Ideon Audio Coming to Reference Audio Soon

Ideon Audio Coming Soon to Reference Audio

We are delighted to welcome Ideon Audio and their remarkable DACs, Streamers and Clocks to Reference Audio, Witham. Delivery of demo stock from their Absolute, ION, EOS and Master series should happen before the end of August. Ideon are truly ahead of the digital replay game right now and we have had a sneak preview of their equipment, and this is what we found:

40 Years Ago

“Pure, Perfect Sound – Forever” is how Philips described the start of the digital revolution at the launch of Compact Disc back in 1983. Were they right to say that in their marketing blurb way back then? Probably not, forever is after all a very long time. In the intervening 40 years the standard Red-Book CD format has changed not one jot (if you ignore SACD), but the equipment used today to record and play back digital files has changed beyond recognition. To be fair to Philips and Sony they didn’t know then what we know today and materials, technology and components available today were just a dream way back in the late 70’s when the format was being designed. In recent years of course the ability to stream music over the internet has arrived and with advances in data transfer speeds and ever larger and cheaper data storage becoming available it has made high resolution streaming more accessible to everyone at reasonable cost. Although we are now starting to leave the CD platform behind recent improvements to CD Transports have given them a second life especially when used in conjunction with modern DACs, up-samplers and clocks, all of which have helped to rejuvenate CD replay for today’s enthusiasts. Fortunately, those often-flimsy DVD transports that found their way into CD Players seem to be a thing of the past.

Along with an industry dedicated to forever improving the extraction of data from the pits of an LP and an enthusiastic customer base for those impressive (and expensive) turntables, arms, cartridges, and phono stages there is a growing demand for better CD replay, streaming and DAC technology. Ease of use and the vast catalogue of music now available to us all is where streaming has an advantage over vinyl or CD and with electronic and software advances for streaming services such as Tidal and Qobuz and with search engines such as Roon the sheer wealth of music available from the armchair is mind boggling. I guess we will never really achieve perfect sound forever, but we are getting closer all the time and today streamed music is in my opinion right up there with the very best that vinyl and CD replay can offer, provided of course that serious thought is given to extracting the most detail.

Along with our customers we are always seeking the next step forward in all areas of the audiophile chain such as amplifiers and speakers but nothing else is advancing as rapidly today as the world of digital streaming and replay electronics. As we leave older technology behind Reference Audio have been looking to the future and with this in mind, we are now pleased to bring Ideon Audio to our store.

Who Are Ideon Audio?

If you are as enthusiastic about the finest of audio replay as we are then I’m sure you will have come across Ideon Audio in the press and possible at audio shows but possible not on demo in the UK. If this brand is new to you then let me explain who they are, where they hail from and why we are so delighted to have them onboard.

Ideon are a boutique audio systems manufacturer based in Athens in Greece and describe themselves as “a team of audiophile music lovers with high sonic aspirations and large music libraries, which explains our fixation with extracting the last bit out of our music files”. They aim to take us to the recorded event with absolute fidelity maintained. They go on to say “we simply want our products to be the best, in absolute terms and best in class”. We completely agree with their sentiment, aspirations, and commitment to meeting their goals and believe they have produced class leading DACs, Streamers and Clocks at all levels.

They currently have four ranges of products as follows, from entry level to the very high end. Please check our website which will soon be updated with more information and prices etc:

Master Series

  • Ayazi Mk 2 DAC - available in black or silver
  • 3R Master Time Black Star - USB Re-clocker available in black or silver

I Ω N Series

  • I Ω N Dac - in black or silver
  • I Ω N Dac/Preamp - in black or silver

EOS Series

  • Eos DAC - in black or silver
  • Eos Stream – Music Server Platform - in black or silver
  • Eos Time - USB Re-Clocker - in black or silver

Absolute Series

  • Absolute Epsilon DAC - in silver or black at additional cost.
  • Absolute Stream – Music Renderer/streamer - in silver or black at additional cost.
  • Absolute Time – USB and SP/DIF Re-clocker - in silver or black at additional cost.
  • Absolute Time Full Size - USB and SP/DIF Re-clocker - in silver or black at additional cost.

In addition to the above they also have a miniature USB re-clocker called 3R USB Renaissance Mk 2 Black Star (a big name for a small device) at just £390 and they also have a high-performance USB interconnect called the Siren in their product range.

