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Teac Reference 700 Series - Teac UD-701N USB DAC Network Player and Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier

With the Teac UD-701N USB DAC Network Player and Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier, Teac Corporation not only establishes the new Teac Reference 700 Series, but also delivers a true high-end hi-fi team in the most compact form.

Story Highlights
  • With the Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player and Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier, Teac Corporation establishes the new Teac Reference 700 Series.

It is the new flagship series that Teac Corporation is now presenting for the first time at the High End 2022 with the Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player and the Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier, thus establishing the new Teac Reference 700 Series. Exquisite hi-fi solutions in compact, elegant form have been the speciality of the Japanese hi-fi manufacturer for years, and with the new Teac Reference 700 Series they are doing everything they can to set new standards.

The Teac Reference 700 Series ranks above the Teac Reference 505 Series in terms of Teac Corporation’s broad range of products.

Teac Reference 700 Series with familiar elegant appearance

It is striking that Teac Corporation has once again decided to rely on its tried-and-tested design line, which charmingly combines modern industrial design with a touch of vintage hi-fi from the 1960s and 1970s, even in the new flagship series. Here, this special combination is even more prominent, because the Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player has a modern display, whereas the Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier is equipped with VU meters – classic meets modern, if you want to put it that way.

It also fits in with this special design line that the two very slim aluminium cabinets have carrying handles on the front, which have no practical significance but are a nice visual accent.

In the proven manner, Teac Corporation offers the two systems Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player and Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier in black or silver, of course, this should be mentioned at this point.

Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player

The new Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player can do much more than its name suggests, because apart from being an enormously versatile streaming client and an outstanding D/A converter, it can also take on the task of a preamplifier that is open not only to digital but also to analogue sources.

Let’s start with the possibilities of the Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player in the network environment, because connected to the network via its RJ45 Ethernet interface, it first acts as a dlna-certified UPnP streaming client, understands Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect and is also designated as Roon Ready. The Teac HR Streamer app also provides access to other streaming services such as Qobuz and Internet Radio via TuneIn.

Those who want to use mobile devices such as smartphones as a source outside the network infrastructure can do so via Bluetooth, whereby the Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player uses a module from Qualcomm Inc. according to the Bluetooth 4.2 standard and thus supports aptX and aptX HD as well as LDAC and LHDC in addition to SBC and AAC. Even via Bluetooth, signal transmission in hi-res audio is possible, up to 24 bit and 48 kHz (aptX HD) or even 24 bit and 96 kHz (LDAC).

Via a USB port, you can directly connect corresponding storage media as a source, and for digital sources, primarily an optical and coaxial S/PDIF interface are available. In addition, the Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player also has a USB port for direct connection to a PC or Mac. Bulk Pet USB Transfer Technology from Interface Co. Ltd. is used to guarantee stable data transfer at high data rates.

The proprietary, newly developed Teac Delta-Sigma converter of the Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player is based on an FPGA with algorithms developed by Teac Corporation itself and is thus superior to any conventional DAC IC according to the Japanese.

The Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player is able to process signals in Linear PCM with up to 32 bit and 384 kHz as well as DSD up to DSD256. It is also capable of processing content encoded in lossy compressed MQA, which is also mentioned for the sake of completeness.

Using RDOT-NEO or Refined Digital Output Technology NEO, upsampling with a particularly “analogue” sound character is possible on request.

The output stage has a fully balanced dual-mono design and uses Teac HCLD2 enhanced-current output buffer circuits. Analogue signals can be output via balanced XLR or unbalanced RCA. The volume control based on Teac QVCS (Quad Volume Control System) is supposed to provide for a particularly sophisticated sound quality and, of course, one trusts in a sophisticated, high-quality power supply that relies solely on four toroidal transformers for the individual power supply of all essential components.

As we have already mentioned, the Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player has analogue inputs, both in the form of balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA connections.

Another special feature is a headphone amplifier, which is also said to offer impeccable performance and, in addition to a 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack for unbalanced headphones, also has a 4-pin XLR socket for balanced headphones.

The Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player measures 444 x 111 x 334 mm and weighs 11.8 kg.

Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier

The new Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier is designed as a so-called Dual-Mono Power Amplifier, which means that it is based on a fully balanced design and two Hypex NCORE Class D Amplifier Modules. These come from the specialist Hypex Electronics B. V. and are currently regarded as a particularly outstanding solution in the industry.

In this case, they provide two times 260 watts of power at an impedance of 4 ohms, or two times 170 watts if the loudspeaker systems have an impedance of 8 ohms. Considering the extremely compact dimensions of this power amplifier of only 444 x 111.3 x 348.2 mm and a weight of just 9.9 kg, one can appreciate how effective the modules from Hypex Electronics B. V. are.

The power supply is provided by two toroidal transformers, one for each channel, to guarantee the highest possible performance and at the same time the best possible channel separation.

The Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier offers a pair of RCA and XLR inputs and 12 V triggers for central control with other components. Encapsulated, gold-plated screw terminals are provided for reliable connection to the speakers.

On the front, the Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier is adorned with two VU meters that are sure to delight many a hi-fi enthusiast.

Prices and availability

The systems of the new Teac Reference 700 Series will be on show for the first time at the High End 2022 in Munich, after which they will soon be available from specialist dealers, according to the manufacturer’s promise. The Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player has a recommended retail price of € 3.699,- and the Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier € 3.199,-.

Getting to the point

The Japanese hi-fi manufacturer Teac Corporation has created a truly impressive team with its new Teac Reference 700 Series. One can even speak of a classic preamplifier and power amplifier combination, simply because the preamplifier in the form of the Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player is ideally equipped for analogue and digital sources and also functions as a flexible streaming client, and the power amplifier in the form of the Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier can boast impressive performance data measured against its very compact dimensions. The two systems Teac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player and Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier thus easily meet the high demands that they are supposed to fulfil as new flagships according to Teac Corporation.

PRODUCTTEAC UD-701N USB DAC/ NETWORK PLAYER AND TEAC AP-701 STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER
PriceTeac UD-701N USB DAC/ Network Player € 3.699,-
Teac AP-701 Stereo Power Amplifier € 3.199,-
BRANDTEAC AUDIO
ManufacturerTeac Corporation
DistributionTeac Corporation
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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