Mytek Brooklyn DAC+

This unit is a versatile digital-to-analog converter with support for PCM up to 384 kHz/32-bit and native DSD up to DSD256. It features a built-in phono preamplifier supporting both MM and MC cartridges, as well as a powerful headphone amplifier with dual outputs designed for demanding headphones. In addition, a hardware MQA decoder is integrated for hi-res audio playback. The unit offers several digital inputs, including USB2, AES/EBU, S/PDIF and Toslink/ADAT, and has both RCA and balanced XLR analog outputs. An analog volume control in 1 dB increments is provided, with a bypass option for direct signal pass-through. Firmware updates are possible via USB, and a universal remote control is included. Optionally, the unit can be powered via a 12V DC input. The dimensions are 216 x 216 x 44 mm and the weight is 2 kg.

The Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ was designed by engineer Michal Jurewicz, founder of Mytek, with a focus on studio quality in a compact consumer format. He used audiophile-grade components such as femtocells and ESS Sabre 9028PRO DAC chips. The cabinet is CNC-machined aluminum for optimal shielding. The design emphasizes transparency and flexibility, with both analog and digital inputs.

Mytek was founded in New York City in 1992 by Michal Jurewicz. He began working in 1989 at the famous Hit Factory recording studio in Manhattan with the likes of Paul Simon, Billy Joel and Barbara Streisand, recording on analog tape. Here he learned the ins and outs of what a great recording should sound like and what equipment was needed to do so. Famous was his room full of broken equalizers, amplifiers and compressors he repaired, which were just too complex for the other engineers. It was this reputation that landed him a job as a tech engineer at Skyline Studios. Skyline was the home of legendary music producer Nile Rogers and the favorite studio of Mariah Carey and James Taylor, among others. At Skyline, Michal developed solutions to improve the workflow and sound quality of the new digital systems. It was here that Mytek was born in 1992. From the very beginning, artists and producers praised the sound quality of Mytek equipment. Soon almost every recording studio in NYC had a Mytek Private Q headphone monitoring system, and those who used Mytek’s first analog-to-digital converters produced recordings that did not suffer from the harsh sound typical of 1990s digital recordings. Since then, Mytek has innovated continuously; from pioneering 18, 20, 24 and now 32-bit PCM recordings to being part of the DSD Super Audio CD Project and today helping to develop MQA mastering and playback. Recently, as digital audio and Internet distribution began to evolve together, the barrier of audio quality between the professional studio and home has disappeared. Looking to the future, Mytek began designing playback equipment for music lovers, not just music makers. Today, the same equipment used to create timeless music is accessible for a lifetime of music enjoyment. Michal Jurewicz has consistently demonstrated that an understanding of digital encoding of music in the recording studio results in an advanced ability to design the award-winning DACs that Mytek uses today for digital music playback. Convenience, design and sound quality are at the heart of everything Mytek does.