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KingRex USB DACs

KingRex UD-01 USB DAC | £159 £129 Smooth, accurate and unbeatable at the price, the UD-01 deserves high quality ancillaries and can be upgraded to a high level.		KingRex UD-01 Special Edition | £215 £169 All the goodness of the original UD-01 plus greater detail retrieval and bags more vavoom thanks to the upgraded output stage and DC servo.
KingRex UD-01 Pro | £249 The headline feature of the Pro edition of the baby UD-01 is the inclusion of an on-board matched, regulated, linear toroidal power supply, but the whole board has been upgraded to compete head to head with the new breed of £200-300 Digital to Analog converters.		KingRex UD-01 Pro Special Edition | £499 The ultimate implementation of KingRex' UD-01: a fully discrete output stage, power supply upgrades, hard-wired solid silver interconnects, full cryo-treatment (and more) make this DAC the USB specialist at this price point. Great sound, great value.

The entry level UD-01 is still the best 16-bit DAC we've heard at £150: musical, detailed and easily upgraded. The all new Pro versions have been released by KingRex to satisfy the demand for improved power supplies, featuring high quality regulated toroidals on-board. Both the standand and Pro DACs now come in Special Editions exclusive to Item Audio. Previously purchased KingRex DACs can now be retro-fitted with Special Edition upgrades (see Upgrades for details). Bundle offers are also available on the Bargains page.

Power Supplies

Switch-Mode Power Supply Newly upgraded 12.3V / 1A LTE Electronics 'wall-wart' switching power supply.		Item Audio Dual Output PSU Linear regulated power supply: 12.8V / 4A, dual 2.1mm DC sockets.		KingRex PSU High quality dedicated linear regulated PSU: 13V / 3A, single 2.1mm DC socket.		KingRex PSU Mark II Very high quality dedicated linear regulated PSU: 13V / 3A, single XLR socket.		KingRex SLAP Battery Ultra-smooth Sealed Lead Acid Power pack: go off-mains for maximum quality.

It's a hi-fi component, so it needs a good power supply. To see exactly what's wrong with the free 'power brick', please see here >. Luckily, all the UD-01 DACs feature a standard 2.1mm DC input that can be powered by a wide range of 12V supplies: a plug-and-play upgrade path. All units ship with a new, upgraded 'wall-wart' switch-mode power supply to get you up and running. However, even the stock UD-01 benefits greatly from an improved (preferably linear regulated) power supply, and it's compulsory to get the best from the upgraded versions. Click the pictures for further details . . . .

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. For around £200, does the UD-01 SE plus the Item Audio PSU sound better than the UD-01 Pro with integrated power supply? Or should I just get a DAC Magic?
A. Good question (until the DAC Magic reference). The regulated toroidal supply in the UD-01 Pro is more sophisticated than the Item PSU (although it generates mechanical vibration in the case), but the UD-01 SE has a superior output stage thanks to the dual OPA627s. The pricing is broadly proportional to performance; on balance, they are pretty comparable, though different. We always try to have the UD-01 available for free home trial: you're welcome to work that one out for yourself!

Q. Why are these power supplies so expensive?
A. With most audio components the power supply is usually the most expensive, and arguably the most important, item in the box. Because the UD-01 runs at an energy-efficient 12V, you get to specify exactly how much you spend on the PSU: just plug and play. Switch-mode power supplies are very cheap to produce, and in all honesty you're unlikely to improve far on the wall-wart that comes free with the unit unless you use a regulated or battery supply. We try to provide the best value for money options available at different price points.

Q. I bought a UD-01 from you/someone else previously; can it be upgraded to SE or SE II spec?
A. Yes. UD-01 to UD-01 SE and UD-01 Pro to UD-01 Pro SE upgrades can now be ordered online here >