DS-5.2 Streamer DAC

Gold Note presents DS-5.2, the new streamer DAC from the Series 5.2: a compact, fully balanced and deeply versatile digital source designed to unite the world of traditional high-fidelity with the needs of contemporary listening.

DS-5.2 originates from the same philosophy that gave birth to DS-10 EVO, one of Gold Note’s most appreciated digital platforms of recent years. It does not represent a simplified version, but a more compact, accessible and immediate reinterpretation of the same concept: bringing hi-end performance, control and musical quality into a machine capable of integrating naturally into modern systems and environments.

At the core of the project lies a precise idea: a digital source should not simply reproduce a music file correctly, but should be capable of extracting the truth of the recording, respecting its identity, intention and original coherence. DS-5.2 was created exactly for this purpose.

Beyond the concept of a compact streamer
In today’s digital world, much of the attention is focused on DAC chips, numbers, acronyms and technical specifications. Gold Note chooses a different path. For Gold Note, digital audio is not about spectacular effects, artificial hyper-detail or sonic characterisations built to impress instantly. It is about a real understanding of the musical recording. DS-5.2 was not created to generate an artificially “more impressive” sound. It was created to eliminate everything that stands between the recording and the listener. For this reason, the DS-5.2 project was developed starting from a vast database of reference records accumulated by Gold Note over the years.

These are recordings whose original context we know deeply:

• the instruments used
• the microphones
• the recording studios
• the sound engineers
• the artistic and production choices that defined the final character of the work.

These records become absolute references for Gold Note. They are not “sampled” in the technical sense of the term, because the goal is not to modify or reinterpret the signal. The objective is to understand their patterns, structure and real sonic identity. Knowing how a record should truly sound allows the Gold Note engineers to develop digital systems capable of recognising what belongs to the original recording and what is instead introduced by the limitations of playback. This is where their approach to digital audio begins. Not to build an artificial sound, but to design architectures capable of extracting the truth of the recording.

Continuity with Gold Note’s analogue philosophy
In the analogue world, Gold Note approaches the concept of musical truth through equalisation curves. In digital audio, the principle remains identical, but the method changes. If PH-5.2, PH-10 and PH-1000 allow the original identity of the recording to be respected through the correct approach to analogue equalisation, DS-5.2 applies the same philosophy in the digital domain through knowledge, reference and absolute control of playback. The result is not a more “constructed” sound. It is a more correct, more coherent sound and closer to the original intention of the work. For Gold Note, musical truth does not originate from imposed effects or the application of filters. It comes from a profound understanding of the recording and all its nuances. A modern, complete and versatile platform.

DS-5.2 has been designed to become the centre of a contemporary audio system. It integrates a complete streaming platform compatible with:

• Roon Ready
• TIDAL Connect
• Qobuz Connect
• Spotify Connect and Spotify Lossless HD

and shares the same network architecture developed for DS-10 EVO, guaranteeing reliability, stability and streaming quality.

The unit also integrates:

• Bluetooth In/Out
• Dedicated digital output allowing DS-5.2 to be used as a pure streamer
• HDMI eARC for direct TV integration
• Colour touchscreen display with cover art visualisation, intuitive and immediate
• Integrated line preamplifier function

Thanks to these features, DS-5.2 goes beyond the traditional concept of a hi-end streamer separated from modern habits. It can communicate with traditional stereo systems, televisions, wireless headphones, desktop systems, gaming environments and compact contemporary setups, always maintaining a coherent audiophile approach. DS-5.2 does not separate the hi-end world from everyday life, but intelligently unites them.

Fully balanced architecture
Despite its compact format, DS-5.2 maintains a fully balanced design developed according to Gold Note principles of control, naturalness and sonic coherence. Every circuit choice has been developed to minimise noise, instability and interference while preserving dynamic naturalness, spatial depth and musical credibility. As always at Gold Note, the project was not created to emphasise detail or impress the listener, but to build a reproduction that remains stable, intelligible and credible over time.

The digital heart of Series 5.2
DS-5.2 perfectly represents the philosophy of the new Series 5.2: making the Gold Note experience more accessible without depriving it of its design identity. Compact, elegant and versatile, DS-5.2 has been developed to offer a true entry point into the Gold Note hi-end world, while maintaining a build quality, sonic maturity and functional completeness normally belonging to higher categories. It is not a “simplified” product, but an intelligent democratisation of an evolved hi-end approach.

Scalability and the Gold Note ecosystem
DS-5.2 was also created as an integral part of a modular and scalable ecosystem. Compatibility with the dedicated PSX-5.2 external power supply allows the system to evolve progressively over time, increasing control, stability, naturalness and dynamic capability without forcing the user to completely replace the product. This approach reflects one of the central ideas of the Gold Note philosophy: not to create isolated products that are quickly surpassed, but coherent architectures capable of growing together with the user. With a progressive and contained investment, the system can gradually approach the performance of higher Gold Note architectures, following a path of real, perceptible and sustainable evolution over time. A philosophy that would later find its highest expression in the TRIO concept of the Series 1000.

