High-resolution music has been building a slow, but growing following of enthusiasts and recently the format has begun to penetrate the mainstream audio market.
Helping to drive high-resolution audio's growth are new manufacturers like the startup Nativ. This newly launched company is entering the market with a system approach that features a user-friendly touchscreen, local storage options, and the ability to integrate with today's popular whole-house wireless audio systems.
“Nativ is a great addition for anyone that loves music,” says Michael Li, CEO and co-founder, Nativ. “From audiophiles with high-performance audio and A/V systems, to the casual music fan with wireless speaker solutions, Nativ enhances your existing gear with great new features, and [it] allows you to experience music like never before.”
At the heart of the system is the company's Vita music player that includes an 11.6-inch touchscreen that provides complete access to users' content libraries. Nativ says the system features built-in support for services such as Apple Music and Spotify, and it seamlessly plays music from users' smart devices, computers and NAS drives. The Vita also incorporates wireless connectivity to stream content to wireless headphones and speakers, and it can also be configured to transmit video to A/V systems to playback music videos.
The Nativ Wave DAC/Headphone Amp converts digital audio content for the playback on the system, and it is compatible with a variety of technologies, including the high-resolution audio DSD, DXD and MQA formats.
Nativ says the system's touchscreen employs a high-resolution LCD panel, along with the latest IPS technologies. Dealers can set up the Nativ components to work with popular wireless whole-house audio components from companies like Sonos and Bose, and it notes audiophiles will appreciate the system's digital output stage, galvanic isolation and filtering technologies that eliminate digital jitter. Some of the digital system's other technologies include asynchronous USB, SPDIF and AES/EBU outputs, Burr-Brown 24-bit/192kHz DSD1792A digital-to-analog converters (DACs), and low-phase noise oscillators by Crystek.
The DAC section also incorporates a headphone amplifier that delivers up to 1.75 watts, and Nativ states the amp's high-speed buffer provides a slew rate of more than 2000 V/ms to prevent odd-order harmonic distortion issues. Moreover, Nativ system's volume control is handled in the analog domain, and Nativ says the volume control offers users clear resolution and dynamics that don't affect sound quality.
Some of the system's options include local storage up to 4TBs, and the company's Pulse linear power supply. The power supply offers dedicated supplies for analog and digital circuitry, as well as 25 separate ultra-low noise linear regulators , and a multi-rail toroidal transformer.
Other system options include wall-mount provisions for the Vita touchscreen, and finish options for the Vita that include American oak or walnut that complement its 7000-series aluminum and Japanese-made Asahi glass.
The company has started a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo that include sizable price discounts for supporters.
