Peachtree Has A New DAC Called Sona – T.H.E. Show Newport 2014
The news is pretty cut and dry if you read the title here, but exciting for PeachTree fans nonetheless. New DAC, new features. Taking a well adjusted step upward, the Sona touts all the HiFi spec expectations that have come to pass since their last converter the DAC-iTx.
An ESS SABRE 9018k2M chip along with fully balanced XLR outputs catapults PeachTree into the we’re-not-messing-around-DAC category. The internal silicon will be DSD-friendly and handle up to 32/384 files. All this hootenanny and the Sona still manages to give a faithful nod to the company’s original and recognizable design roots.
A hot mess of inputs fills the back panel including 2 digital optical, two digital coaxial and of course USB. Outputs include your standard single ended RCAs and a pair 3-pin balanced XLRs. The front retains the same button layout that graces PeachTree’s amplifier line and even includes a SE headphone output. The size and form factor is similar to Benchmark’s DAC2 series and would make and easy addition to either desktop or full-size HiFi. Street price is still up in the air but its somewhat safe to expect something around $1,500 to $1,800 range. The Sona is currently on track for a December release.
So it’s a dac, a headphone amp and a preamp? And its nice to see someone offering more than the customary two digital inputs (three if you count usb, and I don’t).
I’m a big fan of Peachtree, will be interested in seeing how this turns out.
+1. I have the Grand Integrated x-1 and love it. Simply wish it offered some room acoustic correction features but I can do that from inside A+.
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