STAGE #2 MKII

Stage #2 MKII introduces a fundamental physical separation into the Stage series.

The transformers and linear power supplies are placed in a dedicated external chassis, away from the circuits that manage the digital stream. Not to multiply components.

But to reduce the proximity between the signal and one of the main sources of noise, vibration and electromagnetic interference.

Dedicated external power supply. Two toroidal transformers. Three independent linear lines. 12,000 µF of filtering. Fully passive cooling.

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A music file can be mathematically intact. That does not mean the system tasked with playing it is immune to interference. The digital stream travels through power supplies, processors, memory, cabling, network interfaces and real connections.

It meets electrical noise, vibration, heat and system activity. Everything that happens before the DAC can influence the conditions in which the converter receives the signal. Stage #2 MKII attacks the problem starting from the power supply. It separates it from the main chassis. It divides it into independent paths. It filters it. Its task is not to add a TDA character to the recording. It is to let the source impose less of one.

The first decisive separation in the Stage series.

In the Stage #2, the two toroidal transformers are moved into a compact external power unit. Digital processing stays in the main chassis. The generation and distribution of energy are placed elsewhere. This distance reduces the proximity between power components and the circuits responsible for playback. The main chassis can thus be organized around signal management, while the external one performs a dedicated task: supplying stable energy to the machine's fundamental sections.

Stage #2 therefore occupies a precise position in the TDA range. It is the first model in which the power supply no longer shares the main chassis with the processing system.

One machine. Three independent electrical paths.

Stage #2 MKII uses three fully independent linear power supplies. Each line serves specific points of the digital circuitry, reducing interaction between sections with different functions and electrical demands. The circuit adopts:

• a symmetrical, essential layout;

• thick pure-copper traces;

• high-speed Schottky diodes;

• Dale resistors with 0.1% tolerance;

• Nichicon or Rubycon, and Epcos capacitors;

• a total filtering capacity of 12,000 µF;

• hand-assembled internal wiring.

The quality of a power supply does not depend on a single component. It depends on the relationship between transformation, rectification, filtering, current distribution and physical layout. Stage #2 treats these elements as a single system.

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Electricity and vibration must be controlled together.

The core and windings of the toroidal transformers are impregnated with epoxy resin, to help damp vibration. Between the primary and secondary windings sits a copper shield coated with dielectric material, designed to limit the transfer of electromagnetic interference. The transformers are then placed in the external chassis. Three answers to the same problem: damping, shielding, distance.

A digital signal does not make matter irrelevant.

Loudspeakers, transformers and supporting surfaces transmit mechanical energy to the entire system. This is why Stage #2 MKII is assembled with attention to component placement, cable routing and the control of internal stresses. On request, it can also be configured with decoupling devices developed by Omicron Group. From a high-end perspective, such measures cannot be regarded as "fine tuning": they are an integral part of the design discipline — reducing whatever can interfere with the source's work, to obtain the best possible result.

More than adequate power for the task. Used with judgment.

Stage #2 MKII employs an Intel processor selected to sustain extensive libraries, advanced management software and high-resolution audio processing. It can easily be configured to run HQPlayer and — when DAC, driver, filter and settings allow — processing up to DSD512. Stage #2 MKII integrates 8 GB of system memory as standard.

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The system is configured around your listening.

Stage #2 MKII supports the leading software and services dedicated to digital playback:

• Roon;

• HQPlayer;

• Qobuz Connect;

• Tidal;

• JRiver;

• Spotify Connect;

• Pure ASIO Player.

We recommend HQPlayer, also in combination with Roon, whenever the DAC and the system can benefit from its processing capabilities. Playback can be managed from tablet, smartphone or computer through the app provided by your chosen software. We also guide our customers in choosing the best software for them, based on library, DAC, services used and desired level of control. On delivery, the system is already configured.

Streaming enters through the network.

The network, therefore, belongs to the audio path.

Stage #2 MKII integrates a 2.5GbE Ethernet connection for access to streaming services, NAS units and resources on the local network. The configuration of the operating system and the network interface is optimized together with the rest of the machine, reducing unnecessary processes and activity during playback. The network is not treated as an accessory function. It is one of the primary inputs of a contemporary digital Hi-Fi source.

The privilege Linux cannot offer: full use of the proprietary ASIO drivers that DAC manufacturers write to let their customers extract the maximum from their own machines.

We also tested the minimalist route: NUC, Raspberry Pi, Linux variants. But the sound lacked vitality.

After years of testing we selected a single Windows build - LTSC - and optimized it function by function, parameter by parameter, exclusively for audio.

The same OS on which the masters of virtually every record released in the last forty years have been - and still are - professionally produced.

• 2.5GbE Ethernet;

• USB Type-C;

• USB 3.2 Type-A;

• coaxial S/PDIF output.

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• PCM up to 192 kHz, 24 or 32 bit;

• DXD up to 352.8 and 384 kHz;

• DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 and DSD512.

Stage #2 MKII integrates 8 TB of internal storage as standard, expandable to 20 TB.

You can keep your library inside the machine, access a NAS, or use streaming services. The different sources come together in the same control environment, without giving anything up.

Before building, we analyze:

• DAC;

• digital connection;

• network;

• NAS;

• library size;

• preferred software;

• streaming services;

• processing needs;

• control preferences.

This information determines the best configuration of the machine for your needs. Customization is not the reason the architecture is superior. It is the way the architecture is adapted to your system.

Every Stage #2 MKII is built by hand, individually, in Italy. Manual construction allows us to control cabling, connections, fastenings, software configuration and the overall behavior of the machine.

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On delivery, we take care of:

• installing the device;

• configuring the network;

• connecting the DAC;

• setting up the software;

• indexing the library;

• verifying remote control;

• guiding you through everyday use.

The complexity stays with us. You simply enjoy the music like never before.

As a TDA customer you can count — beyond the statutory warranty — on included after-sales support, without equal in the industry, comprising technical checks and software-side interventions performed directly through a secure remote connection, for maximum convenience and flexibility.