Gold Note DS-1000 Evo Line streaming DAC/preamp & PA-1175 MkII power amplifier
Having enjoyed hosting the Gold Note IS 1000 MkII Deluxe integrated amplifier earlier this year, I had a hankering to try this popular Italian brand’s higher-end offering, especially as streaming files from both Qobuz and my dedicated server form the bread and butter of my musical diet. The configuration here, of a streaming DAC preamp feeding a separate power amp, represents the ultimate solution for streaming fans who lack the necessary real estate to house the hardware required for a separate digital source and a pure line-stage pre/power combo.
The Gold Note integrated could certainly pack a punch when required. Still, the PA-1175 power amplifier takes things up a notch or three, upping the ante from the integrated’s 125 watts to 200 watts into 8 ohms, or a whopping 520W in bridged mode when paired with another PA-1175 as monoblocks. This power amplifier retails for £6,799.
The DS-1000 Evo Line streaming DAC/preamp has already proved a hit for Gold Note, scooping up numerous awards in the press along the way. With a price tag of £7,800, this is a premium product, although it undercuts certain German and Canadian rivals that immediately spring to mind. When using this device, I am immediately reminded of the IS1000 Mk2 Deluxe, but, beyond the aesthetics and ergonomics, the DS-1000 Evo has far more serious audiophile pretensions. In addition to its own toroidal power supply it features twin AKM4493 D/A chips.
One of the benefits of these chips, over the Burr Brown converter chips used in the IS-1000, is higher sample-rate compatibility – up to DSD512 and 32-bit/384 kHz PCM. The ‘Line’ model tested here includes full preamp facilities, including a Class A output and a pair of RCA and XLR analogue inputs. The preamp stage is purely analogue, featuring a resistor ladder volume control. Forgoing the preamp stage drops the price to £5,950. Gold Note does make a high-end, dedicated preamp, so the pure DAC version model make sense if you intend to use either this or something similar.
Build and design
The DS-1000 Evo Line graces the top of my Quadraspire rack, as did the IS-1000 earlier this year, yet somehow, with the PA-1175 power amp sitting on the shelf below, it looks far more elegant and visually appealing. Clearly, a lot of thought goes into the design of Gold Note’s products, there’s a consistent design theme that carries through each range, which, once you’re familiar with it is instantly recognisable.
Both units are put together to a standard you would expect from a premium product. They each fit on my standard-size equipment rack without issue. However, I needed to use a taller set of pillars to accommodate the power amp, which, like the DS1000 Evo, is 135mm tall. I like to give plenty of clearance over the top of power amplifiers, although, as it turned out, the PA-1175 runs pretty cool compared to other comparable amplifiers I’ve hosted recently. Despite this amplifier’s generous-size toroidal power supply, it is not especially heavy at 20.5kg. The output is Class A/B, which is typical of many of my favourite amplifiers. You get both RCA and Balanced XLR inputs; I connected it up with Townshend F1 Fractal XLR cables and matching speaker cables.
The PA-1175 has two damping factor modes: 250DF for lower-sensitivity transducers or speakers requiring good grip or 25DF for higher-sensitivity speakers, the kind that don’t usually respond well to high-power amplifiers. So the best of both worlds, in theory at least. It’s worth noting that you need to pause the music before changing the output modes. It glows blue following switch-on – high DF; pressing the button once turns it green – low DF mode. My Totem Forest Signature speakers much preferred the high DF output. Although low DF sounded softer and more airy, the music lost dynamics and drive in low DF mode. Your mileage may differ, so it is definitely worth trying both output modes.
The DS-1000 Evo Line is a well-featured beast. The DAC stage is compatible with any format you could reasonably expect to find content available in, and a few more besides. The streaming stage is compatible with all the usual suspects, such as Qobuz, Tidal, Spotify and Deezer. Amazon is a notable omission, but only a handful of devices and streaming apps feature it. This Gold Note is Roon Ready, compatible with Audirvana, Airplay2, and ‘Connect’ versions of Tidal and Qobuz.
