Tradutto DAC (€699)
Contents
EarMen’s Tradutto DAC has 4 digital inputs: USB, optical, coax and Bliuetooth. Outputs are optionally single ended (RCA) or balanced (Pentaconn). EarMen supplies a nice USB cable with it. The Tradutto DAC is built around the Sabre ES9038Q2M DAC, which can also be found in the Volumio Primo. As we always mention, the DAC chip by itself doesn’t say much. What matters is the implementation; the power supply, the clock, signal paths, shielding of the digital and analogue parts.
The Tradutto DAC also has an optical and coaxial input (RCA connector). A Qualcomm Bluetooth 5.1 chip (QCC5124) supports various Bluetooth protocols, including aptxHD.
In use
We connect the power supply to the mains with a Supra mains cable. The CH-Amp needs 2x12V power supply, the Tradutto DAC 12V. This is done with the supplied cables. We get a remote control with it that can control both devices. When switching on, the CH-Amp defaults to the balanced input. With the source selection button, we can select the two single ended inputs. If we connect headphones, we can set the gain to high/low. Useful with high-impedance headphones. The preamp is activated when the headphones are disconnected. Nice is that when switching, the volume is automatically set to 0. We would have liked a button to switch between the headphone and pre-amplifier functions. That works better than pulling a plug in or out. We also hear decent switch clicks inside the unit. Volume control is in 30 steps and pleasant to use; sufficiently precise and also quick when needed.
The DAC defaults to USB and that will also be the setting most often used, we estimate. Selection of digital sources can be done at the front and via remote control. This remote control has two separate sections for the preamp and the DAC. We appreciate it can be charged via a USB-C connector. Despite its small size, the ease of operation is fine. During testing, we have the EarMen stack on the desk, next to the laptop. The displays are clear in layout and display the required information just fine. After a whole day on, the set doesn’t get very warm either.
How does it sound?
We were a little grumpy about the lack of concrete information. Of course, what matters most is how it sounds. We can be brief about that; this EarMen set sounds really nice! What stands out is the speed, soundstage and energy in the playback. We hear this on the headphones and as a pre-amplifier. We connect the Sennheiser 410SL headphones to the CH-Amp. These are definitely not easy headphones to drive. With an impedance of 600 ohms and an open-back design, many headphone amplifiers struggle to bring these Sennheiser to life. The CH-Amp has a firm grip on the 410SL. With Jacques Loussier, we hear deep bass, neatly delineated piano and the cymbals sizzle through our heads. We recently discovered a new test track; a performance of Mendelssohn’s 4th symphony by the Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Lorzin Maazel. A recording from 1962. Yes, 1962, you read correctly. The time when the ‘Toningenieure’ of the Deutsche Grammophon label went through life as Herr Doktor, wore white lab coats and made incredibly good recordings. The orchestra plays so lightly and quickly, the acoustics of the hall and (the placement of) the instruments can be heard so well that colleague Martijn is able to make out the material of the mouthpiece of the flutes. We hear it all on the EarMen set combined with the Sennheiser 410SL. And we don’t just hear the music; the silence is also impressive. No doubt it will say something about the low noise floor and hence the great spatial imaging this set is capable of.
Also on planar headphones (Oppo PM-3, Hifiman Sundara, Fostex TR-80 and the recently tested Yamaha YH-5000SE), the CH-Amp does an excellent job. But the combination with the Sennheiser 410SL impresses us most.
As a preamp, the power of the EarMen system also stands out. We have a simple speaker set on the desk. When we connected the EarMen stack, everything became more powerful, the voices more intelligible and the stereo image wider and more defined.
Connect this set to active monitors and you are done. Especially with active speaker systems, a quiet preamp is a must. It’s a pity we didn’t get to test the balanced version. But; if the single ended outputs already sound good, you will gain even more in dynamics and low noise floor with balanced connectors.