Designed and built in Italy
Like all Gold Note products, DS-5.2 is designed, assembled and tested internally in Italy. For Gold Note, Made in Italy is not simply a geographical origin, but a design method that combines manufacturing culture, musical research, production control and engineering precision within a coherent vision. Form, materials, interface and construction are not separate from sound quality. They are part of it.

A new idea of digital audio
DS-5.2 demonstrates that a modern digital source can be compact, accessible, elegant and incredibly versatile without renouncing the design depth of true high fidelity. It was not created to impress with artificial effects. It was not created to reinterpret music. It was created to allow the recording to emerge in its most authentic form. Because musical truth does not depend on the quantity of technology used, but on how it is used, designed and placed at the service of music.

• MAIN FEATURES
  • DAC:  AKM AK4493
  • FREQUENCY RESPONSE:  20Hz-20kHz +/-0.1dB
  • THD (Total Harmonic Distortion):  0.001% max
  • SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO:  125dB
  • DYNAMIC RANGE:  120DB
  • OUTPUT IMPEDENCE:  100Ω
  • PREAMP STAGE VOLUME CONTROL:  enabled/disabled
  • NETWORK CONNECTIVITY: 
    • LAN/WLAN (WiFi) 10/433Mbps 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Dual Band
    • Bluetooth 5.2, aptX HD 24bit
• HIGH RESOLUTION STREAMING
  • Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, MQA, Spotify Connect, Airplay 2, Roon Ready, Spotify Lossless, Deezer, vTuner
• SUPPORTED AUDIO FORMATS (NETWORK)
  • Up to PCM 32bit/384kHz AIFF (.aif, .aiff, .aifc) ALAC WAV (.wav) packed/unpacked FLAC MP3 DSD256: DSF, DFF Apple Lossless OGG Monkey’s
  • IMPORTANT: UPnP server must support DSD streaming in order to stream DSD files.
    
• SUPPORTED MEDIA SERVERS
  • All UPnP
  • DLNA
  • Roon
• INPUTS AND OUTPUTS
  • DIGITAL INPUTS: 
    • 1 x RCA coaxial PCM up to 24bit/192kHz
    • 1 x TOS-optical PCM up to 24bit/192kHz
    • 1 x HDMI eARC 24bit/192kHz (Support HDMI CEC)
    • 1 x USB-A port DSD256 and PCM up to 32bit/ 384kHz, formatted in FAT32/NTFS (32Gb max for pen drives)
    • 1 x USB-C asynchronous PCM up to 16bit/48kHz
    • 1 x Network (LAN/WLAN) DSD256 and PCM up to 32bit/384kHz
    • 1 x Bluetooth 5.2 aptX- HD 24bit
  • DIGITAL OUTPUTS:
    • 1 x RCA coaxial PCM up to 24bit/192kHz
    • 1 x Bluetooth 5.2, aptX- HD 24bit
  • ANALOGUE INPUT:
    • 1 x Stereo RCA (input impedance 10kΩ)
• AUDIO OUTPUTS
  • DAC: 
    • 1 x stereo RCA unbalanced 2Vrms
    • 1 x stereo XLR balanced 2Vrms
  • PREAMP:
    • 1 x stereo RCA unbalanced
    • 1 x stereo XLR balanced
    • 1 x headphone (6,3mm jack)
• POWER
  • POWER SUPPLY:  100-240V / 50/60Hz
  • POWER CONSUMPTION:  35W
  • FUSE:  2A T
• DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 
  • DIMENSIONS: 200W mm (7.87 in)| 80H mm (3.15 in) | 260D mm (10.24 in)
  • WEIGHT:  Kg. 4 – net (8.71 lbs), Kg. 5 – boxed (11 lbs)
  • FINISH:  Black anodised aluminium
• APP: GN CONTROL APP
• REMOTE CONTROL:  Multifunctional IR remote control

Dedicated to the Series 5.2

PSX-5.2 is an evolution of the PSU-5: it retains Gold Note’s DNA in terms of silence, control and musicality, introducing targeted improvements to the mechanical structure, power supply and, above all, versatility of use, to further enhance performance and user experience.

Designed specifically as an external power supply dedicated to the 5.2 series, it is the perfect upgrade to improve the performance of your system and enjoy flawless listening sessions. A distinctive feature of this model is the new black anodised aluminium chassis: a technical solution that reduces interaction with magnetic fields, resulting in superior background silence and greater richness of micro details.

This structural purity is reinforced by a more stable, higher-current power supply engineered to deliver absolute control and extremely low noise under every operating condition. The result is a darker background, greater dynamic authority and a more solid, stable soundstage.

Thanks to its dual-output architecture, PSX-5.2 allows both a phono stage (PH-5 or PH-5.2) and a line-level source (CD-5, CD-5.2, HP-5.2 or DS-5.2) to remain permanently connected, elevating the entire front-end to a new level of performance.

When activated, the full energy reserve is entirely dedicated to the selected component, ensuring uncompromised power delivery, maximum stability and that effortless sense of control that transforms the listening experience into a true quantum leap.