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SALE: $1,000 Off Nano Crystal Core Choke Upgrade

NOW TAKING ORDERS

Estimated Ship Date late-September or early-October

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Mystique Z User Manual

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Mystique Z and X Comparison

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What is the Mystique Z?

Built around Burr-Brown's legendary PCM58P DAC chips.

Of all the vintage R-2R DAC chips we've auditioned the PCM58P portrays the most natural timbres and most nuanced emotional expression.

Along with the PCM58P DAC chips, the Mystique Z incorporates several other component part and circuit upgrades. The result is all the organic character Mojo Audio is famous for combined with effortless dynamics and an added sense of flesh, breath, depth, and dimension.

Raising the Bar on R-2R!

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What's New?

• Vintage Burr-Brown PCM58P R-2R ladder DAC chips.
• Active buffered S/PDIF coaxial and TOSLINK optical digital inputs.
• Three-stage steep-slope anti-aliasing low-pass digital output filter circuitry.
• Luscious sounding paper-in-oil bypass capacitors in analog power supplies.
• Four-bit trim adjustments to optimize linearity and minimize distortion.
• Compact design engineered to minimize signal and power paths.
• More advanced anti-resonant and grounding typologies.

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Time, Tune, Tone, and Timbre.

The Mystique Z incorporates the same award-winning no-compromise ultra-purist non-oversampling direct-coupled R-2R typologies as all of our previous DACs.

With no pre-digital filtering, digital noise shaping, upsampling, oversampling, or error-correcting algorithms, our digital signal path is the purest possible.

The result is the most natural time and tune you can get from a digital source. Effortless micro-dynamics and incredible micro-details preserve the tone, timbre, texture, and spatial cues that bring you closer to the original musical performance.

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Error Prevention vs. Error Correction.

Three independent power supplies isolate digital and analog circuitry to eliminate bit-read errors. The digital power supply incorporates a bank of organic polymer capacitors bypassed with a vintage mil-spec polypropylene capacitor. The analog power supplies incorporate a 22,000uf Mundorf M-lytic AG capacitor bypassed with a vintage mil-spec paper-in-oil capacitor.

Our main power supply banks feed nine Belleson SPX ultralow-noise ultrahigh-dynamic regulators to isolate each type of IC chip, discrete module, and clock. And the analog power supplies are LC choke input and offer three performance levels of Lundahl balanced C-core chokes: ferrous core, amorphous core, and nano crystal core.

Our analog output stage is direct-coupled to provide the most coherent sound possible by eliminating output coupling capacitors or transformers that can color the sound, narrow the bandwidth, and cause phase and time distortion. For ultimate transparency the direct-coupled output stage incorporates ultralow-noise ultrahigh-transparency Vishay TX2575 "Nude" resistors laser matched to 0.1% tolerance and Staccato class A discrete op amp modules.

Our hardware-based demultiplexing circuit has notably lower noise than any processor or FPGA demultiplexer. It assures 100% phase and time coherency between channels by using a bank of six low-noise logic gates to perfectly align the bits of the left and right channel digital words to the same clock cycle.

For isolation from grounding noise an advanced hybrid star grounding schema is used to isolate input, digital, and analog grounds. And a DC ground lift switch isolates signal ground from Earth, chassis, and AC grounds.

Our unique approach provides a transparent window into your favorite recordings.

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Three Choke Options.

Our entry-level DACs come with Lundahl ferrous core chokes in the analog power supplies. We offer two choke upgrade options: amorphous and nano crystal core.

With each choke upgrade you get more micro-details and micro-dynamics, a more ethereal top end, a more luscious midrange, more textured and tuneful bass, better musical flow, and more engaging emotional expression.

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Minimized Distortion and Optimized Linearity.

The PCM58P is one of the most sophisticated R-2R DAC chips ever designed.

It has the option to optimize linearity and minimize harmonic distortion with four fine-tune bit adjustments: MSB, 2nd bit, 3rd bit, and 4th bit.

By comparison the PCM58P is almost 4X the size of the AD1862N-J DAC chips used in our Mystique v3, EVO, and X (see photo).

And the AD1862N-J has only one fine-tune linearity adjustment for MSB.

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Three 24-bit 192KHz PCM digital Inputs.

The Mystique Z converts PCM format files up to 24-bit 192KHz via asynchronous USB, S/PDIF coaxial, or TOSLINK optical.

To isolate the analog circuitry from digital noise, the third of our independent power supplies powers the digital input board. Five Belleson SPX ultralow-noise ultrahigh-dynamic regulators isolate each IC, module, and clock. One regulator is used for the USB input stage, one for the USB output stage, and three for the coaxial and optical inputs.

