Kalista Mantax Reference DAC – The perfect partner for the Kalista DreamPlay X

The French High-end HiFi manufacturer Métronome Technologie described the latest SACD/CD transport from the Kalista brand, the Kalista DreamPlay X, as an almost revolutionary system at its presentation at the end of 2021. According to the French company, this opens a new chapter in the Kalista DreamPlay Collection. A chapter that is now to be continued with the new Kalista Mantax Reference DAC.

The new Kalista Mantax Reference DAC serves first and foremost as the perfect partner for the aforementioned SACD/CD transport from the Kalista DreamPlay Collection, the Kalista DreamPlay X. Like the DreamPlay X, the new D/A converter is designed to be a solution that has been developed without any compromises and is therefore of the very highest quality.

Kalista – The High-end HiFi brand from Métronome Technologie

As many HiFi enthusiasts will be aware, Kalista is the High-end HiFi brand of the French company Métronome Technologie. The fact is that Métronome Technologie’s solutions can fulfil even the highest demands, and the company from the south of France is a proven digital specialist.

Jean Marie Clauzel, owner and designer of Métronome Technologie, therefore pursues two very clear strategies around his company’s two brands: while Métronome Technologie presents itself with solutions based on state-of-the-art technology with a rather sober design line, Kalista delivers products that can also be described as outstanding and unique in terms of design.

A prime example of this is the Kalista DreamPlay Collection, the flagship of which is clearly the Kalista DreamPlay X.

Foto © Métronome Technologie | Kalista Mantax Reference DAC

Kalista DreamPlay X – The reference class SACD/CD transport

The Kalista DreamPlay X is intended to be nothing less than the reference for the playback of content from Audio CD and Super Audio CD. The company has done everything in its power to achieve a near-perfect performance at the very highest level, as it continues to believe that Audio CD and Super Audio CD in particular offer an outstanding medium for audiophile music playback.

While the Kalista DreamPlay XC offers a so-called 4-in-1 concept, combining an SACD/CD player with an integrated streaming client, D/A converter and preamplifier, the Kalista DreamPlay X is actually limited to the task of SACD/CD transport alone. And this is where the new Kalista Mantax Reference DAC comes into play.

Kalista Mantax Reference DAC – The perfect playing partner

Customers who opt for the Kalista DreamPlay X usually rely on separate, dedicated specialists, so their SACD/CD transport requires an external D/A converter, and this is exactly what Métronome Technologie promises to offer with the new Kalista Mantax Reference DAC.

Owners of a Kalista DreamPlay X have been asking for a D/A converter that can keep up with their exceptional SACD/CD transport, according to the developers of the new Kalista Mantax.

Latest design line of the Kalista DreamPlay Collection

The new Kalista Mantax Reference DAC is naturally presented in the design of the Kalista DreamPlay Collection, in the latest version, which can also be found on the Kalista DreamPlay X. The two systems can therefore be placed perfectly on top of each other, which should be mentioned in passing.

Proprietary signal transmission via I2S

The really special feature of the new Kalista Mantax Reference DAC is that the signal is transmitted using a proprietary data protocol via I2S, meaning that audio data is always transmitted in the best quality, right up to native DSD.

Converters from ESS Technology Inc. and Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation

Another outstanding feature of the new Kalista Mantax Reference DAC is that it utilises two converters, one from the specialist ESS Technology Ltd. and one from the specialist Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation. This gives users the choice of which sound signature they want to rely on.

Solid state or tube?

This also applies to the analogue output stage, because here too there are two “worlds” to choose from, solid state on the one hand, but also tube, which are offered in parallel. The user should therefore have every opportunity to adapt the signal processing extremely flexibly to the different content and personal taste, but always at the very highest level in order to do full justice to the product name Kalista Mantax Reference DAC.

“It is always a great challenge to develop and manufacture such extraordinary devices. Mantax could not be developed in the same time frame as DreamPlay X, but I am convinced that it was worth waiting a little!…Fantastic build quality and great adjustment possibilities, that’s what I wanted to offer the audiophile world. So, please see and above all hear!”

Jean Marie Clauzel, owner and designer of Métronome Technologie

Prices and availability

The new Kalista Mantax Reference DAC will celebrate its premiere in Vienna in mid-November 2023, as announced by the French High-end HiFi manufacturer. The D/A converter will be available in two versions: Diamond (silver) and Black Pearl (black). The recommended retail price is listed at € 59.000,-.

Getting to the point

According to Métronome Technologie, the HiFi company behind the Kalista brand, HiFi enthusiasts who rely on specially optimised, separate specialists for each task in their Hifi chain have opted for the Kalista DreamPlay X, i.e. the device in the Kalista DreamPlay Collection designed solely as an SACD/CD transport. This requires a D/A converter of equally high quality, and this is now available in the form of the new Kalista Mantax Reference DAC.