ЦАПы — Mutec Astralius

The Astralius is a re-clocking DAC from Mutec, the Berlin company founded in 1989 by engineer Christian Peters and known for its MC3+ re-clockers and REF10 master clocks. It is a converter built on its clocking technology, and it was pre-announced at High End Munich 2025 with availability planned for the fourth quarter of 2025. It is developed and manufactured in Germany.

Key specs that matter

The Astralius is a dual-mono design with one ESS Sabre DAC chip per channel. It uses Mutec's 1G-Clock technology and REVIVE re-clocking algorithm. There are eight digital inputs, including USB and I2S on HDMI and on RJ45 connectors. A 10 MHz reference clock input accepts an external master clock such as the Mutec REF10 or REF10 SE120. Line outs come on both XLR and RCA. The power supply is linear. Volume control is built in, and a 6.3 mm headphone output has its own secondary volume control. Mutec had not published measured specifications in the announcement material.

Engineering and use context

Jitter, timing errors in the digital clock, causes errors in the conversion from digital to analogue. Mutec's re-clockers, starting with the MC3+ in 2013 and the MC3+USB in 2016, regenerate the timing of an incoming signal using an ultra-low phase noise clock, and the Astralius builds that function into the DAC. The 1G-Clock is a high-frequency reference from which the audio clocks are derived, and REVIVE re-clocks the incoming signal so that the conversion is timed by Mutec's clock rather than the source's. The external clock input lets the Astralius lock to an external reference, reducing phase noise further. Using one DAC chip per channel separates the channels completely in the conversion stage and lets each chip run its outputs in parallel for lower noise. The linear power supply avoids switching noise. Built-in volume control means the Astralius can feed amplification without a preamplifier, while the separate headphone volume allows headphone listening without changing the line output. Mutec's products are used in broadcast stations, recording and mastering studios, theatres and opera houses, and the company sources many components from specialist suppliers in Germany.

Pairing

The Astralius pairs with Mutec's REF10 or REF10 SE120 master clock through its reference clock input. Its balanced outputs can feed a power amplifier directly.

Alternatives

Mutec's MC3+USB is the brand's re-clocker and USB interface for use with an existing DAC.