Mytek Digital’s “Brooklyn,” Digital-to-Analogue Converter (DAC), linestage, and headphone amplifier is now shipping. (US MSRP $1,995)
Says Michał Jurewicz, Founder and President of Mytek Digital: “The Brooklyn DAC is one of the world’s first stand-alone, high-performance DAC with MQA® technology. It’s a new design from the ground up, with a brand new 32bit/384k USB Class2, driverless on Mac and all Linux streamers, and offers superior sound thanks to the new generation Sabre chipset. It’s ready for upcoming hi-res MQA streaming (up to 384kHz), and it plays all digital formats including DSD256, with a theoretical dynamic range of 130dB. The Brooklyn also offers high-quality analoue input stages (both line-level and MM/MC phono), and balanced headphone outputs”.
Prime among the Brooklyn’s features is hardware-based decoding for MQA® (Master Quality Authenticated) with no need to increase bandwidth beyond what is needed for CD-Quality streaming. Says MQA creator Bob Stuart, “You can take an MQA-encoded file, play it anywhere, and it will sound better than CD.”
MQA files are backwards compatible; they can be played back without decoding, and the “result is better than CD-Quality”. However, when properly decoded, MQA files deliver the sound of the original master recording that the artist approved in the studio.
Mytek’s Brooklyn also offers:
- Digital Inputs: AES/EBU, S/PDIF x 2, USB2 Class 2 (32 bit integer, no driver for Mac nor Linux Streamers), and Toslink/ADAT; also SDIF3 DSD, up to DSD256, on 2x S/PDIF.
- Built-in analogue preamplifier with stereo analogue RCA inputs selectable among Line Level, Moving Magnet, or Moving Coil phono.
- Stereo analogue outputs on RCA and XLR jacks (simultaneous).
- Word Clock (In and Out) on BNC jacks.
- Mytek’s proprietary Femtoclock GeneratorTMminimizes internal jitter, to below 1 picosecond.
- Dual-mono headphone playback, with high-current amplifier (500mA, 6 Watts) designed for hard-to-drive headphones. Optional adapter (2 x ¼-inch phone plugs to 4-pin XLR) enables balanced headphone operation.
- Volume control is selectable, either by an analogue attenuator with separate settings for headphone and main outputs, or by a 32-bit based digital attenuator with 1dB steps.
The Brooklyn comes with a worldwide power supply and infrared remote control. The Brooklyn is universal-remote-control capable, and can accept external 12V DC power or battery. The Brooklyn’s warranty is two years.
Mytek’s Brooklyn is available now at a US MSRP of $1,995.
