MTRX Monoblock Reference Amplifiers

$130,000 pair ($75,000 each)

 

EMM Labs celebrates the eagerly anticipated return of designer Ed Meitner to the world of power amplifiers with the debut of his MTRX reference monoblocks. It has been twenty years since the last Meitner audiophile amp and the MTRX is well worth the wait. More than a decade in the making these 1500W Class A/B solid-state powerhouses are able to drive the most fiendish and complex speaker loads effortlessly, while sounding as sweet, musical and detailed as a classic single-ended triode tube amps.  “It is truly a gentle giant,” said Ed Meitner.

The MTRX monoblocks achieve their superlative performance and transparency using 21^st century technology with proprietary Meitner circuit topologies and zero overall negative feedback. These systems are fully discrete, offering ultra low distortion, very high bandwidth with the ability to deliver huge and instantaneous output currents. The MTRX monoblocks are designed with short and fully balanced audio paths, impeccable speaker protection and self-protection.

Conservatively rated at 750W into 8 Ohms, 1500W into 4 Ohms and they are capable to drive loads well below 2 Ohms impedance effortlessly.

Available in very limited yearly pre-ordered production. Ultrafine CNC finish in silver and black with customers choice of 24K Gold (hard coated plating), Silver (deep nickel plating) and Titanium (dark grey brushed aluminum) center inserts and buttons.

Around 220 pounds (100Kg) each.

Preliminary and very CONSERVATIVE specifications follow:

 

 

XDS1 V2 CD / SACD Player

$25,000

 

 

Key Features:

Power Supply:

Stereo Audio Outputs:

Digital Inputs:

• Class 2 USB (44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, DSD)
• AES/EBU PCM (44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz)
• TOSLINK PCM (44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz)
• Up to 24bit wordlength at all inputs
• DSD streaming over USB (DoP 1.0 specification)

Digital Outputs:

• EMM Optilink
• AES/EBU

Stereo Audio Outputs:

• XLR 300 ohms balanced, 5V peak
• RCA 150 ohms unbalanced, 2.5V peak

System ports:

• USB Port for software upgrades
• Wired RS-232 control
• External IR Remote

• Factory set to 100V or 115V or 230V, 50/60Hz
• Power consumption: max. 45 W
• Dimensions: W x D x H: 435 x 400 x 145mm
• Weight: 17kg

 

 

The Absolute Sound

Anthony Cordesman “natural, musically realistic sound”
October 2010
“The most musically natural SACD and CD player I have yet encountered. A true pleasure to listen to! I owe HP one for introducing me to EMM Labs. I should also say that I am making the XDS1 one of my references… and more than a bit of a breakthrough in terms of natural, musically realistic sound…”

 

The Absolute Sound

Harry Pearson “Editor’s Choice”
October 2010
“The sonic evolution of CD players at the high end has become so intense that it is small wonder that hard on the heels of his outstanding TSD1/DAC2 two-piece two-channel system, Ed Meitner has achieved his magnum opus, a statement CD player that has no traces of the things we normally associate with “CD sound,” that is, an identifiably “digital” character, or, for that matter, an identifiable characteristic coloration”

 

Superior Audio – Enjoy the Music.com

Phil Gold “musically satisfying”
August 2011
“In short, SACD performance is raised to unmatched levels in my experience, while CD comes closer than ever before to SACD. In every single area of performance, resolution, timing, transient response, decay, image size and depth, frequency response, dynamics and tone color, the XDS1 improves on all digital players I have heard before….this is the state-of-the-art, and as musically satisfying a machine as I could wish. For that reason, and for how it performs in comparison with other expensive hardware, I am forced to admit it represents good value for money too. You can’t get there for less.”

 

Dagogo

Fred Crowder “a great foundation”
August 2010
“…the XDS1 exhibited a wonderful control of all sounds, with a balanced presentation that is truthful– not warm, not edgy, not syrupy, just liquid, with very solid, well-articulated bass. The XDS1 provides the music a great foundation. It is very controlled….in the end, particularly given the level of performance vs. price, buying the XDS1 was an easy decision.”

