D&A Alpha PRO: Flagship DAC/Amp with ES9039MSPRO, Discrete Analog Path & True Vinyl Support

D&A Alpha PRO is a new DAC and headphone amplifier that combines a high-precision digital path with a full-fledged analog circuit. Equipped with the flagship ES9039MSPRO chip, a four-channel discrete amplification circuit and an NJU72315 analog volume control, it is aimed at those who value dynamics, low noise and versatility – from DSD and MQA to vinyl players.

The signal path is built on the SIGMA DAC scheme with eight differential flows per channel, which reduces impedance and improves the transfer of micro details. The amplifier is built on 32 transistors (8 per channel) and produces up to 6000 mW per channel at 32 ohms, with an output impedance below 0.1 ohms and distortion at the level of 0.0001%.

Unlike most combo devices, DIGI-AESTH Alpha PRO is equipped with a real analog preamplifier, allowing it to be used with sources such as vinyl players or cassette decks. The analog input is directly connected to the amplifier, bypassing digital-to-analog processing.

On board is an XMOS XU-316 USB receiver supporting PCM up to 768 kHz/32 bit and DSD512, Bluetooth 5.1 based on QCC5125 with LDAC, aptX HD, AAC and SBC codecs, as well as optical and coaxial inputs with a separate PLL circuit and jitter of no more than 15 ps.

Separation of the digital and analog parts is implemented on a multilayer board with isolated grounds, shielded traces and separate power buses. Precision components are used to minimize noise – MELF resistors, capacitors with precise tolerances and two Mean Well linear power modules.

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Additional features include protection at each stage of the path, thermal stabilization with adaptive correction, three-oscillator synchronization and an output matrix suitable for headphones, active acoustics or signal transmission over a line.