A Bundle of Quality and Value

Our Audiophile Desktop™ product bundle packs together a pair of "MasterClass™ 2504" desktop 2-way coaxial speakers and the "DACmini™ PX" desktop amplifier and DAC. The bundle also includes a travel case with custom foam cushioning as well as speaker and USB cables.

The Audiophile Desktop system was designed from the ground up to bring Hi-Fi sound right to the desktop for today's Internet-connected consumer. The DAC, amp and speakers are closely matched and properly voiced to work together in concert. The Audiophile Desktop bundle provides a complete digital audio listening solution in an easy to carry, protective case with custom-cut foam lining.

The Speakers

The new 'MasterClass 2504' near field speakers boldly define 'mastering-quality' sound for the listener's immediate environment, delivering audiophile sound to the desktop or the bookshelf. The unique transducer design utilizes a patented 'coplanar' driver technology, which eliminates interference between high and low frequencies, delivering focused sound with precise instrument definition and wide sound stage.

Each MasterClass 2504 speaker features a full-range, two-way 4" transducer, a carefully tuned bass-reflex cavity, a musical cross-over circuit with custom frequency-shaping components, 50Hz...20kHz frequency range and 25 watts of power-handling capability. The speakers are finished in black piano lacquer to match the black anodized finish of the DACmini PX.

The D/A Converter and Amplifier

DACmini PX is a compact DAC with built-in Class A headphone and Class D speaker amplifier designed to perfectly complement the MasterClass 2504 speakers. It's a preamp and digital to analog converter with multiple I/O options including: USB, optical, coax S/PDIF, analog input and output, and a front-mounted 1/4-inch connector for professional headphones. It features a proprietary JitterGuard™ jitter elimination system, and plug-and-play driverless USB connection on Windows, Mac, Linux and iOScomputers.

Galvanically-isolated, gold-plated RCA connectors provide analog input and output. The extended range volume control is matched to the MasterClass speakers and also accommodates a wide array of headphones, from IEMs to professional high-impedance models.

The DACmini PX's form-factor matches the classic Apple "Mac mini" computer footprint, creating a perfect platform for an audiophile-level music server on your desktop.

The Package

The bundle comes in a protective carry case designed to secure the precious components during travel (say, you are moving to a summer home). You can also use the case to store everything safely when not in use. We even made sure that the case was the right size to fit in the airplane's overhead compartment, for those who would not want to leave things to chance.

Coplanar-Coaxial Technology

Our Coplanar-Coaxial technology makes sure that bass frequencies, mid range frequencies and high frequencies all originate from the same point in space. This is not possible with traditional 2-way speakers, where the woofer and tweeter are located some distance away from each other. The main difference between the CEntrance driver and the traditional speaker design is extra clarity, precision imaging and solid soundstage, resulting from co-location of the two speaker drivers within the same enclosure.

Dual-Coil Driver

The innovative dual-coil driver behind the CEntrance MasterClass™ 2504 speakers confines the woofer and the tweeter within the same, shielded driver assembly. Mounting both drivers on a solid frame allows precise alignment of the drivers' emanating planes and ensures that all audio frequencies arriving at your ears come from the same spot in space, not from several different places. The picture on the left shows the driver assembly. You can see the tweeter connections at the top and the woofer connections towards the bottom. Both moving coils use the same magnet, a patented design. The CEntrance approach is the best possible way of making the two drivers sound like one. The solid metal enclosure further guarantees shielding from RF frequencies and results in clean sound reproduction, free from unwanted interference. These speakers will not interfere with video / TV screen technology, which is a prerequisite for desktop reference monitoring speakers.

Custom Crossover Network

The crossover circuit is at the heart of any dual-driver loudspeaker. It splits the audio signal into dual frequency bands that can be separately routed to the woofer and tweeter drivers. CEntrance developed a custom passive design to minimize phase shift, frequency non-linearity and resulting distortion. The audio-grade caps, oxygen-free copper in the custom-designed, core-less coil and custom low-leakage PCB make our crossover the reason MasterClass™ 2504 speakers sound so good.

Bass Reflex Port

The bass reflex port is an acoustic amplifier that uses the sound from the rear side of the diaphragm to increase the efficiency of the speaker at low frequencies. The CEntrance MasterClass™ 2504 speakers feature a carefully-tuned bass port that adds a boost to the lower end of the frequency response frequency response allowing the overall enclosure to be made smaller without compromising bass performance. Proper adjustment of the cabinet and port size and matching with driver characteristics results in a smaller book-shelf speaker with audiophile performance.

Solid Footing

CEntrance approached every little detail with highest degree of attention. The feet on the bottom of the speakers are bolted down, not glued, underscoring professional build quality. The feet contain the right amount of firm, resilient foam and offer the perfect balance of form and function. While allowing a necessary amount of cushioning, they feature a solid grip and disconnection from the surface for better bass. These speakers are gentle enough to not scratch your book shelf or desktop surface yet they will not slide around during operation.

Low-Impedance Binding Posts

The CEntrance MasterClass™ 2504 speakers feature gold-plated binding posts located on the back panel for easy access. Gold plating ensures freedom from corrosion and lowers the electrical impedance of the connection. This guarantees freedom from signal loss and stable operation for years to come.

Our binding posts accommodate standard banana plugs as well as cable lugs. The connectors are clearly labeled in accordance with industry-standard practices. The positive terminal is red and is located on the right. The negative terminal is black, located on the left.

