Audio Note (UK) IZVOR DAC
Audio Note (UK) releases IZVOR, the first-ever Discrete Ladder DAC module built with Premium Analogue Components...
2026
is shaping up to be a landmark year for Audio Note (UK) Ltd. The vanguard of
high-fidelity vacuum tube and analogue-centric design has released a new
version of their classic integrated amplifier, the OTO, and has quietly been
developing a new Digital Audio Converter (DAC). The IZVOR (pronounced is-vor),
a Slavic word meaning "source, spring, or well", is a fundamental
ground-up reimagining of the digital audio conversion process itself: a
discrete ladder DAC module using premium-grade resistors to construct the
array.
Audio
Note made its first iconoclastic statement in digital audio back in 1992, with
the introduction of the original DAC3. This model’s patented transformer/filter
interface circuit proved that there was far more information to be retrieved
and heard on CDs than was previously thought possible. In 1996, they introduced
the DAC 5, the first-ever non-oversampling (NOS) DAC, which proved to be
another defining step change in digital audio conversion.
By
removing oversampling and digital filtering, Audio Note discovered that the
fatiguing digital harshness and flatness, such a common criticism of digital
audio, had all but disappeared. Their 1x oversampling ‘Direct from Disc’
approach reshaped what many people thought they understood about digital audio,
and it wasn’t long before other manufacturers' DACs followed suit.
Since
then, all Audio Note DACs have been based on R2R chips, without oversampling,
filtering, or jitter correction. But Audio Note was convinced that more could
be achieved with digital, so for the past twelve years, they have been
developing the technology to improve their DACs.
The
IZVOR DAC module takes the company’s purist methodology to its logical next
step by removing the DAC chip completely and replacing it with a discrete
ladder DAC architecture. While Audio Note is by no means the first company to
explore such an approach, as has been shown previously, when Audio Note (UK)
turns its hand to pre-existing technology, a paradigm shift often follows.
“Affording
our design team near-limitless R&D resources allowed us to interrogate
every facet of ladder DAC topology,” says Peter Qvortrup, founder of Audio Note
(UK). “After twelve years of refinement, every stage of the IZVOR has been
validated through rigorous empirical testing and, crucially, critical
listening.”
The
engineering breakthrough of the IZVOR lies in its uncompromising component
selection. “We looked at every ladder DAC on the market,” says Qvortrup. “In
each case, it was clear that the quality of components used in the array was
restricting performance. Our thinking was simple: if we want a ladder DAC to
sound analogue, don’t build it like a computer. Instead, use the same calibre
of resistors as in our phono stages.”
IZVOR
designer Darko Greguras expanded further: “In much the same way musical
instruments are designed, the key to the IZVOR's musical quality, and all audio
design, lies in the harmony and complementary properties of the components. By
designing an architecture that allowed for larger resistors, I was able to
fine-tune the voicing from a greater range of Audio Note parts. We even
designed an entirely new resistor specifically for this project.”
“During
development, we auditioned virtually every type of resistor currently in
production,” explains Darko. “Ultimately, we determined that standard 5-watt
resistors introduced subtle but perceptible temporal blurring. By designing our
own bespoke 1-watt resistors manufactured to tolerances of less than 1%, and
pairing them with a proprietary DAC code authored by Andrejs Dmuhovskis and me,
we have achieved something spectacular.”
Early
feedback from the first private demonstrations and international audio shows
suggests the IZVOR has already started to challenge the perceived weaknesses of
digital audio. Critics have noted a "palpable sense of realism" and a
"startling lack of digital artifice." Reviewers highlight the IZVOR’s
ability to render complex textures with an almost analogue-like presentation.
Audio
Note is introducing the IZVOR technology into its existing flagship range with
the Fifth Element, DAC5, and DAC4.1 Balanced. An upgrade scheme is available
for existing owners of these models. Pricing is available upon request from
your Audio Note dealer. Find your local dealer at audionote.co.uk/dealers.
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