Rotel's do-it-all DAC/headphone amp wants to be your "ultimate desktop audio companion"

(Image credit: Rotel)

It's never too late to embark on new beginnings. Rotel has launched the DX-3 – the first standalone headphone amplifier in the brand's 60-plus year history. The Rotel DX-3 isn't just a headphone amplifier, though. It is also a DAC, it has built-in Bluetooth, digital and analogue inputs, and it can be used as a preamplifier.

Rotel pitches the DX-3 as the "ultimate desktop audio companion", and we can imagine its compact footprint will appeal to many of us who want high-quality hi-fi kit but are short on space. It measures 7.6cm x 21.5cm x 24.7cm – which is only a little bit bigger than the WiiM Ultra streamer's size.

You can plug a wide range of wired headphones into the DX-3, with Rotel stating it is compatible with high, medium and low-impedance cans, while users can also select the amplifier gain to suit their headphones. There are 6.3mm and 4.4mm balanced headphone connectors on the front panel.

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The DX-3 also cater to wireless headphones users thanks to the inclusion of Bluetooth, with AAC and higher-quality aptX HD codecs supported.

The unit features an ESS Sabre ES9028PRO eight-channel DAC and is capable of handling hi-res audio files up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256. You'll get that maximum full native resolution using the USB type B input, while there are digital coaxial and optical inputs that can play 24-bit/192kHz files natively.

The DX-3 also features balanced XLR and stereo RCA analogue outputs, so you can use it as a preamplifier in an existing hi-fi set-up with a power amplifier, or use it to drive active speakers in a neat, compact system. There is also a pair of RCA line-level analogue inputs, which is unusual for a product of this type.

The "highest-grade components" are used in the DX-3 to deliver audiophile-grade performance from this headphone amplifier/DAC/preamp, which also has Rotel's renowned audio expertise behind it.

The low-noise toroidal transformer is custom-made and manufactured in-house, while high quality capacitors are used. The analogue and digital power supplies are isolated to reduce interference, while custom-engineered low pass filters and a fully balanced signal path further help to minimise unwanted noise and distortion from affecting the music.

All in all, Rotel aims to deliver music with "the ultimate resolution, rhythm and timing and on an immersive soundstage".

The unit itself looks rather smart, with the front panel boasting a full-colour display that shows off the volume level and source chosen, and a large, knurled volume control that delivers precise steps in 0.5dB increments.

The Rotel DX-3 will be available in silver and black finishes for £1399 / $1499 / €1499. It will be available in the UK and Europe from the end of March, with the rest of the world to follow soon after.

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Kashfia is the Hi-Fi and Audio Editor of What Hi-Fi? and first joined the brand 13 years ago. During her time in the consumer tech industry, she has reviewed hundreds of products (including speakers, amplifiers, turntables and headphones), been to countless trade shows across the world and fallen in love with hi-fi kit much bigger than her. In her spare time, Kash can be found tending to an ever-growing houseplant collection and shooing her cat Jolene away from spinning records.