Dense Launches Kickstarter Campaign for Adapt Compact USB-C Audio DAC

Another week and more audio products are pitched on crowdfunding platforms. Some products have new or clearly differentiated arguments - sometimes so new or different that it's hard to believe! - while others are simply well-designed or products that have to rely on better quality and technical arguments that consumer's will find hard to understand or believe. The latter is the reason why we decided to write about the new Dense Audio USB audio DAC, called Adapt. This is a product designed by an experienced team, who have ventured into creating a new company and launch a product "that could set a new standard and be used for a long time in this fast-changing world."

ACTIVO is a new audio brand focused on portable devices and high-resolution music. The CT10 portable audio player is the brand's first product, and the first hi-res portable audio player with MQA support at an affordable price of just $299. The device, probably the first portable player with a decent design since Apple's iPod, is actually designed by groovers Japan, a high-res jazz music label and distribution website. The ACTIVO CT10 is now available in the US!

To enjoy music of the highest quality when on the move, a high-resolution audio player is essential – and of course good headphones. Plus, a smartphone is also needed for calls. All in all, that’s quite a few devices. An easier and simpler solution however is the Impacto universal from beyerdynamic. Following the introduction of the smaller Impacto essential DAC, using an ESS Technology's SABRE9018Q2C chip, beyerdynamic now designed the Impacto universal for both Apple and Android devices.

audioXpress September 217 featured a review of the RME ADI-2 Pro by Bennett Prescott and Stuart Yaniger. The sensational RME ADI-2 Pro Bi-Directional Converter with Dual Headphone Amps is a feature-packed update to the original RME ADI-2, providing incredibly precise audio quality and a host of innovative features that will appeal to both mastering engineers and high-end audio aficionados alike. For under $2,000 US,we get two powerful DSP engines and two powerful headphone amplifiers, plus the ability to work with PCM sample rates up to 768 kHz at 32 bits, and true native DSD support up to DSD256.

Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) announced that its new 32-bit premium/advanced multichannel A/D converters series AK555x and AK553x are now available. There are four new converter devices in 2-channel, 4-channel, 6-channel and 8-channel variants in the AK555x series, featuring 115dB S/N and supporting up to 768kHz PCM at 24-bit/32-bit or 11.2MHz DSD256 outputs. The AK553x range, targeting pro audio applications includes 4, 6 and 8-channel variants, featuring 111dB S/N, -103dB THD+N and the same PCM/DSD output capabilities.

ESS Technology introduced its new SABRE HiFi SoC - the ES9118, a 2-channel, 32-bit device. This is a brand new solution for high-quality audio on smartphones, unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 show, in Barcelona. The new ES9118 SABRE HiFi SoC integrates the complete audio path from the application processor all the way to the headphone in one device.

Swiss manufacturer Merging Technologies confirms its new high-quality consumer D/A converter, NADAC, will be introduced at the High End Show in Munich on May 14. Following its success with the Horus and Hapi networked audio interfaces for professional applications, Merging is leveraging its technology also for the consumer market.

exaSound Audio Design announced the introduction of the model e12 stereo digital–to–analog converter. This lower cost exaSound digital–to–analog converter was designed to address the needs of high resolution audio playback, from DSD to DXD master files, including custom ASIO drivers, developed in–house for highest performance.