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John
What I originally thought to be just a DAC turns out to be a fully-fledged media player with HMDI output. The photos show the concept best. Here was a very pleasing, clean and detailed sound. Just what you’d expect from the ESS Sabre stable. My first question for all media players and servers: does it handle gapless playback? According to Resonessence President Mark Mallinson, with playback via SD card there is a small audible gap between songs.
Mallinson also had this to say:
“The centerpiece of our display at the RMAF was our INVICTA DAC. This product started shipping in August of 2011 and is getting great reviews both in the media and by our first customers. Three years in the making the INVICTA DAC takes DAC technology to the next level. From a pure performance stand point there is no better. At it’s core the unit has two ESS Technology Sabre DAC chips. INVICTA has been designed to be upgradable over the life of the product via firmware upgrades. Unique to DAC technology at this level is the front panel SD Card reader and rear panel HDMI output. This combination enables the user to play audio files direct from an SD card and view playlists via an external monitor taking away the need to have the computer in the loop for playback.”
The retail price of the INVICTA is US$3995.
Further information: Resonessence Labs
