ЦАПы — Métronome AQWO 2

The AQWO 2 from the French company Métronome is a hybrid unit that brings together a SACD and CD player, a high resolution digital to analogue converter and a network streamer in one chassis. The name comes from akouo, an ancient Greek verb meaning to listen or to hear well, which Métronome chose to reflect the purpose of the company and its products. It is aimed at listeners who want disc playback, conversion for external digital sources and streaming services from a single component, and a tube output stage can be fitted either at purchase or added afterwards.

Key specs that matter

The converter uses an ESS ES9039MPRO chip, for which the maker lists THD+N at minus 122 dB and a dynamic range of 137 dB. Output impedance is 100 ohms on the single-ended RCA sockets and 150 ohms on the balanced XLR sockets, with both reaching a maximum of 3 V at 0 dB. The chassis measures 420 by 120 by 425 mm and weighs 15 kg, and the finish can be gold, silver or black.

Engineering and use context

External sources connect through coaxial and AES/EBU digital inputs taking PCM from 44.1 to 384 kHz at 32 bits and DSD64 to DSD128 over DoP, a Toslink input limited to 192 kHz PCM and DSD64 over DoP, and a USB input that accepts native DSD up to DSD512. The streaming section handles PCM up to 384 kHz and native DSD64 to DSD256 and works with DLNA and UPnP, Audirvana, Spotify Connect, Roon Ready, TIDAL Connect and Qobuz Connect, with MQA rendering as well. The unit joins a network over dual band Wi-Fi on 2.4 and 5 GHz or a gigabit Ethernet port, and a USB 2.0 port is also fitted. Coaxial and AES/EBU outputs pass PCM to 384 kHz and DSD128 over DoP, while an I2S output passes native DSD up to DSD256, so the unit can also act as a transport or streaming front end for another converter. The unit is certified under the Plays with Audirvana scheme for USB and network playback, is JPLAY Certified for the JPLAY iOS app, and its Qobuz Connect function streams directly from the Qobuz servers without routing the music through a phone. Control and track information appear on a 7-inch touchscreen with a 21 by 9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1024 by 600 pixels. Power draw is 40 W in operation and 32 W in standby, and the operating range is 5 to 35 degrees C at 5 to 90 percent humidity.

Pairing

Its XLR and RCA analogue sockets suit the inputs of an integrated amplifier or preamplifier. USB from a computer carries DSD512 files, and the AES/EBU or coaxial inputs accept a separate transport or other digital source. The I2S output gives a direct link to a converter that has a matching input.

Alternatives

The Métronome DSC is a converter, streamer and digital preamplifier built around an ES9038PRO chip.