For most audiophiles out there, Mytek probably does not say much as a brand name. It is, however, a company well known to audio professionals and enough discussed among some advanced home audio users looking for a good quality, high-resolution capable USB DAC. The reason for this has a name: Stereo 192DSD. The compact-sized DAC/Headphone amp left excellent impressions when reviewed here (only in Greek). This is hardly a surprise, of course. Mytek, in the 192DSD case, did what a manufacturer usually does for a device targeted to professionals: they designed an effective, comprehensive and quite affordable device, close to the state of the art in terms of features and specs in its price range. The result was for 192DSD to find its way towards a niche audiophile audience, something that happened before with similar products, from Weiss, Benchmark, and Grace to name some.

The case with the Manhattan is clearly different. From the first time the device appeared in public (in Europe, that is) Mytek's people (looking quite enthusiastic as I recall) made it clear that this is a sophisticated product aimed at the discerning listener who wants something more in aesthetic issues, in quality semiotics (mainly in the chassis design and the ergonomics) and a more “home system friendly” orientation, obviously without any sacrifice in sound quality terms.
The final product is sufficiently convincing -at least visually as you can conclude looking at the photos accompanying this text. Mytek obviously tried their best to escape the pro-audio design austerity and to give something different (and quite larger in size…) but, at the same time, has not forgotten their roots. The result is that the Manhattan is a complex, multiple role device, which can be used mainly as a USB/Firewire DAC but, also, as an analog preamp and headphone amplifier. This is quite interesting. Let's look at the details.

Dimitris Stamatakos

Text Data
Original Publilcation: 2015/09/22	Last Follow Up: 2015/09/22	Original Language: Greek (Translated)

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