B.audio One Series Now Available

The French firm impressed us at High-End Munich 2019, where the Bermann brothers and dad team launched the b.amp. The company is certainly making a name for itself with its Olivier Hess-designed components manufactured in Mutzig, near Strasbourg.

Now, B.audio has unveiled the “more affordable” One series which features a digital to analogue converter, pre-amplifier and amplifier.

The B.audio One range is said to still feature the brand's focus and developments around eliminating sources of distortion; however, there are some cost-saving measures regarding the aesthetics and areas such as the power supply stages.

B.dac one

The B.dac one features B.audio's patented SJR (Source Jitter Removal) tech which it boasts is notable an account of its absolute accuracy even from sources with significant jitter levels, regardless of whether via its USB, AES-EBU, pair of SPDIF or brace of TOSLINK inputs.

The apparently screwless enclosure has a CNC machined aluminium front panel that sports an OLED display. Meanwhile, under the hood, the B.dac uses a linear phase digital filtering system optimised to prevent pre-echo phenomenon, and so promises an optimal transient response.  B.audio adds that this oversampling process is embedded in a DSP that employs in-house developed algorithms. Additionally, as with the brand's reference DAC, the B.dac one features a 100% balanced analogue output stage with low-phase deviation filters. Also trickled down from the company's reference models, the B.dac one has a dual power supply - one feeding the digital domain and the other, the analogue.

The B.dac one handles up to 384kHz/32 bits and DSD256 / DSD128 over PCM through the asynchronous USB (type B) port.

B.dpr one

Taking the B.dac one's digital-to-analogue conversion section and adding a purely analogue symmetrical volume control and pre-amplification stage (ASP), B.audio has created the B.dpr one.

The pre-amp stage uses discrete resistor networks switched by relays, we're told, to preserve the integrity of the signal. B.audio states that digital losses are non-existent and that the conversion circuits operate at their optimum working point. Furthermore, fit the B.dpr one with an analogue input board that features a pair of RCA inputs and one balanced XLR, it becomes a true pre-amp. Thanks to the analogue volume control stage (variable output level quoted at -80 to +0 dB, 64 steps), the signals coming from these inputs are entirely processed in the analogue domain.

Again, you get a CNC machined aluminium front panel with the B.dpr equipped with a rotary knob mounted on high-quality ball bearings, and the unit comes bundled with a custom-made aluminium remote control.

B.amp one

Here we have a 16.5kg class AB power amp with a distortion rate below the measurement threshold (<0.0005%). B.audio says this is due to the innovative IOD (Intelligent Output Drive) tech as used on the Reference series amps. The B.amp one has an oversized current reserve which benefits bass handling, enabling it to adapt to any loudspeaker, even the most demanding, according to the maker.

Utilising a class-A push-pull driver stage fitted with 6 transistors specifically designed to ensure absolute immunity to loudspeaker-generated return currents results in excellent accuracy in sound reproduction, says B.audio. Additionally, the use of local feedback at the most critical stages allows perfectly linear operation. Finally, the oversized output stage uses 3 pairs of complementary bipolar transistors per channel.

Price and availability

Products from the One series will be available for delivery from February 15, 2020.

• B.dac one - €7,290
• B.dpr one - €9,490
• B.amp one - €10,490

For more information, check out B.audio.