DESCRIPTION :

The Vanguard Universal DAC is the first standalone DAC from Krell in over 20 years and it reignites the Krell digital legacy incorporating the latest in digital connectivity and technology.

The digital input suite includes USB, coaxial and optical digital inputs, 2 HDMI inputs and output, Ethernet music streaming controlled through dedicated iOS and Android apps; and aptX Bluetooth wireless for convenient streaming from phones, tablets and computers.

Digital to Analog conversion is performed by the 32 bit ESS9018 DAC and feeds a classic Krell balanced, fully discrete Class A circuit which is also used in the Krell top of the line Cipher SACD/Cd player.  Krell Current Mode technology is employed to assure unequaled signal bandwidth, enough to easily handle the latest high-resolution PCM and DSD audio sources without impacting high-frequency response and detail.

Coaxial and HDMI inputs support PCM up to 24-bit/192kHz. Optical input supports up to 24-bit/96kHz

2 HDMI 2.0 inputs support DSD and 4K video content. 

HDMI output includes Audio Return Channel for use with smart TV streaming services such as Netflix, Vudu, and Pandora.

USB and Network streaming support MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV(PCM), FLAC, ALAC up to 24b/192kHz

Bluetooth streaming features aptX^® technology.  A Bluetooth connection is a data pipeline between devices. Because the pipeline has a maximum width, it is difficult to flow large audio files through it.  aptX solves the problem of sending audio wirelessly over Bluetooth by reducing the size of the audio files so they can be squeezed through the wireless pipeline without affecting sound quality.

iOS and Android apps for control and music management include:

Playlist management across servers: Manage music playlists of music files stored on any server device on the network.