ЦАПы — Aries Cerat Kassandra LE

Aries Cerat builds the Kassandra LE as a Limited Edition variant of its Kassandra Signature converter, marketed in its second generation as the Kassandra II Limited Edition and as the Kassandra Signature MkII LE. It is a ladder DAC that converts through resistor networks switched according to the bit depth, and it follows a two-chassis layout. In the UK it is listed at GBP 79,950, while the Kassandra 2 Signature Limited Edition has also been quoted at EUR 82,000.

Key specs that matter

Conversion uses the Analog Devices AD1865N-K R2R chip, with 24 converters per channel arranged in banks of 12 and working with complementary current outputs, so 48 chips are fitted in total. No digital filter is applied. Its single listed input is USB, rated for PCM at up to 24-bit and 384 kHz, and the balanced output delivers 30 V peak-to-peak at 0 dB, which equals 10 V RMS. Each of the two chassis measures 540 mm wide, 530 mm deep and 165 mm high, and the complete converter weighs 120 kg.

Engineering and use context

Custom wideband transformers perform the I/V step in a balanced arrangement rather than by resistors or op-amps. After them comes a tube stage using the E280F wired as a triode. Power comes from five toroidal transformers, and total system capacitance exceeds 3 farad. Eight discrete ultra-low-noise regulators feed the converter banks, a pseudo-battery system isolates the analogue stage from the mains, and xenon gas rectifiers serve the tube supplies. An internal Super-Clock, which can be bypassed, runs from its own toroidal transformer with triple regulation, and USB reception is managed by an XMOS asynchronous controller. Supercapacitors are used in the analogue tube stage, where the maker states that they offer around 100 times lower ESR and ESL than film or electrolytic types. The chip itself does not process the data stream, so incoming samples are latched and refresh the resistor network directly, which Aries Cerat treats as a passive procedure with no manipulation of the data.

Pairing

The source is any computer or streaming player fitted with USB audio output. The balanced output connects to a preamplifier with XLR inputs, and Aries Cerat also builds amplifiers, including the Exsequor Reference tube monoblocks.

Alternatives

The Aries Cerat Kassandra Signature is the standard two-chassis version with 20 AD1865N-K converters per channel, four toroidal transformers and a total weight of 80 kg.