Aqua – acoustic quality of Milan has upgraded its La Scala hybrid DAC to MkII status. Apparently “improving the sonic performance of the La Scala was no small task. The first step was to enhance the overall precision of the digital circuit.” La Scala MkII inherits the proprietary DFD decoding without any digital filter, assuring a pure and precise digital signal. In addition aqua – acoustic quality has developed a single-stage signal amplifier: VALVE / MOSFET direct-coupled and LED bias. It uses ECC81 tube – a High-Frequency triode – for its low noise main feature. This is directly connected to High-Voltage MOSFET to enable the following:
– simplicity
– wide bandwidth
– fast response
– no overshoot, no ringing, no roll-off
– lower output impedance compared to conventional circuits
– no feedback
– low distortion
La Scala MkII uses long-life valves with an average life of approximately 10.000 hours. It costs €4,890 in Italy.
I also spotted the company’s more affordable La Voce S2 converter on the price list, this comes in four variants with alternative DAC chips. You can choose from AD1865, TDA1541, PCM1704 and PCM1704K chipsets in a DAC costing from €2,180, alternative converter modules can be bought from €290. For more info visit www.aquahifi.com