Aries Cerat · Kassandra

Kassandra LE

Pure digital conversion achieved through extreme paralleling and uncompromising analogue design.

The pursuit of ultimate digital replay often ends where digital manipulation begins. Aries Cerat developed the Kassandra line out of a fundamental dissatisfaction with modern delta-sigma designs, which frequently strip the life and acoustic realism from recorded music. By returning to purist principles, they have created a converter that speaks with genuine analogue authority. As the flagship expression of this philosophy, the Limited Edition pushes their non-oversampling, zero-filter architecture to its absolute limit. It abandons multi-bit processing in favour of a massively paralleled resistor network, culminating in a design that is as much an analogue masterpiece as a digital one. The extreme paralleling of converter chips reduces resistor deviation down to zero, yielding a vanishingly low noise floor and extraordinary linearity. Sonically, the Kassandra Limited Edition achieves a delicate balance between thunderous transient power and micro-dynamic intimacy. Coupled with bespoke transformer current-to-voltage conversion and an E280F super tube output stage, it renders an expansive, tactile soundstage devoid of clinical edge. It marries the unyielding grip of its substantial power reserves with the delicacy of the finest acoustic recordings, delivering a profoundly emotional listening experience.

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Key Features

Massively Paralleled R2R Architecture

By utilising twenty-four classic Analogue Devices AD1865N-K chips per channel, the Kassandra Limited Edition effectively cancels resistor deviation. This extreme paralleling dramatically improves linearity, dynamic range, and channel separation.

Zero Digital Filtering

Operating entirely without oversampling or digital manipulation, the input data stream directly refreshes the resistor network. This preserves the delicate timing and phase information crucial for a realistic analogue timbre.

Transformer I/V Conversion

Instead of employing standard operational amplifiers, current-to-voltage conversion is handled by bespoke wideband transformers. This provides a purely passive, linear transition from the digital domain to the analogue stage.

E280F Super Tube Output Stage

The analogue output relies on a high-current, single-ended E280F tube circuit loaded via a step-down transformer. Regulated by Xenon gas rectifiers and decoupled by super-capacitors, it drives downstream components with absolute authority.

Chapter 01

Design & Philosophy

Aries Cerat developed the Kassandra series to counter the clinical fatigue often associated with contemporary digital-to-analogue conversion. The Limited Edition embodies their uncompromising approach by bypassing all digital filters and oversampling to allow the pure data stream to dictate the conversion directly. This purist digital engine is supported by an internal, on-the-fly bypassable Super-Clock. By isolating the conversion process from extraneous logic handling, the converter prevents induced jitter and maintains absolute temporal precision.

Chapter 02

Power & Isolation

True reference performance demands immaculate power delivery. The Kassandra Limited Edition houses a massively over-engineered supply system featuring five toroidal transformers and over three Farads of total capacitance. Every critical digital and analogue stage benefits from dedicated, multi-stage regulation. To entirely decouple the sensitive analogue stages from mains pollution, Aries Cerat implements an advanced pseudo-battery system. Combined with seventy-six tuned LC filters utilising RF chokes and high-speed capacitors, the power rails remain exceptionally quiet, allowing micro-details to emerge from a pitch-black background.

Chapter 03

Sonic Presentation

The resulting presentation is startling in its physical presence. Freed from the ringing and phase anomalies associated with complex digital filtering, instruments regain their natural weight and harmonic density. The soundstage expands significantly in all dimensions, establishing a remarkably holographic image that projects into the listening space. Where the Kassandra Limited Edition truly excels is its effortless dynamic contrast. It delivers deep, textured bass and soaring highs without a hint of glare, providing a fatigue-free transparency that rivals the finest analogue master tapes.

Specifications

TypeNon-oversampling R2R ladder DAC

Digital Engine24 AD1865N-K chips per channel (48 total)

ClockInternal Super-Clock (bypassable on the fly) with triple regulated supply

RegulatorsEight discrete ultra-low-noise regulators for the 4 converter banks

Current to Voltage ConversionCustom wideband transformer I/V conversion

Gain StageTransformer loaded E280F super tube output stage (5:1/10:1 step down)

Digital InputsUSB (up to 24-bit/384kHz), AES/EBU, S/PDIF, BNC

Analogue Outputs2 x RCA, 2 x Balanced (True Balanced standard, switchable floating RCA)

Output Range10Vrms at 0dB (5Vrms on -6dB setting)

Output Impedance50 ohms (12 ohms at -6dB setting)

Jitter AttenuationDown to femtosecond level

Power Supply CapacitanceOver 3 Farads total system capacitance (5 toroidal transformers)

Dimensions (H × W × D)165mm × 540mm × 530mm

Weight120kg total

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