Streamers — Axxess Forte 3

The Forte 3, written Forté 3 by its maker, is the top version of the three-model Forté range made by Axxess, the entry-level label of Audio Group Denmark, and its design is credited to Michael Børresen. It is a single-box system that joins a network player, a one-bit DAC, a stereo power amplifier and a headphone stage, so it is more than a streamer. It differs from the Forté 1 and Forté 2 in the amount of Ansuz noise suppression inside and in its copper base plate. At launch in January 2025 it cost GBP 9,999, USD 11,000 or EUR 10,000, with a 2-year warranty.

Key specs that matter

Rated output is 100 W per channel into 8 ohm. The converter handles PCM to 384 kHz and DSD256, with MQA decoding. There are three digital inputs - optical, BNC coaxial and USB B - plus an analogue RCA line input, LAN and two USB A sockets that read drives of up to 2 TB. Connections for one set of speaker cables, a line-level RCA pre-out and a 6.35 mm headphone socket make up the outputs. At 370 x 420 x 110 mm it matches the lower models in size, while its weight of 9.0 kg is the highest of the three, reflecting the added copper.

Engineering and use context

Inside are 108 active Tesla coils, 216 square Tesla coils and 4 zirconium Tesla coils, 328 coils of three types in all, working with 9 dither circuits, three times the Forté 1 figures. A solid copper plate under the amplifier module acts as a shield for the chassis base. The amplifier section uses a pair of Pascal class D modules branded UMAC, fed by a resonant mode switching supply inspired by Aavik designs and running at a very high frequency. The streaming and DAC module is derived from larger Aavik models and carries no microcomputer, and the top and bottom panels use a composite material intended to reduce mechanical hysteresis, finished in black.

Pairing

The Forté 3 has completed Roon certification and is listed as Roon Ready, in addition to UPnP playback with TIDAL and Spotify Connect through the Audio Group Denmark control app. Its class A headphone amplifier feeds the front jack directly. Loudspeaker connection is single-wire only. A remote handset ships in the box along with the mains lead. The USB B input is intended for a PC or smart devices, and the two USB A sockets also accept dongles.

Alternatives

The Axxess Forté 2 is the middle version of the series, with 72 active Tesla coils, 6 dither circuits and no copper base plate.