STAGE #3 MKII

The power supply is no longer an external module. It is half of the architecture, engineered to optimize every sound-affecting parameter more deeply.

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One chassis houses the digital processing system. The other hosts the entire power architecture. Both measure 450 × 400 × 120 mm. More room to separate sections. More current capacity. More filtering. More control over the electrical and mechanical path.

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The two chassis are connected by an umbilical cable terminated with a Harting multipole connector, fitted with a lock against accidental release. Stage #3 brings separation to its first full realization.

Two full-size chassis. Up to 20 amperes. Four independent lines. 29,900 µF of filtering. ECC on-die memory.

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​The soundstage gains order and depth. Instruments occupy more legible positions. The finest information emerges without aggression.

Moving the power supply out of the main chassis reduces a major source of interference. But distance alone does not finish the job.

Still to be defined:

• how much current must be available;

• how to distribute it;

• which sections must remain independent;

• how much filtering to employ;

• how to organize the circuits;

• how to control cabling and vibration;

• how to manage heat, network and software activity.

Stage #3 MKII was born to develop and control each of these elements within a true dual-chassis architecture.

Twenty amperes in reserve. Four independent paths.

The Stage #3 MKII power unit can deliver up to 20 amperes in total. Current is distributed through four fully independent lines, fed by two Audio Grade toroidal transformers. Each line serves specific sections of the machine, limiting electrical interaction between components with different functions and demands. The current reserve is not used as brute force. It keeps the supply stable when the processing load varies and the system faces complex content, large libraries or demanding audio processes.

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FILTERING

29,900 µF. Not to pile up numbers. To stabilize the system.

The filtering system reaches a total of 29,900 µF. It employs ELNA, Rubycon and Epcos capacitors, and high-precision Dale resistors with 0.1% tolerance.

But filtering capacity is not everything: it works together with the separation of the lines, the quality of the transformers, the layout and the electrical paths.

None of these elements can be judged in isolation. It is their relationship that determines the stability of the power supply and the amount of noise reaching the digital sections. Stage #3 is designed following exactly this approach.

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THE LINK BETWEEN THE CHASSIS

Separate physically. Unite electrically, without losing control.

The connection between power unit and Music Server is a critical point of the architecture. Moving the transformers out of the main chassis is not enough. Energy must be transferred through a path that is stable, safe and consistent with the system's current capacity. This is why Stage #3 uses a Harting multipole connection with a locking mechanism. Even the way the cable is assembled and routed is part of the design. Physical separation creates value only when the electrical link is treated with the same discipline.

The signal is digital. But the machine that carries it still obeys the laws of matter.

Stage #3 MKII uses feet machined from solid aluminum, contributing to the unit's stability and to the management of stresses transmitted by the supporting surface. Particular attention is also devoted to:

• component placement;

• the assembly of internal wiring;

• the connection between the two chassis;

• the reduction of unnecessary paths;

• the control of vibration transmitted by surfaces and by the environment.

Stage #3 MKII is cooled by fully passive technology.

The two full-size chassis offer more volume and surface area to organize heat dissipation and keep components within their intended operating conditions.

The absence of forced ventilation eliminates mechanical noise in the listening room.

But the real goal is not only audible silence. It is keeping the machine stable without introducing a new source of vibration.

The engine you prefer. A machine built to let it work in the best conditions.

Stage #3 MKII uses an Intel architecture selected to work effortlessly with advanced playback software, extensive libraries and high-resolution audio processing. It integrates 16 GB of memory with ECC on-die technology, contributing to data-integrity control and operational stability.

Sound quality emerges from the relationship between power, processing, memory, temperature, operating system and interfaces. Stage #3 is designed to control each of these domains.

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The system is configured around your listening.

Stage #3 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.

Stage #3 MKII integrates a 2.5GbE Ethernet connection. On request, it can be configured with two fully independent network cards. This architecture makes it possible to separate different functions, for example dedicating:

• one port to the home network and streaming services;

• a second to the NAS;

• or a dedicated connection to a compatible network DAC.

The dual interface is not about nominal speed. It is about reducing sharing between paths and devices performing different tasks. The network is treated as part of the source, not as an IT add-on.

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;

• optical S/PDIF;

• coaxial S/PDIF;

• I²S on request.

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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 #3 MKII includes 4 TB of internal storage as standard, expandable to 20 TB. You can keep your library inside the machine, play content from a NAS, or use streaming services. The different sources come together in a single control experience — without giving up ownership of your files, and without depending solely on an external connection.

Every Stage #3 MKII is built and configured individually. Before building, we analyze:

• DAC;

• digital interface;

• network;

• NAS;

• library;

• software;

• streaming services;

• processing needs;

• control preferences.

On request, storage, memory, network interfaces and other parameters compatible with the architecture can be customized. Customization does not mean adding options indiscriminately. It means avoiding unnecessary components and configuring the necessary ones around your needs.

Every Stage #3 is built by hand, individually, in Italy.

Manual construction allows us to control what standardized production tends to ignore: cable routing, mechanical couplings, software configuration and the overall behavior of the machine.

Each unit is built, configured, calibrated and tested before shipping.

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On delivery, we personally take care of:

• installing Stage #3 MKII in your system;

• configuring the network;

• connecting the DAC;

• setting up the playback software;

• importing or indexing the library;

• a complete guide to operation.

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As a TDA customer you can also rely - beyond legal warranty - on included after-sales support, unmatched in the industry, comprising technical checks and software-side interventions performed directly through a secure remote connection, for maximum convenience and flexibility.

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.