In 2016, Audio Analogue celebrated its twentieth birthday with a handful of brand new ‘Anniversary’ editions of the company’s earlier classic amplifiers. Then, in 2018, the brand launched its ‘PureAA’ line of products, drawing key ideas from the Anniversary amps and adding a raft of further features. Third in the line, following the AAcento amplifier and AAphono, is the new AAdac (£3,299). Audio Analogue’s PureAA line aims to draw on some of the key ideas and features of the Anniversary amplifiers but to apply them in a slightly different way. While the Anniversary amps were relatively minimalist, the PureAA line sports a set of added features designed to appeal to music lovers who seek a wider range of functions and connections in a single product.
The new AAdac’s functions include the ability to select one of seven different digital filters, to operate as a preamplifier, to change channel balance, and even to regulate the brightness of the LED display. The entire unit is made up of discrete components, each of which has a separate power supply. The digital stage is fully balanced and features high quality components, allowing ultra-low noise and ultra-low distortion.
Key features
High performance D/A converter up to 32bit/768Khz, based on the Sabre ES9038.
Amanero USB converter up to 32bit/392KHz.
Native DSD decoding up to 8xDSD (DSD 512).
7 digital filters.
SPDIF, Toslink & AES/EBU digital inputs.
Bluetooth aptX wireless input.
Separate boards for each stage.
Separate power supplies dedicated to digital and analogue sections.
Fully balanced output stage and with discrete components.
High quality headphone output.
Possibility to use in direct (DAC) or volume regulated mode (DAC + preamp).