The Essence One MKII series improves on the superb Xonar Essence One series, winner of the 2012 CES Innovations Award and Japan’s prestigious VGP Awards in both 2012 and 2013. Essence engineers continuously improve sound quality, resulting in the Essence One MKII series with latest Direct-Stream Digital (DSD) support. With six state-of-the-art MUSES 01 op-amps, Essence One Mark II MUSES Edition takes audio to new levels, with profound musicality capturing every nuance.

Native DSD support

Essence One MKII series DACs stay true to the source audio, with support for 2.8MHz DSD through DSD over pulse-code modulation (PCM), known as DoP. DSD 2.8MHz format delivers 64 times (64X) the sampling rate of traditional compact disc (CD) recordings for audio playback at a resolution that is orders of magnitude higher.

Optimized for up to 600ohm-impedance and in-ear monitor(IEM) headphones with a dedicated gain jumper

The amplifier built in to the Essence One MKII DACs is engineered to drive both 600ohm-impedance headphones and 16ohm-impedance IEMs, thanks to the inclusion of a dedicated gain jumper for easy high/low gain settings. The result is an exquisite headphone amplifier that delivers remarkable listening experiences for all output preferences.

Linear power supply with toroidal transformer

The DACs are also equipped with a linear power supply with a toroidal transformer to provide clean and consistent power that keeps noise contamination to a minimum. German-made WIMA® FKP 2 and FKS 2 film capacitors reduce ripples to deliver warm, rich sounds.

Asynchronous USB audio

Standard internal clock compensation for different transfer rates between PCs and USB audio devices may still cause jitter, but Essence MKII DACs automatically adjusts buffer status to system output. It enables faster clock tuning and better jitter reduction for the best fidelity.