The digital products from Ideon Audio were new to me at CAF21, where I got to hear their entry mk2 384 DXD DAC and 3R Master Time Reclocker as well as their flagship products which I’ll cover in a separate post.
The Ideon Audio mk2 384 DXD DAC ($3500) is built around an ESS Pro D/A converter with a reclocking Coax S/PDIF input and high speed async dual clock USB audio input. Femto clocks from Crystek are employed to help reduce jitter and noise below perceptible levels according to the company.
The separate Ideon 3R Master Time Reclocker ($3900) is designed to clean up the noisy USB output from computers, sending an improved USB signal to your DAC of choice.
The rest of the system around the Ideon digital gear included the 432 EVO Reference Server (starts at $3500), Modwright KWH 225i Hybrid Integrated amplifier ($8495) and Larsen 6 Speakers ($4295). While its tempting to attribute what we hear at HiFi shows to the gear that interests us most — “That’s a great sounding DAC!” — while ignoring the rest of the system, the music, the room, and the inevitable HiFi show background (and sometimes foreground) noise, is like trying to play pin the tail on the donkey in a forest.
That being said, my interests were piqued by the Ideon gear and I’ll be getting in both the DAC and Reclocker for review. . .soon.