DACs — Audio Note Fifth Element/Force

The Fifth Element/Force is a converter from Audio Note (UK), a full Level 5 product built as two separate chassis. The Fifth Element carries the conversion and analogue circuits, while the Fifth Force houses the power supply. Fascia choices are anodised aluminium and black acrylic.

Key specs that matter

The conversion stage relies on the Analog Devices AD1865N, an 18-bit stereo converter chip, and the unit accepts 44.1, 48 and 96 kHz material through a single RCA S/PDIF input terminated at 75 ohm. Reference output is 3.2 V RMS, offered on balanced and single-ended connections, with an output impedance of 600 ohm. Channel balance is held within 0.2 dB. Each chassis measures 160 mm high, 445 mm wide and 428 mm deep and weighs 20 kg.

Engineering and use context

This converter works without oversampling, and Audio Note also leaves out re-clocking, noise shaping and jitter reduction. The data stream is reformatted so that interpolation can take place without manipulation, and every filtering stage sits in the analogue domain. The filter and interface coils are wound with 99.99 percent pure Audio Note silver wire on 55 percent nickel Super mu-metal cores, with air gaps matched to 0.1 dB across the frequency range. An EF800 valve acts as the input buffer, the first time Audio Note used this method in a commercial product. The analogue output stage runs a 6189 dual triode together with a Telefunken 6463 dual triode and feeds a silver-wired output transformer with a 33 to 1 step-down ratio. The Element chassis holds one 6189, one 6463, one EF800 and one 6X5, while the Force chassis carries one 6X5, one ECL82 and one 5651. Power comes from full valve rectification and regulation based on the Galahad supply taken from the M9 Phono preamplifier, and a low-noise shunt-type supply feeds the digital section. Black Gate and Cerafine capacitors, Audio Note tantalum film resistors and silver internal wiring complete the parts list. Operation is pure Class A with zero negative feedback in a single-ended topology. The IZVOR discrete ladder module announced in May 2026 is among the upgrades offered for this model.

Pairing

A transport with a coaxial S/PDIF output is required, since no USB, optical or AES/EBU input is fitted. Offering the same output level on balanced and single-ended outputs lets the converter feed preamplifiers of either connection type.

Alternatives

The Audio Note DAC 5 IZVOR Signature is a single-chassis converter from the same maker using the discrete 18-bit IZVOR ladder module and adding an XLR AES/EBU input.