AURALiC Altair G2.1 Digital Preamp / Streamer / DAC

This Roon Ready streaming DAC has a line in, an MM phonostage, analog volume control, and many music-service options

The G2.1 upgrades the beloved Altair and puts it in Unity Chassis II with its aluminum and copper double enclosure, weighted base, and enhanced suspension feet. The Altair G2.1 comes with an analog volume control based on a resistor ladder, similar to the Vega G2.1.

Class A Orfeo output modules allow for an ultra-low-noise and low-distortion analog signal. The Altair G2.1 also houses two separate all-analog inputs, completely bypassing the digital circuits and maintaining a pure analog signal from input to out.

The first is a line-level analog input, including home theater bypass functionality, and the second is an in-house engineered moving-magnet phono stage for direct connection of a turntable.

The Altair G2.1 uses the most powerful of the Tesla platforms, Auralic’s processor, and has more than enough ability to handle the challenging number of features without running too hard. Dual femtosecond clocks deliver precisely-timed signals, greatly reducing associated jitter. The Altair G2.1 can by Lightning DS (on Apple iOS devices), is also compatible with other OpenHome-based control software. It is Roon Ready, and offers a growing number of streaming services such as Qobuz, Tidal, and Spotify Connect.