Hard-drive based media players aren’t anything new, but hifi equipment actually built from old drives are somewhat rarer. At Hifiduino they’re using an Arduino microprocessor to construct a DIY preamp, and they’ve salvaged a deceased hard-drive to form the base and the top.
Japanese firm StyleAudio have announced their latest headphone amplifier and DAC, the StyleAudio Carat-Topaz. Bizarre name aside, the packs not only USB but optical inputs, together with a high-end Burr-Brown 127dB DAC, all in an anti-vibration chassis with copper spikes.
iBasso have announced another compact amplifier and DAC, the Cobra D10. Capable of operating simultaneously as both an amp and a DAC, or alternatively in just one mode or the other, the D10 boasts 20hrs runtime from its rechargeable 470mAh Li-ion battery (30hrs if the DAC is turned off) and has optical, coax and USB inputs, among others.
More photos and detailed specs of the iBasso Cobra D10 after the cut
SlashGear Japan
