sounds and looks better than ever.

Key Features

Internal Optical Fibre: Eliminates electrical noise by converting to an optical (light) signal, surpassing traditional galvanic isolation

• Triple-Stage Isolation: Delivers superior noise filtering for pristine AV clarity

• Real-Time Data Analytics: Built-in dynamic dashboard shows both incoming and outgoing port data speeds, also viewable from your phone

• Versatile Integration: 13 ports – 9 standard (1-stage isolation) for routers, servers, and more; 4 Ultra-Pure (3-stage isolation) for streamers, receivers, and DACs

• 10MHz Clock Sync: Minimizes system jitter with internal femto-precision clocking, with optional sync in/out

Standard Switches: Designed for Data, Not Detail

Standard network switches are designed to deliver acceptable data transfer speeds and low production costs, rather than audio or video quality. While this may be sufficient for general use, their limitations can quietly hold back the full potential of AV systems. With no provision made for targeting and blocking the interference introduced throughout the system, noisy components are instead linked together, and the issue is compounded.

When this noise is transmitted though the network cable alongside binary signal data, the performance of the AV devices is degraded. The clock timing required to ensure accurate data conversion will be affected, which in turn will result in jitter. Without clean, noise-free signal delivery, high-end AV setups may be performing at just a fraction of their true capability, leaving detail, clarity, and timing accuracy off the table.

OMNI LAN: Where Precision Takes Priority

The OMNI LAN eradicates this issue entirely.

At the core of its design lies optical isolation, converting incoming data to light and back again, to create complete electrical separation between input and output. This eliminates electrical noise, interference, and stray currents from reaching a user’s most sensitive components, thereby improving timing at the conversion stage – resulting in greater precision, enhanced system efficiency, and a more immersive, true-to-source AV experience.

Optical isolation is the most effective technique for removing electrical noise across the whole frequency spectrum. Galvanic isolation (based on transformers), while effective for some purposes, can potentially still allow high-frequency noise through due to parasitic capacitance – The OMNI LAN converting the electrical signal to a light signal eliminates this completely.

Traditionally, achieving optical galvanic isolation required a complex setup involving multiple media converters, power supplies, and extensive cabling. The OMNI LAN is designed from the ground-up as an elegant, purpose-built, plug-and-play solution to adding galvanic isolation to your system.

Users have 13 ports available: 4 ‘Ultra-Pure’ ports benefitting from 3 stages of isolation, including the internal optical isolation path purposefully designed for their most critical AV components, while the 9 ‘Standard’ ports include one stage of galvanic isolation designed for less critical devices such as routers, set top boxes, NAS drives, and consoles.

More Strategies for Noise-Free Networking

The OMNI employs multiple strategies to ensure a jitter and noise-free experience. After optically isolating the signal, it is then regenerated entirely using active circuitry to reconstruct the binary data stream and ensure pure, accurate signal transmission. This operates in tandem with the internal clock and our own advanced GMT (Global Master Timing) system – a proprietary, out-of-the-box digital solution that eliminates jitter at its root, using femtosecond-level precision for ultra-stable clock timing.

With the OMNI LAN’s dedicated clock input/output, it can be utilized as a master clock in your high-end system to leverage the quality of our clocking technology. For maximum compatibility, the OMNI LAN can also receive an external clock input, for those who have invested in an external dedicated master clock for their system.

Dynamic Data Dashboard

A retina-grade, full-color TFT display keeps you informed with real-time bandwidth data for each port. Switch views, monitor live traffic, and adjust settings directly.

The OMNI LAN’s intuitive user interface offers more than just monitoring and update options. Clock sync input and output options can be controlled quickly and easily from the display and multi-function dial, while advanced grounding mode selection is also available, tailored to optimize noise across various setup environments:

DC-RF: Connects both DC ground and RF ground together

RF: Grounds RF only, with no DC ground

ISO: No DC or RF connection to ground

All dashboard settings are also accessible via the iFi Nexis app. Connecting through your smartphone lets you monitor traffic, manage grounding, adjust clock sync, and more – offering full control from the comfort of your listening chair, boardroom, or home cinema.

Firmware updates can also be completed seamlessly through the app, keeping your OMNI LAN current and fully optimized – without ever being removed from your system.

Rack Mounting for Professional Systems

For rack-mounted home theatre setups and professional server and networking environments, the OMNI Rack Mount Kit offers a streamlined compatibility option.

