CD/SACD-проигрыватели и транспорты — Unison Research UNICO CD UNO

The Unico CD Uno is a CD player from Italian maker Unison Research, which presents it as a flexible, high-specification DAC with an integrated CD mechanism. It followed the Unico CD Due, introduced a year earlier, and shares with it a new three-part faceplate, white LEDs and a white display that set both apart from earlier Unico products. According to the company, the player is meant to handle every music format and sampling rate currently on the market.

Key specs that matter

An ESS Sabre ES9018K2M chip performs the conversion, followed by an NE5532AD current to voltage stage chosen for very low noise. Signal-to-noise ratio is 125 dB, A-weighted at 0 dBFS and 1 kHz with a 192 kHz rate, and THD+N measures 0.0003% at 0 dBFS and 1 kHz over 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Using the remote control, the owner picks one of three digital filter settings. Two of them share a steep slope, one in linear and one in minimum phase form, and the third pairs a gentle slope with linear phase. Absolute phase can also be switched. The chassis is 45 x 38 x 13 cm and weighs 10 kg.

Engineering and use context

The output circuit is built on one ECC82 double triode, also known as 12AU7, working in pure class A and followed by a discrete transistor buffer, likewise in class A, that gives a low output impedance. A solid state output can be selected instead of the valve path. The digital section is kept apart from the analogue one, and an FPGA handles the digital data. Discs load through a CD loader transport, and a white OLED graphic display with 128 x 64 resolution shows status. The converter also serves external sources. A USB 2.0 input accepts 44.1 to 384 kHz at 16 to 32 bits plus DSD128 and DSD256, a Toslink input takes 44.1 to 96 kHz at 16 to 24 bits, and a built-in Bluetooth 3.0 receiver handles 44.1 and 48 kHz at 16 bits. One S/PDIF digital output delivers 0.5 Vpp on 75 ohms, so the transport can also feed an outboard converter. Unison Research supplies XMOS USB Audio Class 2 drivers for Windows computers, offered for download in versions 4.13.0 and 3.34.0.

Pairing

Unison Research designed the Unico 90 and Unico 150 amplifiers as matches for this player and the CD Due, carrying over the same styling. The USB input lets a computer play through the internal converter, and Bluetooth covers phones and tablets without extra hardware.

Alternatives

Unison Research also builds the Unico CD Due, a second CD player within the Unico family.