There are a total of five inputs:

• AES/EBU or S/PDIF via XLR, Toslink and RCA sockets.
• UPnP/DLNA via Ethernet.
• USB.
• Roon Ready.

Accepted formats: PCM 44.1kHz up to 384 kHz, DSD 64x / 128x.

Future formats can be accommodated via software updates.

• Line out unbalanced on RCA connector.
• Line out balanced on XLR connector.
• Headphone out on 1/4″ jack.
• Headphone out on 4-pin XLR connector.

Discrete output stages for both line and headphone outputs are employed.

The output levels can be set in a coarse manner with four steps to adapt for the amplifier or headphone connected. The levels can be set independently for line and headphone outputs.
No sound degrading servo mechanisms are used.

The DAC502 uses a built-in digital signal processing (DSP) chip for its audio processing. These algorithms are included:

• Room Equalizer – to suppress room modes for more accurate bass reproduction.
  
  
• Creative Equalizer – a tone control with low boost/cut, high boost/cut, and mid boost/cut. Very useful to correct those recordings which do not quite sound right.
  
  
• De-Essing – the automatic removal of overly bright sibilances from human voices. The sibilance effect can be more or less pronounced depending on your speakers or room acoustics.
  
  
• Constant Volume – adjusts the audio volume (loudness) to a constant value across all tracks played. Useful for “party mode” when the volume control should stay untouched.
  
  
• Vinyl Emulation – get that special sonic character of a record player based playback chain. We also employ an emulation of the DMM-CD procedure offered by the Stockfisch label.
  
  
• Crosstalk Cancelling (XTC) – for the playback of dummy head recordings or live recordings via speakers for an incredible live sensation. Dummy head recordings usually are listened to via headphones because they only work properly if the left channel goes to the left ear only and the right channel to the right ear only. With speakers this is difficult to achive as the left channel goes to the left and the right ear. But with some clever signal processing of the speaker channels is is possible to suppress the crosstalk, i.e. the audio going from the left speaker to the right ear and vice versa. If that works properly then the recording sounds as if one would be in the space where the recording has taken place. All the reverberation and 3D representation of the sound sources is there.(For speaker based playback only.)
  
  
• Loudness Control – a listening volume dependent equalization of the audio.
  
  
• Headphone Equalizer – to adapt any headphone to the listener’s ears in terms of frequency response.
  
  
• Crossfeed – to emulate a speaker based playback impression on headphones.

• A rotary encoder knob for changing parameters and for powering the unit on/off.
• A touch screen colour LCD display.
• An 1/4 inch headphone socket.
• An IR receiver.