The previous AI-301DA sounded excellent but our engineers have gone even further with AI-301DA-X, listening, tuning and refining the audio quality over an extended period of time, the final tuning being carried out in Europe. The results of those efforts can be heard in the rich, musical character and considerable dynamic ability of this latest version.

The beating heart of the AI-301DA-X is a high performance, energy efficient power amplifier module from ICEpower of Denmark. Thanks to its intelligent energy management technology, the AI-301DA-X can deliver as much as 60W + 60W of output power.

A sleek and compact body with a small footprint (215mm width, 254mm depth and 61mm height) allows you to place the AI-301DA-X in very small spaces, such as in a tiny gap in a TV stand or on a desktop. A beautifully machined aluminum volume knob and panels give it an innate feeling of elegance, while full-metal body construction achieves excellent vibration suppression, to minimise any adverse effects on sound quality.

The AI-301DA-X features a built-in Bluetooth®. receiver module supporting the Qualcomm® aptX™. codec for high quality wireless audio streaming. Qualcomm® aptX™. achieves low-latency and excellent error recovery, resulting in superb sound, qualities which have made this codec an industry-standard for wireless streaming. And, for the benefit of those streaming from an iPhone/iPad, the high-performance AAC codec is also supported.

The AI-301DA-X automatically turns on when an incoming digital audio signal is detected, and automatically turns off when the signal is switched off. This allows you to, for instance, switch on the AI-301DA-X merely by powering up your TV set, ensuring you can enjoy enhanced TV audio with the minimum of fuss.

In order to process the huge amounts of digital audio data present in DSD128 and PCM 192kHz/32 content, a high-performance BurrBrown PCM 1795 D/A converter is employed. Its 32-bit processing conveys fine detail and a depth of sound from Hi-Res files that’s far beyond what you can hear from standard audio CD.

The AI-301DA-X is equipped with a USB port supporting DSD Native playback. This directly converts DSD signal into an analogue waveform in ASIO2.1 and DoP formats, without changing the PCM format. In addition, asynchronous transfer mode is also supported for accurate data transfer by referencing the more accurate on-board clock of the AI-301DA-X. Furthermore, a free TEAC HR Audio Player allows users to play back, Hi-Res files such as DSD128 and PCM192/32 from Windows/Mac without the need for complicated configuration.

The AI-301DA-X integrates TEAC’s CCLC (Coupling Capacitor-less Circuit) into its onboard headphone amplifier, an innovation that that delivers rich bass sound and quick transient response, by eliminating capacitors in the output stage, while delivering 100mW + 100mW of output power (32ohm load).

In addition to a USB audio input, conventional S/PDIF inputs are also provided, the coaxial digital input supporting signals up to 192kHz/24-bit while the optical supports up to 96kHz/24-bit.

A subwoofer pre-out on the AI-301DA-X allows you to connect a powered subwoofer for extra bass sound in a 2.1ch system, especially useful for TV sound enhancement.