Despite its German origin, the unfussy casing of the Henry 128k Mk III DAC makes it look as if most of the budget has been spent on the internals. I don't mean that in a disparaging way as some of the best audio gear I've ever heard had a slightly homespun look about it, and what that gear lacked in flashing lights and slick industrial design was more than made up for in the selection of components and the sound it produced.
Despite its German origin, the unfussy casing of the Henry 128k Mk III DAC makes it look as if most of the budget has been spent on the internals. I don't mean that in a disparaging way as some of the best audio gear I've ever heard had a slightly homespun look about it, and what that gear lacked in flashing lights and slick industrial design was more than made up for in the selection of components and the sound it produced.
![Res Res](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AbLmpESH1NI/maxresdefault.jpg)
The rear of the Henry Mk3 DAC features a USB input and a regular pair of RCA phono stereo outputs.
Børge Strand-BergesenIn this Mk III iteration of the Henry DAC, there’s very little in the way of controls. All you need are some music files on your laptop, a USB to Mini USB cable and a suitable Hi-Res music app, such as Audirvana Plus, on your computer to handle those big files. At the rear of the DAC are two RCA phono sockets for left and right channels that are fed to an audio system’s amplifier. And that’s all you have to do. The power supply for the DAC is provided a computer's USB port and the DAC auto-senses the type of digital file it's receiving and then sets about turning the digital file into a beautifully smooth analog signal.
The Henry 128k Mk III handles digital files from 44.1 to 192kHz, which should cover most types you’re likely to come across. Sit back and listen to this impressive little DAC and you’ll appreciate how good it is at opening up the music on your PC or Mac. If you’ve been feeding music directly from the 3.5mm headphone socket on your computer you’re in for a real treat. By taking the direct digital signal, music is processed by the onboard DAC inside the 128k Mk III and it really does make a huge difference. I found myself listening to music with a fresh ear as the DAC squeezed all the detail stored in your digital music which the cheap onboard DAC that you get when using a computer to do the conversion. And a big bonus with using a USB DAC on a Windows PC is that the latest version of Windows enables the use of a USB DAC without the need to install a specific driver, just as Mac users have always been able to do. Thanks, Mircosoft.
The Henry Mk3 DAC doesn't require a software driver if your computer is running MacOS or the latest version of Windows.
Børge Strand-BergesenVerdict: As DACs go, the Henry Audio 128 MkIII may not look as polished as some other models on the market but it will do as good a job or better than many DACs costing much more money. You don’t get additional inputs such as coax or optical ports which would be nice if you wanted to hook up an old CD player, maybe that will come in MkIV. The Henry Audio 128k Mk III is aimed at an enthusiast market but if you want to play Hi-Res audio files or get more from your collection of ripped CDs stored on your computer, then this is a cost-effective way of doing it and the sound is excellent. If you keep your music collection on a Mac or PC, this is the best value upgrade you can buy to bridge the gap between your computer and audio system.
Prices:$249/€219/£179
More info: http://www.henryaudio.com
Specifications:
- Type: open-source programmable USB DAC
- Input: Asynchronous USB powered by Golledge high-quality crystal oscillators at 22.5792 and 24.576MHz
- Output: RCA phono stereo
- Sampling rates supported: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192ksps
- DAC: Asahi Kasei AKM4430 DAC
- USB Types: Class 1 and Class 2
- (Class 2 requires ASIO driver on Windows only)
- Fully user programmable
- Dimensions: (W×H×D): 11.4×3.3×12.8cm
- Weight: 300g