![]() It also demonstrated the unit's skill in dynamics and grip as it presented a visceral performance even though I could detect a slight opaqueness, especially in the midband. However, I did not feel that I was losing out on any of the minor details I relied on the Chord unit to excavate and present to me.įeeding the Tradutto with a hi-res file of Nine Inch Nails' cover of Dead Souls made good on the promise of a quiet background. Even through the Euterpe's valve stage, I could sense that the Tradutto has a slightly less analytical approach to number-crunching than the Qutest. ![]() The sound through the Ultrasone Edition 15 Veritas headphones was really impressive. The Tradutto took the place of my Chord Qutest DAC, using the USB digital audio feed from my PC at one side, while the RCA phono line outputs were plugged into the Euterpe valve head amp from EarMen's stablemate, Auris Audio. Instead, it's a balanced, grown-up sounding device that should have wide appeal. The Tradutto will surely find fans amongst desktop audio enthusiasts, thanks to its ability to retrieve detail while remaining musical, and not relying on an overly lit upper midband to get that across. Still, it looks stylishly purposeful and generally a high-quality bit of kit. Although this is not an area most users will ever come in contact with, I feel a product at this price should be suitably finished. While the overall fit and finish is generally impressive, the base plate has cooling vents that I assume have been punched into it – making for rather coarse edges. Instead, you have to click back in reverse. Oddly, this does not cycle through back to USB afterwards. Selecting your required input is achieved via the left and right buttons with the sequence USB, TOSLINK, Coaxial, and Bluetooth. The screen shows the input currently being used except for USB, where the file type and sampling rate are shown. These buttons are replicated on the Tradutto's fascia. This takes care of scrolling through the input options as well as selecting Bluetooth and power on/off functions. Additionally, if you are planning to sit it in your main system, then the nifty little USB-rechargeable aluminium remote could prove handy. Measuring 30x150x150mm (HxWxD), the Tradutto is equally welcome as part of a desktop system as it is upon a hi-fi rack. Aside from lowering distortion, EarMen says it has paid careful attention to the clock circuitry to minimise jitter.Īll this tech is wrapped up in a fuss-free but well-made case, hewn from an aluminium billet and finished in matte black. Additionally, the analogue and digital sections are isolated, and the manufacturer has used MELF low noise resistors and Soundplus OPA1642 op-amps, resulting in a claimed THD of 0.0003% through the balanced output. ![]() The manufacturer says that it has minimised the current drawn by the Tradutto, as well as improved the power filtering, and reduced interference from Bluetooth, WiFi or mobile phone signals. You also get a pair of RCA analogue outputs plus a balanced 4.4mm jack port. The Tradutto also decodes MQA thanks to an XMOS 16-core XU216 chip, and even is spotted by your Roon network should you have one. Conversion is handled by an ESS ES9038K2M DAC chip sat on the gold-plated PCB, which is good for processing up to 32/768 PCM, DXD up to 768kHz, and DSD512. Offering USB Type-B, TOSLINK optical and coaxial RCA digital, alongside Bluetooth 5.1 aptX HD/ aptX Adaptive (via Qualcomm's QCC5124 flagship chip), these input options should serve most. Looking at its spec sheet, the Tradutto certainly makes a strong case for itself. So, does the £799 Tradutto from EarMen have the chops to satisfy those taking digital audio more seriously? Now priced at £1,350, it might sit on the wrong side of a grand for some. As with everything in hi-fi, there's a fair range to choose from at varying price points, including iFi's £99 ZEN Air DAC and Topping's E50 at £270, going up to the likes of the £6,000 Auralic Vega G2.1, the £10,000 dCS Bartók and beyond.įor many, king of the compact desktop DAC is StereoNET's Applause Award-winning Chord Qutest. Furthermore, once their favourite streamed tracks have been heard through good wired headphones or a decent stereo speaker system, many modern music fans will not understand the need to hand over space in their homes to store LPs or CDs.Īfter the quality of the streamed music itself, pivotal to what you hear from your streaming service is the DAC used to convert the digital signal to analogue before it reaches your amplifier, then goes out through your earphones or speakers. Although the news tells us that analogue sources are still rising in popularity, streaming is still the best way to access millions of tracks without needing shelves and units to store them.
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