OPPO just started teasing us with details and images of its latest product. However, you won't have to wait too long to get your hands on the OPPO Sonica DAC; it should be shipping any day now.
The new component is designed for listeners who want the convenience of digital audio, but aren't willing to sacrifice on the quality. Promising to merge "audiophile-grade performance with the latest network streaming technology," OPPO says that the Sonica DAC features a new DAC chipset, the flagship ESS ES9038PRO SABRE DAC.
If you're using the component as a network streamer, you can tap into music on NAS drives, computers, or iOS and Android devices through the Sonica app. The Sonica DAC also has all of the traditional inputs and features you'd want in a traditional audiophile DAC, including the ability to support high-resolution PCM and DSD audio formats.
One of the main features of the Sonica DAC is the asynchronous USB DAC that's designed for use with computers. This can basically turn almost any computer into a high-performance media source by converting digital audio to analog through the aforementioned ES9038PRO chip. It supports PCM up to 768kHz/32-bit and DSD up to 25MHz (DSD512).
The Sonica DAC is also a high-resolution audio player and streamer, which can play back files from any USB that's attached, as well as home network computers and servers connected via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. As mentioned, you can even stream music from a smartphone or tablet using OPPO's Sonica app for iOS and Android devices. Promising to decode audio files up to 24-bit/192kHz, it can support FLAC, WAV, and Apple Lossless, as well as DSD files at a 64x sample rate.
Other features on the Sonica DAC include both XLR balanced and RCA single-ended connectors for the audio output, a fully balanced audio path, a toroidal linear power supply, wired Ethernet and built-in Wi-Fi supporting 802.11 a/b/g/n and ac standards, Apple AirPlay and Bluetooth, and more.
OPPO should start selling the Sonica DAC any day now. When that happens, you can expect it to be priced at $799.
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