Unison Research Unico CD Due
Compact Discs are still alive, at least according to Australian distributor Chris Strom of Radiance AV. Representing Unison Research in Australia, Strom gave StereoNET details of the upcoming Unico CD Due, a high-end CD player and DAC.
Unico CD Due is a high level integrated CD player and DAC. Combining the best of two worlds that seem to be dividing more and more, the CD Due will connect via digital inputs including USB, S / PDIF, AES / EBU and Toslink to stream music from computer or network storage, as well as allowing the connection to the DAC via Bluetooth for streaming from your smartphone or tablet. Not forgetting the high quality CD transport, the CD Due is set to become the perfect hub for your media.
The USB input of the CD Due uses the latest generation D/A converter and can manage signals up to 384kHz PCM and DSD up to 11,2896MHz, as well as decoding practically all formats and sampling rates currently available.
The DAC is certainly no compromise. Using the ESS Sabre DAC ES9018K2M chip, and like the Chord Hugo or PS Audio Direcstream, the use of an FPGA allows faster response times in the management of the digital data, allowing specialised functionality and greater power than typical DSP processors. Allowing flexibility and to tailor to specific listener preferences, there are three selectable digital filters, F1 filter high slope and linear phase, F2 filter high slope and minimum phase, F3 filter low slope and linear phase.
When designing the CD Due, engineers separated the digital section and circuitry from the analogue section. The DAC section contains 11 stabilised power supplies to ensure clean and uncompromised power to each device on the board. Using cascading power supplies has also led to the best possible sound reproduction from the DAC; the first filters and stabilises the power supply, the second lowers voltage, the next further stabilises and removes any
residual noise, and so on.
CD Due also uses a valve output stage. Utilising two stabilizers, one for the anodic supply and one for the filaments, the signal and power paths are combined in a stellar like connection in the center of the board, and then connect to the DAC board in order to reduce noise and disturbance.
So while the CD may not be dead just yet, intelligent products such as the CD Due allow listeners to combine digital media and enjoy the best of both worlds.
Unison Research CD Due is available next month for $7,000 RRP.
Unison Research is distributed by Radiance Audio Visual.
Marc Rushton
StereoNET’s Founder and Publisher was born in England and raised on British Hi-Fi before moving to Australia. He developed an early love of music and playing bass guitar before discovering the studio and the other side of the mixing desk. After writing for print magazines, Marc saw the future in digital publishing and founded the first version of StereoNET in 1999.
Posted in: Hi-Fi
JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION
Want to share your opinion or get advice from other enthusiasts? Then head into the Message
Forums where thousands of other enthusiasts are communicating on a daily basis.
CLICK HERE FOR FREE MEMBERSHIP
Trending
applause awards
Each time StereoNET reviews a product, it is considered for an Applause Award. Winning one marks it out as a design of great quality and distinction – a special product in its class, on the grounds of either performance, value for money, or usually both.
Applause Awards are personally issued by StereoNET’s global Editor-in-Chief, David Price – who has over three decades of experience reviewing hi-fi products at the highest level – after consulting with our senior editorial team. They are not automatically given with all reviews, nor can manufacturers purchase them.
The StereoNET editorial team includes some of the world’s most experienced and respected hi-fi journalists with a vast wealth of knowledge. Some have edited popular English language hi-fi magazines, and others have been senior contributors to famous audio journals stretching back to the late 1970s. And we also employ professional IT and home theatre specialists who work at the cutting edge of today’s technology.
We believe that no other online hi-fi and home cinema resource offers such expert knowledge, so when StereoNET gives an Applause Award, it is a trustworthy hallmark of quality. Receiving such an award is the prerequisite to becoming eligible for our annual Product of the Year awards, awarded only to the finest designs in their respective categories. Buyers of hi-fi, home cinema, and headphones can be sure that a StereoNET Applause Award winner is worthy of your most serious attention.