IF you have the feeling that USB-equipped DACs are falling out of the sky these days, well, you’re not far from the reality – everyone seems to be doing one, at various price ranges and sporting different configurations. Playing its role in this market wave, although sporting a broader perspective, is New Zealand’s Perreaux, a company that’s been in the hi-fi business since the mid-1970s but has not often received the due it deserves. Cleverly, Perreaux’s new digital offering is disguised as the Audiant DP32 preamp.
Joining Perreaux’s stables, which already offers a range of preamps, power amps and integrated units, the Audiant DP32 is actually a high-resolution, fully balanced analogue preamp with a 32-bit/192kHz DAC on board that features asynchronous USB audio streaming.
“The DP32 raises the bar both for sound performance and musical enjoyment. With ultra-low distortion and high dynamic range, the Audiant DP32 is ready to make your high resolution music sound the best it ever has,” said Perreaux managing director Martin van Rooyen in a statement released by the company.
At the heart of the DP32’s digital section is ESS Technology’s flagship 32-bit Sabre32 ES9018 reference DAC. The six digital inputs (one AES/EBU, one asynchronous USB, two coaxial and two optical) accept all digital audio interfaces.
Features include digital re-clocking for jitter reduction, discrete shunt regulators to provide clean power, a buffered passive volume control for extremely low noise and direct coupled inputs to retain purity and tonal balance.
The analogue preamp section has two buffered inputs and accommodates both balanced XLR and single-ended RCA cables, along with a selectable home theatre bypass (nope, can’t get away from this). Just add power amp …
The DP32, which is shipping now, comes with an extended five-year warranty, and priced at US$2,895. The Audiant line also includes the new 100p stereo power amplifier (US$2,895) and the USB DAC equipped 80i integrated amplifier (US$2,995).