I connected the DS-1000 Evo’s ethernet socket to my Dela S1 network switch, but it also features wi-fi for those without a wired connection to their listening room. The USB output from the Dela/Melco N1 server/streamer was fed to the Gold Note via a Network Acoustics Muon2 USB cable. For family use, I connected our Panasonic TV via one of the DS1000 Evo’s Toslink inputs. There’s also a coax SPDIF RCA input and an AES XLR.
There’s the option to turn the DS-1000 Evo Line into a world-class machine with the PSU-1250 external PSU and Tube-1012 tube output stage – Gold Note calls the combination ‘The DS-1000 Evo Trio’. I am keen to hear this combo and hope to do so during a planned visit to the factory at some point this year.
Vivid sounds
Italian hi-fi has a reputation for sounding sweet and laid-back, perhaps even ‘romantic’. You could never accuse Gold Note’s products of sounding ‘earthy’ or overly forward, but shrinking violets they are certainly not.
I did find that the DS-1000 Evo and PA-1175 took a week or so to settle down fully, so make sure your dealer has given it the necessary time to hear it at its best. It certainly doesn’t sound bad from cold, but textures flesh out and the leading edges of notes are better resolved once the units have fully warmed through.
Often, when a system sounds big, impressive and airy, it is at the expense of speed and timing integrity. Perhaps the DS-1000 Evo and PA-1175 compromise on the last degree of air and space, and the soundstage isn’t as large as that of some competitors. Still, there’s an honesty and integrity to its presentation that works across all genres of music. Don’t get me wrong: the soundstage can be cavernous and room-filling, but only when called for. Often systems will make all recordings sound large, rich and rosy. This Gold Note system has a certain sweetness in its presentation, but it is a vivacious performer that retains the music’s natural energy without sugar-coating it.
Similarly, the lower frequencies retain the life, speed, and energy of the performance, without exaggerating the size, perceived depth, or weight of the lowest octaves. Again, there’s plenty of slam and weight when required, but the DS-1000 Evo and PA-1175 accurately portray the speed and energy of the performance, rather than saying ‘hey, look at me’.
There is an honesty to the way the DS-1000 Evo and PA-1175 approach making music that works across all genres. I was listening to a CD rip of Steven Stills’ Manassas album via my reference Moon system before swapping to the Gold Note components. This album is a recent discovery, following yet another recommendation from Youtuber-come-hi-fi and music guru Dave Denyer. I was beginning to wonder if this was another album that really only satisfies when played on vinyl, but the DS-1000 Evo and PA-1175 came up trumps here, giving this album a much-needed shot of energy. The guitars sounded sweet, yet dynamic and emotionally stirring. The system showed how the rhythm section really locked into the groove, demonstrating what a great combination of musicians Steven Stills had assembled for this so-called supergroup.
Similarly, Angine De Poitrine Vol 2 seemed to click with me when replayed via the DS-1000 Evo and PA-1175, in a way that it failed to do via my reference DAC and amplifier. This recording is raw, to say the least, but the Gold Note made the most of these musicians’ skill and dexterity, delivering track after track with a punch and immediacy that proved addictive.
As regular readers may have noticed, Dead Can Dance’s Into the Labyrinth gets a regular mention in my reviews. It’s a great recording that really tests the system’s resolving power and soundstage accuracy. The DS-1000 Evo and PA-1175 did a fine job of revealing the recorded acoustic, especially on the two a cappella tracks, The Wind That Shakes The Barley and Emmeleia. Equally, I enjoyed pinpoint instrumental placement, even during complex passages of tracks such as Toward The Within, which was reproduced in an especially energetic manner here.
Perhaps the DS-1000 Evo and PA-1175 lack the last degree of liquidity and textural palette compared to the finest components, but I’m referring to components costing more than both of these components combined. Whilst we are discussing caveats, the rich, lifelike sheen of brass instruments, such as Paul Desmond’s alto sax on Dave Brubeck’s Take Five – DSD download, is slightly lacking compared to my reference system. Still, this Gold Note setup surpasses that system in terms of energy and immediacy. Again, I would love to hear the DS1000 Evo in Trio form, to see just what the raw ingredients are capable of when ‘supercharged’.
