PS Audio AirLens Network Streamer

PS Audio AirLens network streamer is a well featured and great sounding streamer with galvanic isolation. It's an excellent match for the PS Audio DirectStream DAC MkII or indeed to match with any other high end DAC.

Additionally, it has a very accurate reclocking of the audio signal, for jitter free sound. Moreover, it can handle PCM up to 384kHz and DSD up to 256 MHz (4X). Additionally, streaming services such as Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and MQA are built in.

AirLens is designed to create a very clean digital signal, free of hash and EMI for the best possible sounding audio. Please note as mentioned above, you will require an external DAC, and the output is via a gold plated coax connector or I2S.

Galvanic isolation

Galvanic isolation refers to the complete electrical isolation of the input and output stages of a streamer, such as the AirLens. Normally a power supply will feed both sections with a common ground and live feed. If a non-isolated device is connected to the input it will transfer any noise to the output and DAC stage, via the common ground.

The PS Audio solution is to have two fully isolated stages, by using a low noise galvanically isolated DC-to-DC convertor. The power supply is then fed to each section with no physical connection only air. Hence the name AirLens. The result is a music streaming solution with no induced jitter, haze or congestion.

Digital Lens Technology

Digital audio signals rely upon a stable clock signal. This is critical to the overall sound, However, the clock provided by a PC or Streaming interface can often have noise and instability imposed on it. This interferes with the edges of the data pulses, leading to a mushy sound and dropouts.

Digital audio signals do not have their own clock signal, this is provided by the device. Therefore PS Audio re-clocks the signal, using a very accurate internal clock. The AirLens streamer stores the incoming audio data into a RAM buffer and then adds the very stable clock signal to it. On readout, the audio is then fed to the DAC with no noise or interference. Streaming music now rivals the playback of local files, in quality and stability.

Connectivity

The audio data can be input over a network via a hard-wired ethernet cable or Wi-Fi. There is also an S/PDIF optical output. The digital output for a DAC, uses a gold plated coaxial RCA connector. There is also an I2S output. The I2S interface separates the audio data and clock signal, for a simpler connection, to other I2S enabled equipment.

What is a streamer?

The AirLens in a network interface, in that it does not have a built-in DAC. Its main purpose is to provide the best possible digital signal to an external DAC. Streamers work by connecting to a remote server, that stores audio files. There is also some kind of user interface such as Roon, that lets the user select the service to connect to, and the file to play.

The steamer then outputs through some kind of port such as S/PDIF or USB. However, USB was not designed to send audio signals. It is a two-way bus and subject to all kinds of noise and interference. Hence the AirLens was developed to strip out all of the noise.

Who are PS Audio

PS Audio are a US company that engineers products in-house, and from the ground up. Sophisticated design and evaluation tools are used to harness the latest technologies to get the best out of digital audio. PS audio products are all hand built in the U.S.A. by a small team, to investment level standards. They now make a wide range of high-end audio products.