AudioEngine D2 Premium Feature

F E A T U R E
Audioengine D2 Premium
24-bit Wireless DAC
By Mark Marcantonio
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TONE A U D I O NO.50
A
udioengine's new D2 Wireless DAC provides an
elegant solution for those wanting a higher-
quality streaming solution than just a wireless
transmitter, which the Hong Kong–based
manufacturer offers with its highly successful W1 and W2
wireless analog transmitters. The new W2 digital transmitter,
priced at $599 for the set, is integrated with a two-piece DAC
system that comprises separate sender and receiver units. The
system is capable of processing 24-bit/192-kHz music files, with
the ability to stream 24-bit/96-kHz files.
The sender unit is connected (and powered, if desired) via
USB connection, with an optical input also available. The sender
then transmits the digital signal to the receiver via a walled wire-
less 802.11g network. The system removes output-level distor-
tion from the equation with a separate signal. The D2 system can
work with up to three receiver units in different listening systems.
Highly versatile, the D2 DAC can be used as more than a
standard computer-based wireless DAC: It is equally at home
acting as a PCM-to-home-stereo link and as a wireless USB-
to-S/PDIF convertor. The latter proves handy with my reference
SimAudio 300D DAC, which features a USB limited input for
16-bit/44.1-kHz files.
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