DAC · PRIME
Rod Rain “PRIME” AK4499EX Authored DAC
Base device — Rod Rain AK4499EX. You source the donor yourself — I return it upgraded, under warranty.
Specification
- Chip
- AK4499EX · AKM
- Base unit
- Rod Rain AK4499EX
- Class after upgrade
- up to ~$2000
- Warranty
- 9 mo
- Turnaround
- 7–10 days
What was done
- Near-flagship balanced 32-bit DAC on the AKM AK4499EX, with built-in Bluetooth 5.1 and a class-AB headphone amplifier
- All stage power supplies replaced with proper ones, plus a separate ultra-low-noise supply for the converter
- The AK4499EX surrounding circuitry completely reworked
- The analogue output stage fully recalculated
- Every capacitor replaced with a genuine part
- The standard build includes an op-amp swap: 2× Muses02 + 1× Sparkos SS3602
Gallery
Video
A customer’s video review
Teardowns, sound comparisons and a customer’s video review — on my channel.