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Emotiva XDA-1 DAC

24/192 D/A CONVERSION, BALANCED DIGITAL AND ANALOG OUTPUTS AND VOLUME CONTROL: A NEW BENCHMARK AT THE PRICE

Now in stock.

Dual mono differential architecture, separate power supplies for digital and analog sections, direct-coupled output stage, 24/192 D-A, attenuation . . . this DAC has a dream spec before you factor in the remote control and goodies like AES/EBU input and balanced output. Not to mention dual optical and coaxials in addition to its asynchronous 24/96 USB transceiver. How could it not sound great?

Sure enough, in audition, it proved to be outstanding: think of it as a dime-store Benchmark DAC1: a well lit top-end, deep and clean down below, and free of any obvious colouration. It doesn't, however, follow the stock Benchmark's propensity for tonal leanness or grainy treble. But it clearly aspires to be truthful and revealing rather than warm and cuddly. And in absolute terms, its performance is surprisingly close to the Benchmark.

Combined with a Swan M200 II or III, this would make a killer sub-£700 all-in system, and will bring a welcome shot of neutrality, drive and resolution to any system with the capacity to reveal it.

Build quality is entirely out of character with converters at this price. It's simply a no-brainer must-buy at less than £350.

RECOMMENDED BUNDLE OFFERS:
Emotiva XDA1 + Swan M200II: £620
Emotiva XDA1 + Adam A5X + Solid Silver XLR cables: £739

REVIEWS:

“Just to let you know that I received the Emotiva XDA-1 today, installed it, connected it (via Halide Bridge) to my laptop, switched on and….WOW! This is a seriously good DAC, even just out of the box the sound is excellent, soundstaging is terrific, instrument separation is soooo good and you can pick out everything that's going on and follow the music so well. And it's great value —an amazing bargain! The build quality is exceptional. I'm thrilled with it. For me, this would be a recommended product at twice the price. Thanks. [Five days later]. . . Just to let you know, after 5 days running in, the XDA-1 is astounding… its ability to resolve detail in the music & let you follow the music & get more involved is brilliant!” – JP, Warrington



emotiva xda 1 front
Emotiva XDA1 Rear

  • Analog Devices AD1955 24/192 chip
    operating in fully differential mode
  • High jitter resistance
  • Digitally controlled volume stage
  • Milled aluminium remote control
  • All sample rates and bit depths supported, up to and including 24/192
  • Fully discrete dual mono output
  • Dual coaxial SPDIF digital inputs
  • Dual optical SPDIF inputs
  • Balanced AES/EBU digital input
  • Asynchronous USB digital input: all bit/sample rates are handled without dedicated software drivers, but input higher than 24/48 is downsampled
  • Signal-to-noise ratio: > 105dB (A-weighted)
  • THD+N: 0.001%
  • Noise floor: < 15uV
  • RCA and balanced outputs
  • Dimensions: 432mm (W) x 50mm (H) x 355mm (D)
  • Comes with UK transformer / power lead.
  • 12 month UK warranty

 
 

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