Overview
Small Size . . . Huge Sound
At Peachtree Audio we believe a Hi-Fi system should easily integrate into your home and provide exceptional sound quality without costing a fortune, weighing a ton or requiring a doctorate to use. Sona is based on a simple concept: build a line of audio components with audio performance similar to our highly-reviewed Grand Series, but in a chassis that is a fraction of the size, weight and cost! Using the latest advancements in DAC and amplification technology combined with clever engineering, we have successfully squeezed world-class performance into a small and highly appealing form factor that fits almost anywhere. The new sona products aren’t just the smallest Peachtree audio components – they are also the best sounding!
sonaDAC
The sonaDAC is three components in one: a reference quality Digital-to-Analog Converter, a balanced line-level preamplifier and a high-performance headphone amplifier. The sonaDAC utilizes the highly regarded ESS 9018 Sabre Reference DAC designed for natural music reproduction and an extremely low noise floor. SonaDAC is also a personal audio listening station with an extremely powerful and noise-free built-in headphone amplifier that makes listening to music through headphones an absolute delight. In addition, the sonaDAC is a balanced line-level control center that can drive any power amplifier or powered speakers via its XLR or RCA outputs. For a complete Peachtree solution, the sonaDAC can be paired with our sonaAMP for a high-performance, fully-balanced Hi-Fi system that takes up roughly the same space as two hardcover books!
Welcome to the Future
The Peachtree sonaDAC and sonaAMP provide exceptional sound quality without taking up much space, weighing a ton or costing a fortune. The sonaDAC is equally at home on your desktop as a DAC/headphone amp driving high-performance headphones or, coupled with the sonaAMP, powering high-resolution bookshelf monitors or a pair of demanding audiophile-quality floor standing loudspeakers. A Peachtree sona system is easy to integrate into any room and is incredibly simple to operate - so you can spend more time enjoying your music and less time fiddling with controls. The innovative volume control bypass makes integrating streaming devices and traditional digital components a joy. sona by Peachtree: small, affordable and high-performance. The future of audio separates is here today!
Design
sonaDAC
Reference DAC and Power Supply
The sonaDAC’s 32-bit ESS Sabre Reference DAC will make all of your music files sound superb. It supports everything from compressed MP3s all the way up to ultra-high-resolution music files including 32-Bit/384kHz PCM and 5.6MHz DSD. By utilizing ESS’s patented Time Domain Jitter Eliminator and HyperStream architecture, the sonaDAC is able to create incredibly musical sound reproduction from any digital file. The sonaDAC utilizes a large power supply with plenty of power reserves and multiple points of regulation. This ensures that the DAC always has the power needed to reproduce deep bass, smooth high frequency detail and pinpoint imaging. This type of attention to power supply detail is the primary difference between the great DACs and the merely good ones.
Balanced Design and Independent Signal Paths
The Peachtree sonaDAC follows a purist design philosophy, utilizing short signal paths and carefully selected components to maximize dynamic range and minimize noise. There are 3 completely independent audio circuits inside the sonaDAC: one from the DAC to the XLR balanced output, a second from the DAC to the RCA output and a third from the DAC to the headphone output. The XLR and RCA paths are balanced from the DAC all the way to the class A output stage derived directly from our Grand Series. The audio paths are also isolated from each other and utilize high-performance discrete components for optimal sound quality. The path from the DAC to the headphone output is extremely short, with only a buffer in between the DAC and the headphone amp, for maximum transparency and minimal noise. The sound quality afforded by the sonaDAC compares favorably with products that are much larger, heavier and more costly.
Headphone Amplifier
The sonaDAC’s headphone amplifier is a minimalist design with precious few components in the signal path, offering ultra-low-noise and an extremely wide range of gain. The Peachtree sonaDAC will drive any headphone - from sensitive in-ear monitors to power hungry, high-impedance over-the-ear models with ease and transparency, putting it in a class with dedicated headphone amplifiers costing many times more. The sonaDAC utilizes an ultra-high-precision 32-bit volume control with exceptional gain tracking and channel balance. With a sonaDAC powering your headphones you’ll hear the emotional impact of your music more easily with superior transparency, greater dynamic range, rock solid imaging and less background noise. A sonaDAC makes a perfect companion for a desktop computer audio system driving a pair of high-performance headphones!
Volume Control Bypass
The challenge with most streaming devices is that the application used to control them also includes a volume “slider”, effectively placing two volume controls in the signal path: the one in the app plus the one in the preamp. Peachtree's sonaDAC includes an innovative volume control bypass feature that completely removes the volume control from the signal path. This allows you to control system volume directly from the slider on the associated control application for any given input, in addition to controlling your musical selections. Simply select your music and adjust your system volume right from the palm of your hand using your mobile device or computer! And since this feature can be set individually per input, you can configure the sonaDAC to only control the volume level for the sources that don’t include their own. Problem solved!
Specifications