Made from cold-rolled steel and optimised for ventilation, the kit supports single and dual device configurations, front or rear mounting, and creates a powerful 24-port switch when doubling up.

Pricing & Availability

The SilentPower OMNI LAN is available to purchase at silentpower.tech for $799 USD.

“We are thrilled to unveil the Stream1 and Stream3, along with Sense 3.3 beta version, at AXPONA, Shanghai, and Kaohsiung 2025,” says Amelia Santos, CEO of Innuos. “These products represent the culmination of years of R&D, embodying the brand’s unwavering commitment to sound quality. These new products are poised to redefine the landscape of high-end digital audio, offering music lovers and audiophiles an unparalleled listening experience.”

Stream1: reconnect with your music

 Stream1 is Innuos new entry-level Hi-Fi music streamer and server that does not compromise on functionality.

Key features include:

• Convenient Design: Small but mighty, the Stream1 makes no compromises on features despite its compact, half-width design
• Quality sound: A dedicated CX regulator provides low noise power to the dedicated output module, creating a purer signal for better sound quality
• Upgradeable: Add the new LPS1 for a significantly improved power source to further improve sound performance, housed in a perfectly matching chassis to continue the Stream1 design
• Output Modules: Use the built-in USB audio outputs, or maximise performance with a dedicated output module, including Standard DAC, Performance DAC, PhoenixUSB, or SPDIF boards

Stream3: bond with your music on a deeper lever

Stream3 is Innuos Stream series new top-performance Hi-Fi music streamer and server, designed for those who demand reference-grade performance.

Key features include:

• High-Precision Chassis: A substantial chassis of 10mm thick CNC-machined Aluminium provides shielding and vibration control in a high-quality enclosure
• High-quality Power: Featuring an ARC6-CX active-rectification LPSU and large bank of Mundorf capacitors, the Stream 3 benefits from high-end power architecture designed in collaboration with Dr. Sean Jacobs
• Audiophile Analogue: Choose the optional new PhoenixDAC module for a high-end, dual-mono internal DAC with RCA and XLR outputs, utilising OCXO and FEMTO clocks and powered by an independent analogue regulation stage
• Output Modules: Use the built-in USB audio outputs, or maximise performance with a dedicated output module, including Standard DAC, Performance DAC, PhoenixDAC, PhoenixUSB, PhoenixI2S, or SPDIF boards

Stream Series is replacing, for now, the ZEN Mk3 Series. These products have now ceased production but are still supported by Innuos technical service.

Sense 3.3 beta version is available now

Complementing Stream1 and Stream3 is the launch of Sense 3.3 beta version. This update will bring enhanced functionality, improved performance, and more intuitive user experience.

Key features include:

• Spotify Connect support for streaming directly from the Spotify app to the Innuos system
• Introducing ‘SmartQ’ – to keep the music flowing when the listener reaches the end of their track queue
• Stream directly from the Qobuz app through Qobuz Connect support (currently for Qobuz beta users only)
• New Presets widget to quickly access favourite playlists, smart mixes and radio stations

Innuos showroom experiences

To fully demonstrate the remarkable capabilities of Stream1, Stream3, and Sense 3.3 beta version, Innuos and its partners have meticulously crafted captivating listening environments at three events: AXPONA, the Shanghai International Audio&Video Show, and the Kaohsiung Hi-End Audio Show.

Attendees at AXPONA can find Innuos in rooms 1408 and 1410 of the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, where the brand has paired their new digital front ends with reference-level amplification and loudspeaker systems, showcasing the finest in audio reproduction.

The Innuos team, composed of Nuno Vitorino, R&D Director and co-founder, Amelia Santos, CEO and co-founder, Kevin Jackson and Thomas Graham (USA Sales Managers) will be present throughout the show, eager to answer any questions, demonstrate the products, and discuss music listening needs.

Likewise, at the Shanghai International Audio&Video show, taking place at the Shanghai Jinjiang Hotel, Innuos will feature a carefully curated system, allowing show-attendees to experience the nuanced detail and emotional impact of the new products. Innuos APAC Sales Manager, Yaohan Yang, will be on hand to provide in depth demonstrations, and answer any questions.

The new series can also be experienced at Kaohsiung Hi-End Audio Show, that is taking place at the Kaohsiung Grand Hotel, where the Innuos distributor for Taiwan, Taifu Audio, will be exhibiting with a range of Innuos products. Innuos APAC Sales Manager, Yaohan Yang, will also attend the show to offer demonstrations and further information.