Gold Note DS-1000 EVO Streaming DAC now on demonstration!

In terms of outputs it has both XLR and RCA analogue outputs and there is a 1/4 inch headphone socket on the front panel as well.

You may have noticed that there is also an additional output on the rear labelled Tube, this connection is designed to output the signal to one of Gold Note’s Tube Output Stages, either the 1006 or 1012, both of which can offer a great upgrade path for those who favour the the warmer characteristics of tubes. There is also a dedicated power supply output as well, Gold Note offer 2 different power supply upgrades with the PSU-1250 or PSU-1000.

The standard DS-1000 EVO is priced at £6000, although here is an alternative version available, which is called a DS-1000 EVO LINE – this adds a Class A preamp stage to the feature set along with 2 pairs of analogue inputs (1 pair of RCA and 1 pair of XLR) and is £7800. This version obviously isn’t relevant for those connecting to an integrated amplifier, but it offers a great solution for connecting direct to power amplifier (like a Gold Note PA-1175 or a Vitus RS-101).

The DS-1000 EVO uses a pair of dual-mono AKM AK4493 DAC chips, which supports PCM files up to 32bit / 384kHz and DSD from DSD64 up to DSD256 (and DSD512 via USB fed from a Melco or computer) so it is very well specified. Controlling the DS-1000 EVO is easy via its intuitive screen and control dial, it’s not a touchscreen, but it is really easy to operate. As with the other Gold Note products this dial keeps the front panel free from lots of buttons and clutter.

It also comes with a traditional remote control, but I must admit I have barely touched it, the Gold Note app covers all bases in terms of powering on and off, changing inputs as well as actually choosing music to listen to. Many products live or die by their control app and the Gold Note GN Control app is very good. You don’t need a degree in computer science to get it going and it covers all bases. It’s not the best app I’ve come across to be fair, but it works really well and importantly it is stable. Roon users will obviously use their app, which is excellent. Anyone who uses Tidal or Spotify can use the Connect facility so you can stream music direct from the Tidal or Spotify app.

The DS-1000 covers so many bases I can see it being used in quite different ways, I have plenty of Melco customers who have large music libraries who want a high performance DAC for example, but I’ve just as many customers who don’t have stored music libraries and simply stream from Tidal and/or Qobuz (either with or without Roon). There’s clearly no right or wrong way to use the DS-1000 but I personally see it first and foremost as a high performing standalone streaming DAC.

Sonically the DS-1000 is big and bold, very full bodied like a great bottle of Barolo, it has superb scale, weight and is superbly detailed. It’s not as forward or as lively as some popular alternatives, but it is all the more impressive for being natural and refined. It may sound cliched given Gold Note’s heritage but it’s a very Italian sound.

Streaming the superb Joel Grare (Paris – Istanbul – Shanghai) the music is so engaging and it really lets you just focus on the music. It’s a well recorded album and it paints a large holographic sound that is as deep as it is wide. It’s a wonderful album, an almost hybrid mix of classical, fused with Spanish and Oriental elements and even a bit of Jazz thrown in for good measure and the DS-1000 really pulls you into the presentation.

Switching over to Leonard Cohen’s Thanks for the Dance his deep, mournful baritone vocal is superb, hovering right between the speakers the 3d holographic imagery is outstanding and it’s an album I love getting lost in.

Connect a Melco N5 or N1 via USB and to be fair the performance steps up even further, but we’re more than doubling the asking price so something would be wrong if that didn’t happen, but used a standalone streaming DAC – think of it as a complete digital hub, connect it to your network, connect it to your integrated amplifier and you are set! It’s a deserved winner of that award from Hi-Fi + and I fully expect this the DS-1000 EVO will ruffle some feathers among the popular digital options that are currently available.

Since my demo model arrived I’ve used it with a wide variety of amplifiers, including Gold Note’s own IS-1000 Deluxe, the Alluxity Int One mk2, the T+A PA3100 and the Vitus RI-101 mk2 and the SIA-025 mk2 and it works really well with all of them, I’ll be spending more time comparing to the DS-1000 EVO to the internal DAC Streamer inside the RI-101 mk2 – but I’ll be saving that for another blog post.

On demonstration now, part exchanges are welcome, please get in touch if you have any questions.