AUDIO RESEARCH I/50 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER DAC MODULE
I concluded my September 2023 review1 of this tubed integrated amplifier by writing that the Audio Research I/50 “is the perfect amplifier for use in a relatively small room with a high-quality source and speakers, especially if the latter have a fairly high impedance. The I/50 has a touch of that ‘tube magic’ but without going whole hog, as so many of the current crop of tubed amplifiers do.” The review sample just had balanced and single-ended line inputs and costs $5500, but toward the end of the review period I was sent the optional DC1 DAC module, which adds $1000.2 As well as coaxial and optical S/PDIF inputs, this module has a USB port and a Bluetooth antenna to allow streaming from computers and smartphones. The module appears to use Asahi Kasei Microdevices’ 32-bit, two-channel AKM 4490 DAC chip.
Audio Research’s Dave Gordon emailed me a 22-page pdf that offered comprehensive instructions on how to install the DC 1 DAC module. When I started reading the pdf, I was alarmed to read “Installation of the DAC Module should only be attempted by electronic technicians or other qualified service personnel. Audio Research strongly recommends owners DO NOT attempt to install the DAC Module.” However, as I
