YBA Design One – Compact Battery-Powered SACD Player

French brand YBA will present its new Design One SACD player at High End Vienna 2026. It is a compact battery-powered model designed not only for traditional Hi-Fi systems, but also for desktop and portable use. According to the company, the Design One is the first YBA device created specifically for the portable/desktop audio segment. The unit combines an SACD/CD transport, a digital-to-analogue converter and a headphone amplifier in a single chassis. The player measures 188 × 166 × 40 mm and weighs 1.34 kg.

Disc reading in the YBA Design One is handled by an HD850 laser pickup working together with the MT1389EE system. The player is compatible with standard CDs as well as single-layer and multi-layer SACD discs. The built-in DAC is based on the AKM AK4497S chip from Asahi Kasei. When used as a USB-DAC, the device supports PCM playback at resolutions up to 32-bit/768 kHz, as well as DSD streams up to DSD512.

The Design One’s connectivity options make it a fairly versatile component. Two outputs are provided for headphones: a standard 3.5 mm single-ended jack and a balanced 4.4 mm Pentaconn output. For connection to an external audio system, the player offers RCA analogue outputs and a balanced 4.4 mm output. Digital interfaces include coaxial SPDIF and USB-C Audio. As a result, the player can be used as a standalone SACD/CD player, as a digital transport for an external DAC, or as a desktop USB-DAC when connected to a computer.

Power is supplied by a built-in rechargeable battery based on two 21700 cells. According to the manufacturer, the YBA Design One offers up to 5.5 hours of battery life. Charging and external power are provided via USB-C with PD3.0 support. When connected to an external power source, the headphone amplifier can operate with increased output power: up to 1.65 W into 32 ohms is specified for the balanced output.

Sales of the YBA Design One SACD player are expected to begin immediately after High End Vienna 2026. The recommended retail price of the new model is listed at $1,699 or €1,848.