The isolated USB input and output power supplies eliminate the need for USB buss power. Combined with the ultralow-noise femto clocking and galvanic isolation there is no need for external USB reclocking or regeneration devices.

Another unique feature in our Mystique Z is a USB lift switch to 100% eliminate clocking noise from inside the chassis. This lowers noise floor even further to optimize the performance of the coaxial and optical inputs.

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Active Buffered Digital Inputs.

The Mystique Z has an active input receiver and two-stage input buffer on the coaxial and optical inputs. In addition, a Zobel network has been added to the coaxial input. Technically the result is a more defined square wave, more accurate clocking, less high-frequency noise, less jitter, and fewer bit-read errors. Musically what you'll hear is more liquidity, better articulation, and a wider range of emotions.

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Improved Power Supplies.

In addition to the active loading and over-current protection we added to all 9 Belleson SPX regulators, we've upgraded the capacitors in three main power supplies. The main capacitors in the digital power supplies have been upgraded with a bank of organic polymer capacitors bypassed with a vintage mil-spec polypropylene capacitor. This organic polymer capacitor bank not only has notably lower ESR and impedance, the capacitors we used were engineered for extreme durability and anti-resonance. And just to take overkill to a whole new level, we bypassed the 22,000uf Mundorf M-Lytic capacitors in our analog power supplies with a rare vintage mil-spec paper-in-oil capacitor to reduce ESR and impedance even further. The result is organic, nuanced, effortless, and luscious.

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Steeper Slope Anti-Aliasing Filters.

The 2-stage anti-aliasing low-pass digital filters we've been using at the output of our DACs since 2012 have been upgraded to a higher performance 3-stage filter. This new filter has a significantly steeper slope eliminating distortion in the audible spectrum. Of course we still use the same uncompromising Rel-Cap RT tin foil and polystyrene film capacitors.

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Shorter Signal and Power Paths.

We've engineered our Mystique Z to fit into a chassis that's 1" lower than our Mystique X. Aside from a more pleasing aesthetic design this allowed us to shorten the signal path and bring power supply filter components closer to their consumers. How much closer? We've shortened the I2S wires between the digital and analog circuit boards from 3.75" to 1.75" long. No small difference.

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Uncompromising design.

• Built around Burr-Brown's legendary PCM58P R-2R ladder DAC chips.
• Converts PCM files up to 24/192 via USB, coaxial, or optical.
• Asynchronous galvanically isolated USB w/ ultralow-noise femto clocking.
• Lundahl amorphous core input transformer on the coaxial digital Input.
• High-frequency Zobel network filter on the coaxial digital input.
• Active two-stage buffering on both coaxial and optical digital inputs.
• USB lift switch eliminates clocking noise to optimize coaxial and optical inputs.
• Direct-coupled output built around Staccato class A discrete op amp modules.
• Vishay TX2575 "Nude" resistors matched to 0.1% in the analog signal path.
• No output transformers or coupling caps to narrow bandwidth or distort phase.
• Three-stage steep-slope anti-aliasing low-pass digital output filters.
• Rel-Cap RT tin foil and polystyrene film capacitors in the anti-aliasing filters.
• Low-noise hardware-based demultiplexing ensures perfect phase and time.
• MSB, 2nd bit, 3rd bit, and 4th bit optimization fine-tune adjustments.
• 9 Belleson SPX ultralow-noise ultrahigh-dynamic discrete regulators.
• Ultra-fast ultralow-noise zero-recovery SiC Schottky rectification diodes.
• Bank of low ESR organic polymer capacitors in the digital power supply.
• 22,000uf Mundorf M-Lytic AG capacitors in the analog power supplies.
• Main digital power supply bypassed w/ vintage polypropylene capacitor.
• Main analog power supplies bypassed w/ vintage paper-in-oil capacitors.
• Organic Polymer capacitors and WIMA film capacitors at each regulator.
• WIMA film caps at each analog and C0G MLCC caps at each digital consumer.
• LC choke input analog power supplies with custom Lundahl C-core chokes.
• Optional Upgrades: Lundahl amorphous core or nano crystal core chokes.
• OCC UniCrystal Quad-Helix wire between main PSU and digital input board.
• Furutech FT-909 low-mass RCA jacks directly soldered to PC board.
• Neutrik gold-plated XLR connectors directly soldered to PC board.
• Schurter AC input connector and medical-grade AC input filter module.
• Ground lift switch isolates signal ground from Earth, chassis, and AC grounds.
• Pressure sensitive domed Sorbothane anti-resonance footers.
• Optional Upgrade: ISO Acoustics OREA anti-resonance footers.
• Resonance dampened high-rigidity extruded aluminum chassis.
• Field convertible from 110VAC to 250VAC both 50Hz and 60Hz.
• 9"W x 3"H x 16"D and 19 pounds.