A more detailed review of each series will follow in due course but here are some of the more pertinent facts and figures for their Absolute products which we have been listening to:

Absolute Epsilon DAC

  • ESS ES9038 Pro 32-bit 8 channel DAC with in-house designed control software
  • Dynamic range up to 140dB
  • Balanced operation throughout with Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs
  • Digital inputs on RCA, XLR and USB (1 of each)
  • Selected audiophile components and power supplies used throughout.
  • Two transformers
  • Three exotic ultra-low jitter clocks
  • PCM 44.1 to 384kHz – DSD x 8
  • 490 x 350 x 110mm (WDH)
  • Weighs a not inconsiderable 28kg.

Absolute Stream

  • Audiophile music server/streamer
  • Playback from external hard drive or external NAS
  • Internal storage between 1TB and 4TB an optional extra
  • Playback from all internet and web services such as Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify or from an external attached NAS drive or USB drive. Internal storage of 1TB-4TB is an additional option.
  • One Ethernet input and two USB ports for connecting an external NAS drive or USB drive.
  • Two USB outputs for connection to a DAC, 1 with 5v and one without.
  • 490 x 350 x 87mm (WDH)
  • Weighs 22kg

Absolute Time

  • Designed to re-clock, re-energise and re-drive the digital signal.
  • This is not an up-scaler.
  • Digital in and out on USB to take feed from the Streamer and feed it to the DAC.
  • Digital inputs and outputs on SP/DIF to use with a compatible CD Transport.
  • 490 x 175 x 87mm (WDH)
  • Weighs 15kg.

How Do They Sound

Straight from the box the Absolute three-stack sounds world class, as it should for a £75,000 streaming solution. Extremely detailed, open, dynamic and thoroughly rewarding. They are not overly bright or edgy but exceptionally involving brining extra life to digital replay in such a way that you simply want to keep listening. Paired with the right equipment are simply beguiling as they draw you further into the music. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to listen to each component individually*, concentrating on listening as a three-box digital streaming solution. Together they grow on you the more you listen, especially as they bed in over time. Ideon suggests they keep getting better over at least 300 hours (probably 2 or 3 months of normal everyday use) and as ours have just 30 hours on them at the time of writing it will be interesting to see if they really do continue to get better. I used them with a McIntosh C12000 two box preamp and a pair of McIntosh MC611 monobloc power amps and with speakers ranged from B&W 801D4, KEF Reference 5, and the big Marten Coltrane 3 Statement Edition. For those fortunate enough to be able to seriously consider the three stack Absolute Series components joining their system I can only say you must come and listen as soon as possible, this is one of the very best streaming DAC solutions available anywhere today. It won’t take long to grasp the sheer capability on offer from an Ideon Absolute system once you hear what they can do.

Moving to the three stack EOS system I used them in conjunction with the Ideon Ion DAC/Preamp in preamp mode only feeding a Chord Electronics Ultimate 6 stereo power amp and Sonus Faber Olimpica Nova 3 speakers. After letting it all warmup for a few hours straight from the box this system was clearly focusing on involvement, enjoyment and long listening sessions. The three stack EOS components (approx. £27,000) have all the same connections as the upmarket Absolute boxes (apart from the Time) so connection and in use are similar in the way they work. The sound quality is well on the way to competing with the Absolute kit but more in keeping with a similarly priced amp and speaker system and this is a good thing because it opens up serious gains in fidelity to real world enthusiasts. The three EOS boxes are smaller and lighter than their Absolute brothers but look just great stacked together and taking up no more space than a decent stereo power amp on the rack. The Ion+ DAC/Preamp has two analogue inputs on XLR or RCA (not 4 altogether) and digital inputs on USB, RCA and BNC. Outputs are available on XLR and RCA for connection to a power amp. In style it doesn’t quite match the EOS series casework but it’s very similar. The ION is offered just as a DAC called the ION or with the Preamp module fitted when it’s known as the ION+. It uses the ESS ES9028Pro DAC instead of the ES9038 used in the Absolute series DAC.

Over time the EOS system will burn in, and I’ll try it with other speakers and amplifiers but as noted above this is an exceptional stack of components for the price that offers customers a very real choice outside of those more common DACs and streamers that we all know so well and which are now getting a bit long in the tooth.

I’d thoroughly recommend booking a demo of these DACs, Streamers and Clocks.

* I briefly took home the Absolute Time re-clocker to try between my streamer and DAC and heard a significant uplift in musicality, clarity, tonality and resolution, surprising because my Innuos Statement already has substantial reclocking capability built in. This test was literally straight from the sealed box so hopefully there is more to give as it burns in over time. I was so impressed I have placed an order for one, it really is that good.

Hope to see you soon.

Bob at Reference Audio – August 2023