DAC’s the way to do it – Audiolab wants to upgrade your Hi-Fi and headphones

Audiolab has unveiled two DACs that it claims are "directly descended" from its renowned M-DAC. They're here to power-up your Hi-Fi and your headphones, and both models will be available from the middle of May 2025.

The D7 is the more affordable of the two, with a price tag of £449 (about $599 / €529 / AU$930).

It's a compact DAC and headphone amp for home use and features the ES9038Q2M chip. That's the same high-spec, 32-bit Sabre DAC chip that's also used in Audiolab's 6000A MkII and 7000A integrated amplifiers.

It's teamed with proprietary circuitry to make the most of ESS Technology's Hyperstream II architecture and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator, which is said to provide ultra-low noise and high dynamic range.

There's Hi-Res Audio support, with PCM to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD to 22.5792MHz (DSD512) via USB. Full MQA decoding is also included and the D7 is certified as ‘Roon Tested’ for use in a Roon audio environment.

There's USB A and B for connecting computers and external drives, four SP/DIFs, balanced XLR and single-ended RCA outputs, plus optical and digital outs. Bluetooth is 5.1 with aptX HD.

Audiolab D9: key features and pricing

The even more premium D9 covers every conceivable Hi-Res and lossless audio format, and its circuitry incorporates top-grade components.

This includes multiple discrete ultra-low-noise regulators that provide power to the left and right channels for each stage of the digital-to-analogue conversion process. It, says Audiolab, comes from the firm's "experience of working with ESS Technology’s reference-class Sabre DAC chips".

The D9 builds on the D7's extensive input and outputs with the addition of an AES3/EBU digital input, and its Bluetooth adds LDAC support alongside aptX HD, aptX Low Latency, regular aptX, AAC and SBC.

Both DACs share the same headphone amp circuitry, which Audiolab says delivers a spacious, detailed and dynamic performance with all manner of headphones – even "tough loads that many DACs' headphone outputs struggle to drive".

Both DACs deliver up to 600mW of power across a load impedance range of 20 to 600 ohms for seriously loud listening without distortion.

The D9 has an RRP of £1,099 (about $1,460 / €1,290 / AU$2,275).