Auralic Vega G2.1

Auralic Vega G2.1

Hi-fi is nothing if not fluid. A decade in the past, few would have imagined we’d have deserted bodily media so shortly. CD gross sales are plummeting in most main western markets, particularly the USA and UK – and the world is shifting to streamed media. That’s completely comprehensible because it’s so handy – in concept a minimum of – and brings an enormous alternative of content material.

The result’s we now have a courageous new world of streaming DACs, which kind the guts of contemporary day programs. To this esteemed firm we must always now add Auralic’s newest DAC.

The Vega G2.1 is especially attention-grabbing for 2 causes. First, the corporate was very early to streaming – and has watched the hi-fi world transfer in the direction of it, quite than others which have belatedly determined to ‘do a streamer’. This means it has its personal streaming platform and expertise; it hasn’t purchased in another person’s.

Secondly, the Vega G2.1 is however one member of a household that collectively kinds a full high-end streaming DAC preamplifier resolution. This means you can begin off with this field and your current CD participant and NAS drive to get going, after which add the matching £4,200 Aries G2.1 transport (HFC 469) for higher disc-based digital sound. Then there’s the £8,000 Leo GX.1 reference clock and £6,000 Sirius G2.1 upsampling processor. You find yourself with an costly dCS Rossini-level digital entrance finish, however you don’t should shell out for all of the bits directly. As a potential buying proposition, that’s onerous to argue in opposition to in the event you’re critical about high-end digital.

The very first thing that strikes any newcomer to the model is the compactness and neatness of the product. It doesn’t should be full width, so it isn’t. That’s to not say that construct high quality has been skimped on; it has the texture of a stable aluminium and copper ingot, quite than a pressed metal field with a brushed aluminium fascia added for visible impact. It’s heavy for its dimension and really properly completed.

Then there’s the benefit of use. It’s simple to stand up and working, and works seamlessly through its Ethernet port. Auralic’s personal Lightning streaming {hardware} and software program platform is superb; the app doesn’t look fairly as swish as some, however does the job with none drama. It has multi-room, gapless playback, on-device playlists and reminiscence caching to make the consumer expertise smoother.

The Vega G2.1 DAC crunches all of the numbers it must – as much as 32-bit/384kHz and DSD512. At its coronary heart is a specifically modified model of the most recent ESS Sabre DAC; this isn’t as unique because the customized silicon in some rivals, however actually isn’t shabby. Jitter will get a very good seeing to from Auralic’s twin 72fs Femto clock, and galvanic isolation is used between digital and analogue sections to maintain noise down. The Vega hooks as much as the matching Aries G2.1 transport through Auralic’s Lightning Link, with a two-way communication protocol for high-speed information switch.

As befits a totally trendy preamplifier, care has been taken to defend the electronics by becoming a copper sub-enclosure. A big toroidal transformer is used, saved effectively away from the Orfeo passive quantity controls. This all sits on Auralic’s so-called Unity chassis; a heavy metallic base anchored by 4 tuned sprung ft. Round the again you get a alternative of RCA phono or balanced XLR analogue outputs and a single RCA stereo analogue enter alongside AES (XLR), optical, coaxial and USB digital inputs.

Sound high quality
With its exact, cultured really feel to the way in which it goes about making music, the Vega G2.1 sounds nearer to DACs at twice the worth than it does to these at half. There’s an alluring mixture of smoothness and perception that makes for actual listening pleasure. Yet it’s not overly mushy and has actual pace, which animates every little thing you play.

I kick off with a silver disc of Maximum Style & JB Rose’s Wake Up going into the coaxial digital enter from my Cyrus CD Xt Signature CD transport (HFC 386). It’s a beautiful piece of contemporary dance and the Vega G2.1 delivers an enticing and pleasant sound with a lot of perception into the combo, plus loads of life. I’m struck by the facility of the underside finish, mixed with its pace and tunefulness, and the way it ties into the fluid and supple midband. At the identical time, the closed-miked feminine vocals sound earthy but easy; there’s no synthetic gloss or lack of perception. The general impact is absolutely satisfying.

The DAC proves extremely spectacular throughout quite a lot of digital sources and genres; my 24-bit/96kHz DVD Audio disc of Rush’s Subdivisions through a Sony Blu-ray spinner sounds nice. The Vega G2.1 actually moving into the groove, eking out copious quantities of low-level element in a forensic sweep operation of the recording. Yet it doesn’t sacrifice this for the larger image, managing to dig deep however maintain the sense of a robust music occasion unfolding. This is an unusually dense combine that wants a top-flight DAC to ‘unpack’, and the Auralic does exactly that.

It’s a fantastic streamer too; a spread of my favorite tunes discover themselves rendered in a really comparable strategy to the digital inputs. The Who’s Baba O’Reilly is a tour de pressure, with a lot drama and emotion, whereas Sade’s When Am I Going to Make A Living is sultry and brooding. Jazz music reveals off the spry and clear tonality; it’s not as arid as some ESS-based designs, however doesn’t color the musical image to make issues sound artificially heat. Dave Brubeck’s Take Five is precisely conveyed, with a brisk musical gait and a devoted rendering of the tonal palette.

The analogue enter is an excellent function, and lets me join up my Michell GyroDec/TecnoArm/Lyra Dorian through my ANT Audio Kora 3T phono stage. Spinning my Wings London Town LP reveals it is extremely succesful as a preamp too.

I like the large, huge, daring soundstaging, candy treble and crisp, fluid bass. There’s only a delicate softening of the central picture and lack of depth perspective in absolute phrases. You’d should pay lots for a purpose-designed preamp to higher it.

Conclusion
Less of a lowly DAC preamp and extra of musical Swiss military knife, Auralic’s Vega G2.1 is severely stylish product. It does an terrible lot very effectively certainly and affords a painless improve route out from the £2,500 DACs that many folks run – all the way in which as much as the high-end the place five-figure sums have a tendency to alter fingers. It does a lot so very effectively that it affords up severely stiff competitors for these, principally British firms who’ve made this part of the market their very own. As such, an audition is strongly really helpful in the event you’re out there for updating your system. DP    

DETAILS
Product: Auralic Vega G2.1
Type: Streaming DAC

FEATURES
● Streaming, preamp performance
● AES; USB; optical; coaxial digital inputs
● RCA phono line enter; unbalanced RCA; balanced XLR outputs

Read the complete evaluate in  Issue 476

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March 7, 2024 at 01:30PM