CES 2012: Arcam adds rPAC USB DAC/headphone amp to its desktop digital range

Just announced by Arcam here at CES 2012 is the first in what it says is going to be an extended rSeries family, building on the success of the rDAC and rCube.

The rPAC, which will sell for £150 when it goes on sale towards the end of the first quarter of this year, is a USB-powered digital-to-analogue converter and headphone amplifier, and is designed to be used with PC or Mac computers.

It requires no drivers when used under Windows 7, Windows XP or Mac OSX, and of course being USB powered needs no external power supply, making it a fully portable USB audio solution.

Arcam says the rPAC uses 'a digital to analogue converter (DAC) normally found in very high end HiFi components and Arcam’s world-class audio circuitry', and that 'the rPAC takes audio files stored on a MAC or PC and 'converts them into beautiful music with stunning clarity and precision'.

Both headphone and line-level outputs are provided, and the unit is housed in a precision cast aluminium case.

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Andrew has written about audio and video products for the past 20+ years, and been a consumer journalist for more than 30 years, starting his career on camera magazines. Andrew has contributed to titles including What Hi-Fi?, GramophoneJazzwise and Hi-Fi CriticHi-Fi News & Record Review and Hi-Fi Choice. I’ve also written for a number of non-specialist and overseas magazines.