KLIAVS: Watch out for Bladelius USB DAC

Eugene Ngoh of Audiomatic with the petite Bladelius USB DAC.

This cool product looks set to be this year's must-have 'hot' component. Soon after it was launched in Europe recently, audiophiles in Taiwan and Hong Kong were already placing bulk orders for it without even auditioning it.


The component is from high-end Swedish manufacturer Bladelius and it is a USB DAC.


It is not just another USB DAC as it is one of the models from the new generation of Class Two Audio USB DACs which accept up to 24/192. Going above 96 kHz requires the use of a protocol called ‘Class Two Audio’, which operates with USB 2.0. Class Two Audio uses a transmission rate of 480 MHz, which is 40 times faster than Class One USB computer audio.


Not only that but it is also asynchronous and the little DAC which looks like a brick-shaped large remote control does re-clocking with its own low jitter crystal clock.


And there is no need to plug it to a power distributor - it is USB powered.


Bladelius has chosen to use a digital filter with minimum phase to cut off pre-ringing and the analogue output stage is of high quality. Proprietary driver software is included in a thumb drive.


The Bladelius USB DAC is on demo at Audiomatic in Amcorp Mall, Petaling Jaya, and it is retailing at about RM2,600.


It will also be showcased at the coming KL International AV Show.