 

TechRadar

Alvin Gold “perhaps the finest”
December 2009
“…we observe that this is one of the finest sounding SACD players we’ve ever used, perhaps the finest. And although we weren’t able to fully explore the ability of the digital input, on paper at least, it should be something very special.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAC2X Stereo D/A Converter

$15,500 (TSDX + DAC2X: $30,000)

 

Key Features:

Power Supply:

Stereo Audio Outputs:

Digital Input Formats:

• EMM OptiLink (CD/SACD from TSDX)
• DSD streaming over USB (DoP 1.0 specification)
• Up to 24bit, 192kHz on all PCM inputs
• USB Class 2 Audio
• AES/EBU XLR PCM
• 2x SPDIF Coax
• 2x SPDIF Toslink

Stereo Audio Outputs:

• XLR 300 ohms balanced: +15.4dBu,  4.6Vrms
• RCA 150 ohms unbalanced: +9.4dBu,  2.3Vrms

 

 

 

DAC2X Reference D/A Converter

Superior Audio – Enjoy the Music.com
Phil Gold “a truly satisfying DAC”
August 2011
“…I will just say that this is a truly satisfying DAC, capable of extracting the maximum out of both Redbook and high resolution sources, PCM and DSD based, and if you inhabit a world where you can afford the price of a small car (with its own built in DAC) for a single audio component, go for it. I doubt you’ll hear better than this — I haven’t.”

 

DAC2X Reference D/A Converter

The Computer Audiophile
Chris Connaker “unequivocally the best DAC I’ve heard”
July 2012
“This DAC not only earned a spot on the C.A.S.H. List but is the front runner for CA Product of the Year 2012. It’s unequivocally the best DAC I’ve heard in my system.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TSDX CD / SACD Transport

$17,000 (TSDX + DAC2X: $30,000)

 

Key Features:

 

Power Supply:

Digital Output Formats:

• EMM OptiLink for direct connection to matching DAC2X Converter
• PCM over AES/EBU XLR

 

 

TSD1/DAC2-SE Combo

The Absolute Sound
Harry Pearson “2009 Golden Ear Award”
“…a breakthrough in the reproduction of Red Book CDs. In the new TSD1/DAC2-SE combo Meitner says he has been able to remove all the “jitter” from CD playback. This allows us, or rather allowed me, to hear what jitter does to digital sound. The whole thing looks better, sounds better, and is better.”

 

TSD1/DAC2-SE Combo

Home Theatre Review
Ken Taraszka “my highest praise”
July 2009
“I have never in my life been made so agog by a single change to my system as when I added this combo to my reference rig. The first time I played it, I spent hours going through all my favorite music. Towards the end, I tried to find the worst recorded material, only to find they made these recordings sound great, too. This earns this combo my highest praise. The new EMM Labs TSD1/DAC2 combo is the best player of digital media of all time. They will redefine what you should expect from digital playback. I know they did for me; I loved them so much I bought them rather then send them back when the review was done.”

 

TSD1/DAC2-SE Combo

Superior Audio – Enjoy the Music.com
Phil Gold “solid imaging and tonal accuracy”
June-July 2009
“I have not heard its equal on high resolution digital material at any price, although you can easily spend a lot more… if you’re looking for the best available sound, put the TSD1 and DAC2 right on the top of your shortlist.”

 

TSD1/DAC2-SE Combo

HiFi+ Review
Jason Kennedy “there’s no real competition”
December 2009
“By removing digital glare the EMM Labs system is better able to expose the full scale and depth of recordings, this is apparent on all the discs… This quality of musicality is what sets the EMM Labs pair apart, it can find the groove where other players fail. I could go on, this is the most engaging and yet refined digital source I’ve had the pleasure of using. It’s inconveniently expensive but if you have the wherewithal there’s no real competition.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRE2 Preamplifier

$15,000

 

 

Key Features:

Power Supply:

Stereo Audio Outputs:

Specifications:

• S/N ratio: 110dB (A-weighted)
• THD: 1kHz <0.01%; 20kHz <0.01%
• Frequency range: 0Hz-100kHz
• Gain control range: Better than 62 dB
• Maximum output level: +/- 11V p-p (+26 dBu)
• Maximum input level: +/- 7V p-p (+22 dBu)
• Input impedance: XLR – 20K ohms, RCA – 10K ohms
• Output impedance: XLR – 150 ohms, RCA – 75 ohms
• System gain: +12dB
• Stereo analog outputs: XLR and RCA
• Dimensions W x D x H: 435 x 400 x 92mm
• Weight: 12kg

 

 

 

Hi-Fi Clube –  July 2012

“…O Emm Pre2 é o mais neutro de todos os prévios de estado sólido que já testei – e foram muitos. Incluo aqui os Mark Levinson do mesmo distribuidor. Atribuo esta notável característica ao controlo de volume e à ausência no caminho do sinal dos mal-fadados op-amps utilizados por quase toda a concorrência.”

 

Estereofonia –  July 2012

“…uma lufada de ar fresco nas propostas de topo de gama, em termos de pré-amplificadores”

 

Superior Audio – Enjoy the Music.com

Phil Gold “Truly high-end”
July 2011
“What it does is simply to lose less information along the way than the JC2 or any other preamplifier I’ve reviewed. It’s the purest and most accurate component I have had the pleasure of listening to.. For now the bar has just been raised. I’ve made my choice. Meet my new reference preamp.”