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DACs — Mytek Brooklyn DAC
Description, images, technical data and specifications
Mytek Brooklyn DAC
Image source — © Mytek
The Brooklyn DAC is a half-width digital converter from Mytek, a company that designs its products in New York and builds them in Poland. Besides conversion, the same chassis holds a headphone amplifier, a phono stage and an analogue preamplifier. Its US price was USD 1,995 in 2017, and it was offered in silver or black. The later Brooklyn DAC+ moved to the ES9028Pro chip.
Key specs that matter
A Sabre 9018 Pro chipset performs the conversion and accepts PCM up to 32 bit and 384 kHz, native DSD up to DSD256 and DXD, with a quoted dynamic range of 128 dB. A certified hardware MQA decoder is built in. Digital inputs are USB2 Class 2, AES/EBU, two coaxial S/PDIF, Toslink with ADAT, and SDIF3 for DSD up to DSD256, while the AES/EBU and S/PDIF ports take PCM up to 192 kHz and DSD64 via DoP. The XLR and RCA analogue outputs operate simultaneously, at 50 ohm output impedance. Mytek rates the headphone amplifier at 500 mA and 6 W, feeding two 6.35 mm jacks. The case measures 216 x 216 x 44 mm and weighs 2 kg.
Engineering and use context
A single analogue input can be switched by relay between line level, moving magnet at 47 kohm and moving coil at 90 ohm, and a grounding post for a turntable sits on the rear panel. Level control offers three routes - a 1 dB step analogue attenuator with separate settings for the main outputs and the headphones, a 32-bit digital attenuator in 1 dB steps, and a relay bypass for use as a fixed-level DAC. Timing comes from the Mytek Femtoclock Generator with 0.82 ps internal jitter, and wordclock input and output allow the unit to join a studio clock chain. Power arrives through an internal supply that accepts worldwide mains voltages, and a separate 12 V DC input lets an external supply or battery take over. Firmware updates are loaded over USB, and a front panel window lists sample rate, format and MQA status. An aluminium Apple remote adjusts volume.
Pairing
The simultaneous XLR and RCA outputs with variable level allow the Brooklyn to drive a power amplifier or active monitors directly, while bypass mode feeds an integrated amplifier at fixed level. Any Mac or Linux computer links through the USB port, which Mytek describes as driverless on macOS and Linux. Moving magnet and moving coil pickups plug straight into the phono input, with no separate step-up device required.
Alternatives
The Mytek Manhattan DAC II uses the ES9038PRO chip with a linear power supply built around two transformers and accepts optional phono and Roon network cards.
Key specs that matter
A Sabre 9018 Pro chipset performs the conversion and accepts PCM up to 32 bit and 384 kHz, native DSD up to DSD256 and DXD, with a quoted dynamic range of 128 dB. A certified hardware MQA decoder is built in. Digital inputs are USB2 Class 2, AES/EBU, two coaxial S/PDIF, Toslink with ADAT, and SDIF3 for DSD up to DSD256, while the AES/EBU and S/PDIF ports take PCM up to 192 kHz and DSD64 via DoP. The XLR and RCA analogue outputs operate simultaneously, at 50 ohm output impedance. Mytek rates the headphone amplifier at 500 mA and 6 W, feeding two 6.35 mm jacks. The case measures 216 x 216 x 44 mm and weighs 2 kg.
Engineering and use context
A single analogue input can be switched by relay between line level, moving magnet at 47 kohm and moving coil at 90 ohm, and a grounding post for a turntable sits on the rear panel. Level control offers three routes - a 1 dB step analogue attenuator with separate settings for the main outputs and the headphones, a 32-bit digital attenuator in 1 dB steps, and a relay bypass for use as a fixed-level DAC. Timing comes from the Mytek Femtoclock Generator with 0.82 ps internal jitter, and wordclock input and output allow the unit to join a studio clock chain. Power arrives through an internal supply that accepts worldwide mains voltages, and a separate 12 V DC input lets an external supply or battery take over. Firmware updates are loaded over USB, and a front panel window lists sample rate, format and MQA status. An aluminium Apple remote adjusts volume.
Pairing
The simultaneous XLR and RCA outputs with variable level allow the Brooklyn to drive a power amplifier or active monitors directly, while bypass mode feeds an integrated amplifier at fixed level. Any Mac or Linux computer links through the USB port, which Mytek describes as driverless on macOS and Linux. Moving magnet and moving coil pickups plug straight into the phono input, with no separate step-up device required.
Alternatives
The Mytek Manhattan DAC II uses the ES9038PRO chip with a linear power supply built around two transformers and accepts optional phono and Roon network cards.
Specifications
Model name
Brooklyn DAC
Conversion type
N/A
Engine
Sabre 9018 Pro
DSD compatability
Yes
Parameters
up to 32bit / 384 kHz and DSD256
Frequency response low +/- 3dB (Hz)
N/A
Frequency response high +/- 3dB (Hz)
N/A
Gain (dBu)
N/A
Output Level (balanced) (V)
N/A
Output Level (single-ended) (V)
N/A
Input Impedance (balanced) (Ω)
N/A
Input Impedance (single-ended) (Ω)
N/A
Output Impedance (balanced) (Ω)
N/A
Output Impedance (single-ended) (Ω)
N/A
Analog outputs
N/A
Signal to Noise Ratio (dB)
N/A
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (% at 22 kHz)
N/A
Dimensions (mm)
216 x 216 x 44
Weight (kg)
2
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