This is an ambitious new DAC design by Hegel, whose designer states that their goal was to establish a new reference grade DAC and feels it is the best piece of gear they've ever offered. Should be worthy of an audition and I'm anxious to hear listener opinions of its performance as they roll it out to dealers. It uses a new AKM DAC in dual mono balanced configuration that is similarly being used in the new Bryston BDA-3, which is claimed to process both PCM and DSD in their native formats. So the DAC wars continue with a couple of new competitors!