Стримеры — Matrix Audio TS-1

The TS-1 from Matrix Audio puts streaming, digital conversion and headphone amplification into a single compact chassis, aimed at listeners using headphones or active monitors. It is built on the streaming hardware platform of the company's M Series, runs the MA Player operating system and comes in Titanium Silver or Obsidian Black.

Key specs that matter

Each channel carries an AK4493SEQ chip with its two DAC units running in parallel, and USB input accepts PCM up to 768 kHz plus native DSD to 22.4 MHz. On the XLR line output signal-to-noise is 123 dB A-weighted, distortion plus noise stays under 0.00018% at 1 kHz, crosstalk exceeds -140 dB and level reaches 4.5 V RMS. The RCA output gives 120 dB and 2.2 V RMS. Line response runs 20 Hz to 20 kHz within 0.1 dB, falling 3 dB at 80 kHz. The balanced 4.4 mm headphone jack produces 1000 mW into 33 or 300 ohm and 500 mW into 600 ohm, while the 6.35 mm jack gives 1400 mW into 33 ohm with under 1 ohm output impedance. The case is 280 x 210 x 82 mm and weighs 2.89 kg.

Engineering and use context

Digital circuitry sits on a lower PCB layer and the analog section above it, with a left-right symmetrical analog board. The two DAC chips have fully independent supplies, each fed by a dual-channel low-noise LDO. Two femtosecond clocks cover the 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz rate families, switched and divided by an FPGA. The headphone stage is a fully balanced, high-bias discrete design with two output voltage settings for IEMs and full-size headphones. Five inputs are provided - optical, coaxial, USB Audio, HDMI ARC and an analog RCA input taking up to 2.1 V RMS. Supported protocols are AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Qobuz Connect, TIDAL Connect, UPnP/DLNA, Audirvana and Roon Ready, and libraries can come from a NAS, a cloud drive or an NVMe SSD installed in the bottom slot. An attached USB CD drive allows ripping discs into internal storage. Networking is gigabit Ethernet or Wi-Fi 6. A wide-range 100-240 V supply is built in, and a 12 V DC inlet accepts a linear power source rated above 36 W, which then takes priority over mains.

Pairing

A dedicated subwoofer output filters below 150 Hz and follows the line-out volume, making a 2.1 setup with small active speakers possible. The analog outputs offer two voltage settings for active speakers with different gain needs. Trigger in and out ports allow switching with other gear, and control runs through an IR remote or the MA Remote app on Android or iOS devices.

Alternatives

Matrix Audio also makes the element M2, a music streamer with built-in headphone amplifier.