MINHATECA ALBUM DS 10 MANUAL

I auditioned ethernet cables at several price points, but the Final Touch Audio Matis, while certainly not an modestly priced option, allowed more low-level signal detail, rhythmic drive and timbral bloom through than anything else I had.

Overall tenor of presentation further relaxed, treble extension opened up and smoothed out while bass and midrange tightened with a noticeable uptick in ultimate resolution of playback. A week later I swapped the stock, no-name AC mains cord for an Audio Note ISIS and was impressed at how much more impact it afforded the output of the DS-10. This dropped the noise floor considerably, improved pitch stability and allowed the DS-10 to breathe easier for lack of a better descriptor. T power conditioner that I use for digital sources only. I kept the DS-10 up and running pretty much 24/7 the first few weeks after Rutherford Audio shipped it to me, and threw on headphones most nights for an hour-or-so of listening before crashing out. Since the HIFIMAN HE1000SE (30 ohm/96dB) and Audeze LCD-4z (15 ohm/98dB) used for this review are both low impedance designs, yet have relatively high sensitivity, I tried both options and settled on the high-sensitivity option for the HIFIMAN, and the low for the Audeze. To facilitate handling the differing impedance and dB requirements of headphones, users can specify either low (five-watt output) or high-sensitivity. Initial listening was done without implementing any of the many dozens of grouped filter/equalization options the DS-10 is equipped with, which include low-pass filters, high frequency de-emphasis and variable output voltage.

MINHATECA ALBUM DS 10 MANUAL

Digging into the onboard hardware options was fairly intuitive and required minimal browsing of the supplied manual (push/rotating the ALPS volume pot navigates the menu system, as does the remote). I plugged in the supplied AC mains cord and ethernet cable to their respective sockets and quickly configured it for playback via Roon through a Nucleus+, with both on a local switch. Setting the DS-10 up in my system was about as easy as adding digital audio gets. The large and comfortable-to-hold plastic remote control continues the gestalt. The plethora of digital I/O on the rear of the unit is neatly grouped and labeled. The fascia is well thought out and uncluttered with a small power-on light, a quarter-inch headphone-output socket (which auto-engages when in use), a volume knob, and an LED screen easy enough to read from several feet away that can also be dimmed or turned off. Fit and finish of the DS-10 is exemplary, with a hand built and substantial heft to the grilled casework. While I’m not one to deny the audible benefits of separates, headamp/DAC/Streamers like the DS-10 reveal that there is less light falling between integrated options in the $3k range and higher-priced separates than previously thought.Ī diminutive, but weighty alloy chassis with an eye-pleasing ratio of width, height and depth, the DS-10 is the perfect visual accessory to its larger stablemate, also in for review, the Gold Note IS-1000 integrated amplifier/DAC/Streamer. And while they speak truth – the higher one climbs to attain audiophile ascension, the more boxes one tends to beget – at what point does the law of diminishing returns come into play? Purists will rail against such mongrels, citing the clarity and purity of tone, timbral shadings and detail retrieval nascent upon the path of separates: separate head-amp, preamp, DAC, streamer, power supplies, etc. The combined headphone amplifier/preamplifier/DAC/Streamer is a hybrid design and can be susceptible to sonic shortcomings due to the nature of integration. Cues that wouldn’t be missed (IMO) unless revealed in a head-to-head comparison with separates. The Gold Note DS-10 is nothing if not an elegant solution to cramming four boxes (by my count) into one (half-sized) chassis without surrendering much in the way of performance cues. While not someone who embraces new technology for the sake of it, I respect technology which enables companies to implement more elegant solutions without necessarily sacrificing performance.

Minhateca album ds 10