The HiFi Man EF600 headphone amplifier and DAC is a fully featured design in a tower format. It has oversampling capability and two gain settings. Every possible output connector is provided. The DAC is A HIMALAYA PRO unit with very low noise. It also features a powerful 5 Watt amplifier that can drive any type of headphones with ease. HIMALYA PRO DAC The HIMALAYA PRO DAC, is a top-of-the-line chipset with extremely low distortion and a remarkable signal-to-noise ratio, at 118dB. Notably, the maximum THD is only 0.28%. The HIMALAYA is an award-winning DAC that is paired with a powerful 5W per channel balanced amplifier. The design is fully balanced. DAC stands for Digital to Analogue Converter and is used to convert the digital signal from a CD player or streaming service back into audio. Pre-amp Function with Balanced Input EF600 includes RCA and XLR inputs so that in addition to its DAC function, it can be used as a headphone amplifier. The EF600 is compatible to high-performance CD and SACD players, thanks to its balanced outputs. Tower case for convection cooling The tower case design benefits from convection cooling. The toroidal transformer is mounted at the base followed by the power amplifier modules. Next comes the DAC, and any heat that rises vents from the grills at the top of the unit. This provides thermal optimization for a very low-noise floor. The power supply is a linear type for low noise performance. The amplifier is a Class A, high current unit, for low distortion. Additionally, the front panel features a range of indicators that tell you the input in use, as well as whether oversampling is in use. Hi-res Bluetooth Hi-res Bluetooth is supported with aptX-HD as well as most other codecs. Wi-Fi is also built-in. Bluetooth is used to connect mobile devices such as a smartphone to the EF600. There are various codecs in use and the EF600 can play them all. Streaming services such as Spotify, internet radio and podcasts can be enjoyed, via a Smartphone or tablet. Great connectivity Every type of balanced and non-balanced connector is provided. There is also an RCA line level input and output. As such, the HiFi Man EF600 can also be used as a preamp by connecting it to a power amplifier or active speakers. There is also a coaxial digital input and two types of USB connection, allowing a direct connection to a PC or external drive. There is more on the headphone connectivity of the unit, below.