CEntrance uses the same binding posts on the DACmini PX DAC/Amplifier, which is voiced and tuned to work together with MasterClass 2504 Speakers.

DACmini PX Power Amplifier

DACmini™ PX builds on where DACmini CX left off. PX stands for "Power eXperience" — it adds an integrated power amplifier to our already popular, award-winning DAC product. DACmini PX is really three products in one: DAC, Headphone amp and Power amp, all packaged in a compact chassis that looks equally great on a desk or on an equipment shelf.

The Class D power amp has 25W per channel power output. It features our own custom design that is based on the newest technology from Texas Instruments (CEntrance is an official 3-rd party design house for TI, so we get access to the newest stuff first). This techonlogy features lowest noise and super-low distortion. The digital outputs go through two stages of extra filtering to minimize RF interference and filter out all the grungy high-frequency components, leaving only audible frequencies on the wire.

Perfectly Integrated, Custom-Tuned Acoustical System

Setting up an audiophile system can be a time-consuming effort. Not only do you have to find the right components for your taste, you also have to make sure they sound good together. And sometimes that's difficult, because a perfectly good amp may not drive your favorite pair of speakers, or the DAC may not sound good with the preamp. The components may be great individually, but syngery could simply be missing.

What if someone took the time to painstakingly select and tune the most important components for you? What if they took the time to carefully match their critical performance characteristics? Well, that's what CEntrance did with the AudiophileDesktop™. For years, CEntrance specialized in integrating audio technology solutions for our corporate customers. We have integration experience and know when the "whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Now we bring that integration experience to you.

Digital Acoustical Synergy

This Audiophile Desktop™ system has "synergy" written all over it. We created the bundle by carefully tuning the speakers, the amplifier, the cables, the DAC and the preamp to work together in concert. And then we went one step further. We packaged this system in a compact, mobile travel case, so now you can take the audio quality with you anywhere you go! Let's see how this integartion comes together.

Audiophile Desktop System is shipping with specially designed Reserve Series Speaker Interconnect cable. These cables feature priprietary multicore, triple-sheilded design which offers more spacious sound, better definition, tighter bass and more openness in the highs.

The MasterClass™ 2504 Coplanar Coaxial Speakers are matched up with the amplifier in several important aspects:

1) Power handling capability

The amp's output is limited right at the edge of speakers' full power rating. It's almost impossible to clip the speakers and yet we push them to the max, so you get maximum loudness and no distortion.

2) Frequency response

While the amplifier in the DACmini PX features a linear frequency response and can drive most speakers, we took into consideration the loading effects of the passive linear crossover in our MasterClass 2504 speakers in tuning the power and transient handling capability. We've tuned the amp to the speaker's and crossover's overall impedance. Our amp is designed to have enough damping factor to avoid the pesky mid-bass resonance, which interferes with the frequency response.

3) Distortion

Coaxial transducers, and especially co-incident, or as we call them "coplanar" transducers are very revealing of non-linearities in the audio. They feature very low phase distortion because the highs and the lows originate at the same spot and reach your ear at the same time. We had to invest extra money and go with a low-noise and low-distortion amp design to take advantage of this revealing capability of our speakers. The amp doesn't add any distortion, which one could previously get away with because it would be masked by the speakers, but not with MasterClass 2504 sepakers. These ones reveal everything.

4) Form factor

The speakers and the amp comprise a product family that is designed together. The system features subtle conveniences. For example, when you position your DACmini PX on top of a speaker, the slant at the top of the speaker's grill would allow you you to easily adjust the volume while at the same time keeping the knobs out of the way and hard to accidentally bump (the knobs become inset). Many more features are awaiting a chance to thrill your senses, so go ahead and place your order today.

Cables are more than just a wire

CEntrance plays an active role in defining the leading edge of cable technology today. Our Reserve Series™ Speaker Cables are custom-designed, triple-shielded, and voiced to perfectly complement our MasterClass™ 2504 Speakers and DACmini™ PX integrated amplifier. These banana plug-terminated cables are a technological marvel, developed to preserve musicality and transparency of our Digital to Analog Converters and precise imaging of our Acoustical Transducers. These custom-designed cables were specifically developed for the Audiophile Desktop System™ and took a long time to tune just right. We are proud of the outcome.

The Audiophile Desktop System includes two 2.5M cables (left and right).

What's in a cable?

Cables are not just pieces of wire, but rather electronic circuits, which need to be designed right to sound right. The longer the cable, the more important this becomes. What's at stake here are signal loss and phase shift, both of which occur differently at different frequencies. If left untreated, these artifacts may lead to lack of definition, loss of imaging and reducition of clarity.

CEntrance designed its cables with the Physics of acoustical transmission in mind. We paid careful attention to such physical properties of copper as skin depth, flux density, dielectric capacitance, magnetic effects, etc. Using this knowledge, CEntrance designed a custom, triple-shielded, multi-core audio transmission system, where different copper cores pass different frequencies, ensuring the most musical signal transmission properties.

This level of detail in design results in sharper imaging, balanced frequency response, no exaggeration in any one frequency band and an overall musical tonality and balance. It took us a long time to arrive at the magic formula for the number of conductors and the gauges of the individual conductors. We think that the difference is very clear. Reviewers from major audiophile magazines agree.

The Reserve Series (tm) speaker cables from CEntrance are tuned to achieve a natural frequency balance and are a perfect companion for our DACmini(tm) PX integrated DAC/AMP and MasterClass(tm) 2504 coaxial speakers.