Watch out for it, it's going to be a stormer, you are pre warned.

From the designer, his words not mine.

It’s a fun little design, which I believe will allow AudioLab to enter new territory. It’s housed in a smaller form factor then traditional AudioLab “Hi-Fi” – in keeping with the intention of being used with PC/ Mac’s etc. But don’t let its size fool you:-

MDAC highlights:-

• MultiBit 78MHz 256 “1Bit” DAC Array Per Channel.
• USB Input with 96 KHz 24 Bit support. Driverless Remote Control of PC / MAC Media Player.
• x2 192KHz 24Bits Coax SPDIF Inputs.
• x2 96KHz Optical Inputs.
• x2 Line level Analog Inputs – Class A Line level Relay Switched Preamplifier with Balance XLR outputs (With Digital Direct Mode).
• External PSU, with future upgrade path & MCU interface.
• Clock-Lock interface – User selectable output clock rate.
• Custom LCD display
• Full remote control & External Remote I/O Loop.
• Fully Balanced Discrete OPS Class A design
• 29 Regulated supply rails.
• Organic Ultra Low ESR capacitors, High Tolerance Ppolypropylene film / Foil capacitors, Ultra Stable Very Low VCR MELF SMD resistors, 4 Layer PCB.
• User Selectable Digital Filters – Software upgradeable Via USB Port.
• Greater then 132dB Awtd Dynamic Range (Balanced outputs, 6V RMS 0.0008%THD 1KHz 100 Ohm load)
• Greater then 128dB Non Awtd (Measurement limited)
• 0.0004% THD @ 1KHz 2Vrms (50 Ohm Load)
• High Current Single Ended & Balanced Discrete Class A outputs.
• Very Simple 2nd order Fully Balanced Discrete Class A Analogue signal Path (Direct Mode)
• Selectable 117dB DR Class A Fully Balanced Analogue Line Level Pre Amplifier. 0.0015 THD @ 2Vrms (50 Ohm load).
• Digital Direct Mode, Selectable “Digital Only” Preamplifier Mode (bypassing fully Balanced Analogue Gain control stage).
• Class A Discrete Headphone Amplifier

• Master Clock Jitter Less then 3pS Short Term. Measured at DAC “XOut” Pin
• 0.6pS Total “Discrete” Jitter Components
• 1.8pS Random Jitter Component
• Discrete Low LF noise 5th Overtone highly stable Oscillator design – long term drift about 1ppm over 24 hours – less then 3pS short term.

It’s a DAC that will take no prisoners....

only 400, or you can pay almost 2000 for a naim.

Audiolab seem to have lost their way in recent times since they went Chinese, actually they lost their way when they was taken over by tag, hopefully this new dac can turn things around for them again.

I didn't like the whole TagMcClaren esposide is it took them away from their values, it was all over priced smoke and mirrors, do you recall their advertising? the focus was on the cars not the product.

Then the name was resurrected thanks to then being produced in China but the new kit never really caught on like the old Audiolab range I owned did, some here for hoping, fingers crossed that this new dac can really get the name Audiolab back on peoples list and a big player once again.

Tags AV gear was superb and class leading, maybe it was a bit too pricey for the mainstream to swallow but it was first rate kit that deserved to do better.

Yep, TAG stuff was excellent but way too pricey and people didn't relate the brand with music replay, big mistake. Audiolab used to be the business, hope thay can compete again but it's a much more competitive market now and I'm not sure they'll succeed. Time will tell.

That marketing campaign was awful, I knew at the time it would backfire and it would all end it tears, they went from a respected audio company to a laughing stock due to those daft adverts featuring formula 1 cars, there simply isn't in my opinion no correlation between making formula 1 cars and audio, so what if you make the best car, it doesn't mean your going to make the best audio, don't be so arrogant and pig headed and that was the owners problem, all that advertising cost big bucks which was passed on to the product which the public wasn't prepared to fork out for and they went bust pretty quickly.

Maybe this new DAC will put them back on track, there last lot of products ended up getting slashed in price with huge dicounts just to shift them, I think they dropped 50%-60%

Audiolab was a name synonymous with the 80s hifi scene. They lost their way big style later on. Heres hoping they can make a successful return.

Now why does that name audiolab conjure the idea of lots of men wearing white overalls in some hidden lab, where in fact its was probably some bloke fiddling away in his garden shed