Representing a significant step up from the Digital-Analogue Converter built into the KingRex T20-U amplifier and the tiny SuperPro DAC, the petite UD-01 delivers a strongly musical 'non-digital' presentation thanks to the (TI) Burr-Brown OPA2604 which acts as an output stage preamp and a design that completely omits coupling capacitors.
The primary chip is the Burr-Brown PCM2702E mated with a large internal buffer for audio packet storage, effectively re-clocking the input stream. The UD-01 delivers everything in spades: timing, soundstage, resolution – yet never sounds dry or squeaky-clean like the majority of low-end DACs. Rather, it is weighty, mellifluous and coherent. Though it's a cliché, this DAC delivers a sense of musical 'rightness' normally associated with much more expensive converters. This really is a DAC without flaws: extremely well articulated bass, smooth and natural midrange and a detailed top end – all beautifully balanced.