STAGE #4 MKII

All the engaging and realistic sound our streamers & music servers are known for, taken a step further by engineering that you can hear immediately.

A more sophisticated power supply, hardware upgraded to our own specification, and a patented mechanical resonance system: Stage #4 MKII sets new performance records in its segment, and turns listening into something rare: engagement and sonic realism unmatched at this price and beyond.

The power supply, capable of delivering up to 20 amperes, consists of three fully independent, autonomous lines, served by 3 Audio Grade toroidal transformers.

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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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The power circuits - oversized pure-copper traces, symmetrical layout, extremely short paths - favor a more efficient transient response.

The internal wiring is strictly hand-assembled, with top-tier conductors selected one by one.

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Filtering - 37,000 µF in total - is entrusted to a bank of Rubycon, ELNA, ClarityCap and Jantzen Audio capacitors, while the high-precision resistors boast 0.1% tolerances.

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.

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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.

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The power supply lives in a chassis physically separate from the streamer.

The connection is entrusted to an umbilical cable with a Harting multipole connector, fitted with a safety lock against accidental release.

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.

Extreme care and diligence are devoted to the control of vibrations and resonance frequencies, managed through three decoupling devices per chassis - patented and purpose-built to our specifications in collaboration with the Italian company Omicron Group - featuring each a 8 spheres control system.

Stage #4 MKII is cooled by fully passive technology, designed to ensure maximum component longevity and a pure listening experience, uncontaminated by background noise.

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The two full-size chassis offer more volume and surface area to organize heat dissipation and keep components within their intended operating conditions, helped by the generous lateral heatsinks.

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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 #4 MKII exploits the architecture of latest-generation Intel® processors.

The processor is selected and set to ensure maximum computing precision together with the highest integrity of the data sent to the converter - a result reinforced by the implementation of ECC on-die memory.

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The system is configured around your listening.

Stage #4 MKII supports the leading software and services dedicated to digital playback:

• Roon;

• HQPlayer;

• Qobuz Connect;

• Tidal;

• JRiver;

• Spotify Connect;

• Pure ASIO Player.

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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.

To offer you the best listening experience, the streamer is equipped with two fully independent network cards, based on innovative LAN technologies - improving the listening experience of music streaming services and/or maximizing the performance of any device on your network (NAS and more).

Both LAN ports are also optimized to offer the best connection option for D/A converters based on the advanced AES67 standard - RAVENNA and DANTE.

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 #4 MKII offers an 8 TB HDD as standard, expandable to 20 TB.

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We recommend HQPlayer as the audio engine, paired with Roon, Tidal or Qobuz, for an extraordinary listening experience.

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As with other models of the line, you can manage playback in complete comfort from tablet or smartphone, through the remote-control app of your chosen software player.

Every specification can be built to your order.

Each machine is strictly assembled by hand. 

That is what lets us control what mass production ignores: cable routing, mechanical couplings, software configuration, the behaviour of the machine as a whole. And then even its placement in your listening room.

Each one is then calibrated and tested for 2 weeks before it ships. 

Build time is 40 to 60 days: it is made after you order it, not taken off a shelf.

In Italy, we deliver it ourselves. Installed in your system, configured, and handed over in person, with everything you need to run it.

Support is included from that day, beyond the legal warranty: technical checks and software work are carried out over a secure remote connection, without shipping the machine anywhere.

Stage #4 MKII is a high-end source built to your specification, by hand, and supported by the people who built it.