Auralic VEGA S1 Streaming DAC with external PSU

This is the new Auralic VEGA S1; think of it as a bit of a stripped-back version of the flagship Auralic VEGA G2.2, with similar sonic characteristics. It is a slimmer unit with a 1.5mm thick chassis, meaning it has less weight. These size and weight gains contribute to lower shipping costs with more units on a pallet from the Far East, where shipping costs have rocketed in the last few years. This is smart design and thinking from the ever-thoughtful Auralic. There is an ARIES S1 version, too, that is a streaming transport only.

Design

… the VEGA S1 does retain is all the important stuff from the G2.2 flagship products…

The Auralic VEGA S1 is a streaming DAC with an optional external Purer-Power linear power supply unit. It does not have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or headphone output and does not have the fancy Auralic multi-spring suspension system feet from the G2.2 products (and others).

The VEGA S1 retains all the important stuff from the G2.2 flagship products, like the galvanic isolation that lies between the Tesla processing platform and its highly sensitive DAC circuitry. The S1 has the Tesla G3 with Direct Data Recording (DDR) technology, which stores the received music signals in the massive 2GB RAM before passing this data via the 60fs Femto Clock to AURALiC’s proprietary Fusion DAC technology.

PureDAC mode is a new feature from Auralic in the latest firmware update that disables the streaming platform. If desired, this makes the VEGA S1 just a DAC.

The analogue ladder resistor volume control and the analogue preamplifier features are also derived from the VEGA G2.2.

With the USB input, the S1 supports PCM up to 384KHz in 32-Bit, and DSD up to DSD512 (22.57892MHz).

The S1 is Roon Ready and supports Tidal & Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2, and UPnP/DLNA Media Server. Audio inputs to the S1 are Coaxial, Toslink (2 of) and USB B. The HDD USB A at the rear supports CD Playback and you can insert a USB storage drive if you have one.

It is possible with the S1 to rip a CD to a drive using the Lightning DS App.

The DAC has various digital tone controls, including Clear and Mellow (which adds harmonic warmth), in addition to the familiar four digital filters: Smooth, Dynamic, Precise, and Balance modes, which were used in previous Auralic products.

VEGA S1 offers XLR and RCA analogue outputs. Either of these could be a route to a headphone amplifier alternatively.

Quality

The S1 unit is finished in matte black, an anodized aluminium case, which is familiar in other Auralic products. The design is clean, with the menu buttons, play and volume on the top surface. The front screen is the familiar 12cm (diag) display with a full glass screen across the front.

The VEGA S1 weighs 4 kg and measures (WxDxH) 20.7cm x 29cm x 8.5cm (8.1 x 11.4 x 3.3 in.).

The VEGA S1 is £1,999, with an optional PSU it rises to £2,998.

List of Dealers here.

The full specification is here.

Performance

Review Equipment

I have the Auralic VEGA S1 Streaming DAC with external PSU on the new HF&MS solidsteel rack in preamplifier mode (rather than fixed into another preamplifier) connected directly XLR to my Moor Amps Angel 6 driving the Kudos Titan 505s with Atlas Mavros cables.

Physically

The unit is so lovely to play with; the beautiful analogue ladder resistor volume control is a delight as it clicks through in preamplifier mode. I have also programmed an Apple remote control from my Apple TV unit, and it is terrific and so easy to do.

Typically, having just bought the new solidsteel rack, this new-sized Auralic VEGA S1 Streaming DAC now fits perfectly in an IKEA Kallax shelving system!

Back to Sonic Basics

Sonically, this is magic… the VEGA S1 is effortless with the Angel 6 power amplifier.

Sonically, this is magic, at a fraction of the price of the ARIES G2.2 or the VEGA G2.1, the VEGA S1 is effortless with the Angel 6 power amplifier. Of course, there are compromises but if you are after pure sonic performance at this price, it is hard to think where else to look.

The fundamentals are here, a clean precise no-fuss front end with a streaming platform that is crisp and accurate and woven into the DDR technology and the proprietary Fusion DAC.

