Audiolab D7 review

Audiolab isn’t short of experience when it comes to making DACs. The company’s first outboard digital-to-analogue converter was the 8000DAC of the 1990s, but it was 2011’s Audiolab M-DAC that really cemented its expertise in the sector. The now-discontinued M-DAC remains a favourite at What Hi-Fi? Towers, and was something of a mid-priced benchmark for the best part of a decade.

What has all of this got to do with the new Audio D7? Despite its smaller size and more modest price point, there are undeniable echoes of the M-DAC’s design template and well-judged feature set, and that’s a good thing.

Features & connections

The Audio D7 is a pleasingly versatile unit that makes as much sense at the heart of a proper separates hi-fi system as it does on a desktop system fed by a computer.

Audiolab certainly hasn’t skimped on the connectivity, with the D7 including a generous spread of digital connections: there are two coaxial and two optical inputs, USB Type B and USB Type A inputs, alongside single-ended RCA line level and balanced XLR analogue outputs.

The USB-A port allows connection to external storage devices and is also used for software upgrades.

There is a front panel-mounted 6.3mm headphone socket as well as digital outputs (optical and coax), should you want to do extra processing on the digital signal. It doesn't end there.

Bluetooth wasn’t seen as a relevant input back in the day of the M-DAC, but it certainly is now, so the D7 is equipped with Bluetooth 5.1 and has aptX HD codec compatibility.

Build & design

Take a look inside and you will find ESS Sabre’s ES9038Q2M DAC chip at the heart of the D7’s digital circuitry. This allows hi-res compatibility with up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DSD512 music files, which should be more than enough for most people’s digital music library.

While other manufacturers use this very same DAC chip, Audiolab claims that its experience, along with proprietary clock and power supply circuitry, achieves better results. Full MQA decoding is on the menu, should you have the need, as is Roon compatibility.

The DAC’s analogue outputs can be set to work in either fixed or variable mode. If the output is set to variable, it opens up the possibility of the D7 being connected directly into a power amplifier, or perhaps, more interestingly, directly into a pair of active speakers. The active route would lead to a pleasingly neat and uncluttered system.

This Audiolab is neatly made with little to criticise when it comes to solidity or fit and finish. The aluminium casework has been put together with care and is available in a choice of either silver or black.

The crisp OLED display on the front panel is handy for setting up, but it proves just a little too small to read comfortably from any kind of distance.

There is a choice of five digital filter options. The default ‘Linear (Slow)’ is a well-chosen starting point, but we ultimately settle on ‘Minimum (Slow)’ as the most natural-sounding choice in our systems.

As usual, the sonic differences between the various settings aren’t huge, and some of the others may match your taste and system better. There is no harm in experimenting.

You also get a remote control, which helps when this DAC is used in a full system context. It’s a simple, small plastic handset, but it is well-designed and easy to use.

Our test process includes a range of digital sources, including the Naim ND555/555 PS DR music streamer, a Cyrus CDi CD player and a MacBook Pro loaded with Audirvana music playing software and plenty of high-resolution files.

We also plug the D7 DAC into our reference system of Burmester 088/911 MkIII amplifier and ATC SCM50 speakers, as well as a more price-compatible set-up of Naim Nait XS3 integrated amplifier and KEF LS50 Meta speakers.

Sound

Audiolab tends to make sonically well-balanced products, and the D7 is no different. It has a broadly neutral and even-handed presentation that impresses for its clarity and detail resolution. It’s a clean and crisp sound without being over-etched. We love the sense of spaciousness the DAC imparts, so the music we play rarely sounds cluttered.

This kind of presentation works particularly well with dense classical music such as Tchaikovsky’s Marché Slave Op.31 or Gorecki’s Symphony No.3, where the Audiolab delivers a pleasingly large-scale and authoritative performance. There is good insight into the music and the ability to track low-level instrumental strands without losing the impact of the whole.

The D7 handles strong dynamic shifts with fluidity, though it doesn’t quite exhibit the verve and drama of its rival, the Award-winning Chord Mojo 2. Still, the Audiolab remains an interesting and entertaining alternative that holds our attention all the way through, thanks to its ability to capture the texture and tone of instruments so well.

This DAC sounds controlled and composed regardless of the music you play, which helps the listener relax, confident in the belief that the D7 won’t be wrong-footed by anything thrown at it.

You can add good stereo imaging to the list of plus points. The soundstaging is decently expansive, delivering more in the way of precision and focus than many of the alternatives that we have heard. The imaging stays admirably stable, too, even when the music becomes demanding.

As we work our way through the likes of Womack & Womack, Grinderman and Kid Cudi, it becomes clear that this Audiolab is a capable all-rounder. It delivers plenty of punch and power when the music demands, but also doesn’t ignore subtleties in the process. The distinctively gritty texture in Linda Womack’s voice comes through effortlessly on the song Love Wars, backed up by a pleasing sense of momentum.

The D7’s lows are pretty well defined and articulate with it. While the communication of rhythmic drive doesn’t match that of the aforementioned Chord Mojo 2, we’re still having fun.

We’ve mentioned the Award-winning Chord Mojo 2 a couple of times, and for good reason. It has long dominated this part of the DAC market, and it genuinely sounds great. Talented as the D7 is, we feel the Chord edges ahead in most sonic areas. But that isn’t the end of the story.

The Audiolab D7 has vastly better connectivity than the battery-powered Chord and is notably more flexible in use. It has Bluetooth, for example, which connects swiftly and works without issue, whereas the Mojo 2 is limited to physical inputs.

Also, the choice of balanced XLR and stereo RCA analogue outputs makes integrating the Audiolab into a conventional system far more straightforward than trying to find suitable cables to cope with the Chord’s 3.5mm output sockets. Most cable brands make such options, but you have to go looking for them.

Lastly, the D7 is far more straightforward to use, with logical and easy-to-understand controls. The Chord, on the other hand, still has us looking at its user manual to access some of its functionality, notably the clever but rather convoluted tone controls.

We’re pleased to note that the Audiolab works well as a digital preamp. It drives our Burmester 911 Mk III power amp well enough, given its price, and we see no reason why it can’t be the hub of a system built around a pair of price-appropriate active speakers. Acoustic Energy’s long-running AE1 Actives would be a great option, for instance.

Equally, the sound through its headphone output is consistent in character with that which we hear through its analogue outputs, be they balanced or not. We try Grado’s SR325x open-back headphones and enjoy the lovely yet refined sound produced.

Verdict

The Audiolab D7’s appealing blend of build, features and performance means that it deserves a place on the shortlist. Its performance is balanced and insightful, while the connectivity and build are as good as anything we’ve seen at this price.

If you are looking for a well-specified and talented outboard DAC at this level, it would be remiss if you didn’t consider this one seriously.

Review published: 9th December 2025

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Build 5
• Features 5

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Read our review of the Chord Mojo 2

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