If you will pardon the pun, the DS-1000 Evo and PA-1175 got the max out of Kraftwerk’s Minimum Maximum (SACD rip). The low frequencies were reproduced with all the power and weight I could wish for, whilst the keyboards were nicely forward in the soundstage, but never penetrated uncomfortably. This recording also made the most of this system’s soundstaging skills, extending far beyond the speaker cabinets in all directions. I have heard this recording reproduced in a larger soundstage, but everything was in proportion here and felt ‘just right’.
Headphone delights
Gold Note’s UK distributor tells me that many customers buy the DS-1000 Evo purely as an all-in-one, high-end headphone streamer, so it was only right that I put the headphone stage through its paces. Plugging in headphones mutes the speaker output, giving you your own variable headphone output that is also controllable via either the Gold Note app or Qobuz Connect. Users can choose between two output levels, the lower one being ideal for sensitive IEMs.
An hour spent scrolling through some well-known tracks, with my HiFi Man Sundara headphones, confirmed why headphone enthusiasts chose this machine. I began with an album I’ve been listening to on my headphone setup, which admittedly is connected over the wireless network. Still, the improvements were startling. I came across the band Lankum after seeing them live in 2024, supporting Massive Attack at an outdoor show in Bristol. For whatever reason, their discography remained in my ‘Qobuz Favourites’ without being listened to until a few weeks before I set up the DS-1000 Evo and PA-1175.
Their most recent studio release, False Lankum (24/44), is a good listen, but the production sounded somewhat shut-in through my headphone setup, which retails at around half the price of the Gold Note. As it turned out, the DS-1000 Evo proved something of a revelation. Whilst not turning the album into an audiophile-grade recording, it certainly livened things up and opened up the soundstage, whilst sounding more natural in the process.
Admittedly, I’ve not played it for a while on the main system, but I have never heard Bonobo’s Fragments sound so rich, textured, and open as it did through the DS-1000 Evo’s headphone output. This is quite an achievement, considering I’ve played it through headphones significantly superior to the Sundaras. The Sundara’s bass could be described as lean, yet the DS-1000 Evo delivered strong bass performance even at a reasonably low volume.
Conclusions
Gold Note have become a serious player in a crowded market, and with strong products like the DS-1000 Evo and PA-1175, it is not hard to see why. After a short period of acclimatisation, I find their products easy to use, and they look and sound great. The DS-1000 Evo’s display is easy to read across the room and is informative. There’s every feature a serious audiophile would ever need. Perhaps a sturdier remote would be a nice touch, even as an optional extra, but the supplied unit works well enough.
This is not an overly flamboyant-sounding amplifier-and-DAC combo, but it delivers music with plenty of energy and life. It has no real flaws performance-wise, and what it gives you is certainly as good as anything I have heard at or near its price point.
It’s nice to see Gold Note have gone to the trouble of developing its own bug-free, fully functional app for both Android and IOS, which shows their commitment to delivering the full customer experience. Often, a third-party app, such as JPlay, can offer superior performance, but many customers, especially those new to streaming, will want to use something linked to the brand. To this end, the Gold Note app is more than adequate and is easy on the eye.
The beauty here is that an owner of an integrated amplifier could start with the Gold Note DS-1000 Evo Line in fixed-output DAC mode, then upgrade to the PA-1175 MkII when funds allow. Either way, as a combination or as separate components, there’s much to enjoy here. If you’re in the market for a high-end DAC/streamer/pre and power amp, I suggest you arrange a demo of the DS-1000 Evo Line and PA-1175 MkII at your local Gold Note dealer at the earliest opportunity.
Pros
Dynamic, energetic and engaging sound
Excellent streaming DAC and analogue preamp
Powerful, controlled amplifier with selectable damping factor
Comprehensive features and strong headphone output
Attractive design and intuitive, reliable app
Cons
Soundstage not quite as expansive as the very best rivals
Lacks the last word in tonal richness and texture
Basic remote control feels out of place at this price
Benefits from a lengthy warm-up period before performing at its best