Listening sessions have been lengthy and diverse with the S1, Qobuz autoplay in the DS App opens up so much new music. The HF&MS Country playlist on Tidal has had a good workout in the last few weeks, as has the HF&MS Slave to the Rhythm playlist on Qobuz. In all instances the playback is faultless, the depth in Lady Blackbird’s vocal in Slave to the Rhythm (Qobuz FLAC 24-bit, 192kHz) and the crack of the snare is something to engage and excite. Nirvana’s rendition of Lake of Fire (Qobuz 16-bit, 44.1kHz) from the MTV Unplugged album is as good as it gets here.

CD Playback

One of the highlights of the S1 in this review is the CD playback. I bought one of these cheap generic CD readers/writers from Amazon for £40, and it is fantastic—annoyingly, at least as good as my Audiolab CD 7000 transport, which I now swear by. I have the CD reader plugged into the HDD USB slot at the rear; this powers the unit. The S1 looks up the artwork for you, puts it on the screen, and plays it faultlessly.

Don’t forget AirPlay with this unit and the obligatory run-through of the spellbinding The Numbers by Thom Yorke, and Jonny Greenwood and a CR78, poetry.

Addition of the PSU

The PSU addition is a step up…it is impressive, thoughtful and very Auralic.

The PSU addition is a step up. If you can budget for it, you’re going to want it. I’d not say it is a night-and-day moment like introducing the Naim XPS external power supply to my own Naim NAC-N 272. Still, it is worth a good 10-15% to the sonic performance; tracks like Band on the Run (Qobuz 24-bit, 96kHz) from the Paul McCartney The 7” Singles Collection are lighter, have more presence and are lifted in the soundstage, it is impressive, thoughtful and very Auralic.

Filters and Tone control

The tone controls, called Clear and Mellow, are nice tweaks to the DAC filters, but if I’m being honest with myself, I’m not getting much from them in my system. On the filters, I still prefer ‘Smooth’, though the difference has been subjective in many of the VEGA reviews I have been lucky enough to undertake.

Headphones

I have the S1 XLR out to the Angel 6; however, I’ve had a lovely couple of hours with the RCA output to a Schiit VALI headphone amplifier (£180) and the peerless Meze Audio 109 Pros.

Thoughts

Sonically, this is high-end streaming; you could buy one of these and an amplifier and you’re done for a long-term HiRes solution in your life. If you’re a headphone junkie, you could very happily go to a desktop solution like a Hugo 2 or the Schiit solution I have and be good. CD junkie? No Problem. Buy a cheaper model like the one above, and you’ll be fine; it is seamlessly good, and the quality is perfect.

The DDR buffer appears to be the unique performance point, feeding the audio data noiselessly and jitter-free to the Tesla system before it hits the Fusion DAC. All this audio technology is coming from the flagship Auralic products without compromise at a price point that is hard to match. Of course, the higher-value products have greater flexibility and functionality, but if you’re after a high-quality streaming transport, this is the one to look at.

It strikes me that there is an upgrade path here, too. Starting with the VEGA S1, you can add the PSU. As budgets allow, an upgrade to the ARIES S1 would be the next iteration, combining it with the VEGA S1 in PureDAC mode. You could then explore an external PSU for the ARIES. If only there were a matching S1 power amplifier!

Overall

… it is the clean, crisp resolving sonic signature that sets this VEGA S1 apart at this price level…

There’s a huge amount to like here. The Lightning DS is an ace in the pack with one of the best front ends out there. The unit itself looks beautiful and understated but effortless in combination with the power amplifier. However, the clean, crisp, resolving sonic signature sets this VEGA S1 apart at this price level simply because it uses technology from a price level nearly 3-4 times more than this one. And there is a clear upgrade path here that caters for simple needs (like CD players and headphones) or more complex ones like power supplies and streaming transports. At this price, this is an outstanding product.

Specification

Full details are on the company’s site.