AURALIC ALTAIR

Pre owned. In good condition. Shows minor signs of wear. Comes with remote control, without original packaging.

The Auralic Altair was created as a response to a world of audio that has moved beyond physical media, where streaming and high-resolution file playback now define the listening experience. In a single compact and elegantly designed unit, it combines the functions of a DAC, streamer, and headphone amplifier with volume control, allowing it to also serve as a digital preamplifier. By simply adding a power amplifier and speakers, it becomes a complete system ready to play.

At its core lies Auralic’s proprietary Tesla platform, developed to ensure processing power and future upgradability. Equipped with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor running at 1 GHz, DDR3 memory, and integrated storage, the device is designed to support advanced functions such as DSD upsampling and room optimization software. Complementing this is a dual-frequency Femto Master Clock driving an ESS Sabre DAC chip, optimized for audio sampled at multiples of both 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz. Power is supplied by the Purer-Power linear circuit with a custom toroidal transformer, contributing not only to sonic stability but also to the solid and substantial feel of the unit.

The Altair supports up to fifteen digital inputs, both wired and wireless, and can be configured with an optional internal HDD or SSD to store an entire music library. Thanks to its Lightning firmware, compatible with PCM up to 24-bit/384 kHz, DXD, and DSD up to quad-rate, it can play music over WiFi or Ethernet, from DLNA/UPnP servers or external USB drives. Its Memory Playback feature allows an entire track to be cached locally, minimizing network transmission interference and enhancing playback quality.

From an aesthetic point of view, it features clean lines and a thick aluminum front panel, with a large central display showing source, sampling rate, and volume. The only physical control is a multifunction knob that acts both as a volume dial and as a gateway to the simple and intuitive main menu, which offers six options. On the back, alongside balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs (always active), are AES/EBU, coaxial, TosLink, and USB digital inputs, as well as network connections and antenna sockets for wireless operation.

As a pure DAC, its use is immediate: simply connect it to a digital transport, computer, or music server, and the Altair automatically handles PCM and DSD formats. As a streamer, it offers greater versatility, making use of the Lightning DS app for iOS or integrating seamlessly with compatible software such as Roon or BubbleDS. Once set up, it easily manages local libraries, networked NAS, streaming services such as Tidal and Qobuz, internet radio, and even playback via AirPlay.

Compact like a small box yet built with premium materials, the Auralic Altair represents a modern and complete solution for those who want to integrate music playback, decoding, and management functions into a single device, with the flexibility of a system designed to grow and evolve over time.

Technical specifications:

• RoonReady wireless streaming D/A processor
• Inputs: network-shared folder; USB drive; optional internal 2.5" HDD or SSD; uPnP/DLNA media server; Tidal & Qobuz; Internet Radio; AirPlay; Bluetooth; Songcast
• Digital inputs: 1 AES/EBU; 1 coaxial; 1 TosLink; 1 USB device to computer; 2 USB host for storage & DAC; 1 RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet; dual-band WiFi 802.11b/g/n/ac
• Analog outputs: balanced XLR (10 ohm impedance); unbalanced RCA (50 ohm impedance); 6.35 mm headphone jack
• Supported file types: AAC; AIFF; ALAC; APE; DIFF; DSF; FLAC; MP3; OGG; WAV; WMA; WV
• Supported digital formats: PCM 32-bit, 44.1–384 kHz; DSD64/128/256 (352.8 & 384 kHz, streaming and USB only; 32-bit streaming and USB only)
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
• THD+N: 0.001%, 20 Hz – 20 kHz at 0 dBFS
• Dynamic range: 121 dB, 20 Hz – 20 kHz, A-weighted
• Output voltage: 2 V RMS maximum with lossless digital volume control
• Control software: Auralic Lightning DS for iOS; Auralic RC-1 remote control; OpenHome compatible; uPnP A/V compatible
• Display: OLED, 512x64 pixels
• Power consumption: 10 W standby; 35 W maximum playback
• Dimensions: 330 mm (W) x 65 mm (H) x 230 mm (D)
• Weight: 3.2 kg (7 lbs)