Gold Note DS-10 User manual

il suono italiano
OWNERʼS MANUAL
DS-10
HIGH-END DAC - STREAMER - LINE PREAMP - HEADPHONES AMPLIFIER

INDEX
PACKAGE CONTENT...... ...............................................................................................................................
INTRODUCTION AND FEATURES
..................................................................................................................
SPECIFICATION
...........................................................................................................................................
FRONT PANEL
..............................................................................................................................................
REAR PANEL................
...............................................................................................................................
SELECT FUNCTIONS
.....................................................................................................................................
REMOTE CONTROL..........
...........................................................................................................................
DS-10 FEATURES
.........................................................................................................................................
CONTROL APP.................
...........................................................................................................................
NETWORK SETUP.............
..........................................................................................................................
CONNECTING OTHER SOURCES.............
......................................................................................................
IMPORTANT NOTES.......................................................................................................................................
WARRANTY AND SERVICE..............................................................................................................................
TROUBLESHOOTING........
............................................................................................................................
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION.............
...............................................................................................
P. 3
P. 4
P. 6
P. 7
P. 8
P. 9
P. 10
P. 11
P. 12
P. 17
P. 19
P. 20
P. 21
P. 22
P. 23
2

PACKAGE CONTENT
AC cable
Ethernet cable
1 Wi-Fi antenna
1 Bluetooth antenna
Remote control + battery
User manual
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3

INTRODUCTION AND FEATURES
4
AUDIO STREAMING JUST BECAME BETTER
DS-10 is designed to cover the needs of the con-
temporary audiophile completing any audio system
while offering almost all kind of internet and digital
connectivity with the purity of the premium Gold
Note High-End audio performance in a convenient
elegant shape.
DS-10 is an innovative D/A Converter inspired by
the acclaimed top model DS-1000 merging the ex-
tended features of IS-1000 all-in-one unit adding
a even something more: To make the DS-10 even
more interesting we have introduced a High-End
headphones amplifier and Bluetooth 5.0 for the
first time ever.
DIGITAL AUDIO DAC AND FULL FUNCTION
STREAMER
DS-10 is a new generation D/A Converter and
UPnP, DLNA Streamer created to revolution any
audio system being able to browse Web Streaming
Players and Digital Sources.
DS-10 can be matched with traditional CD player,
TV or Media Server as well as it is compatible with
almost all Internet services including Roon, Tidal,
Qobuz, Airplay, Spotify, Deezer, V-Tuner, from
which it can play DSD, PCM and MQA formats all to
enjoy real "High-End Audio" as a new refreshing
experience, hassle and cable free.
QUICK TO INSTALL AND EASY TO USE
DS-10 is a true High-End Audio DAC capable of
audiophile sound from digital files featuring
Streamer and Network Player functions to help en-
joying favorite music always with the greatest au-
dio quality, fully controlled via App, remote and
front knob to make it work super easily.
PREAMPLIFIER AND HEADPHONES AMP
DS-10 also features an On/Off switchable High-
End audio analogue preamp stage. All the different
remote controls including a computer App make it
easy to control DS-10 synchronizing the unit to all
functions and letting even the web players play
analogue volume when the preamp stage is acti-
vated, guaranteeing the best performance ever.
DS-10 also features a professional 6.3 mm head-
phones output with a proprietary design which al-
lows selecting the sensitivity to drive almost any
kind of headphones on the market.

INTRODUCTION AND FEATURES
MORE TIME FOR MUSIC, LESS TIME TO MAKE
IT WORK
DS-10 offers multiple solutions to play your fa-
vorite music being a D/A converter playing native
DSD64/128 and PCM up to 32bit/384kHz via USB,
LAN and Wi-Fi through a cutting edge AKM
AK4493 featuring 1x Coax, 2x Optical, 1x AES, 1x
USB-A and 1x USB-B inputs to guarantee great
versatility.
TANK MECHANICAL STRUCTURE
DS-10 features a great mechanical structure made
of solid machined steel and thick aluminum panels
to guarantee low frequency resonance, feedback
vibrational control and low magnetic inertial field.
UPGRADE WHEN YOU WANT TO
Thanks to the unique and innovative Gold Note
modular design DS-10 will be able to optionally
drive a special external inductive power supply
(PSU-10) to effectively enhance the native perfor-
mance of the unit.
NEW TOTAL CONTROL OVER YOUR SYSTEM
A nice looking 2,8” TFT monitor displays all the in-
formation in a clear menu that's easy to browse,
showing all USB inputs, digital inputs and radio
stations.
Thanks to the exclusive SKC (Single Knob Control)
on the front panel, the handset remote control
and the Gold Note App the unit becomes an ex-
tremely user-friendly source you can always easily
control from any listening position.
DS-10 features an easy set up Apple iOS and An-
droid proprietary software for full control via
iPhones and iPads as well as smart phones and
tablets.
The App makes it easy to control even the digital
inputs displaying all meta data, cover and informa-
tion registered on the track as well as real resolu-
tion format.
5

SPECIFICATION
MAIN FEATURES
D/A Converter AKM AK4493 PCM up to
32bit/768kHz and DSD512 native
Streamer Network Player PCM and DSD
Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz +/-0.1dB
THD – Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.001% max
Signal to Noise ratio: -125dB
Dynamic range: 120dB
Output impedance: 50Ω
Preamp Stage Volume Control: enabled/disabled
DIGITAL INPUTS
•1 Ethernet LAN and Wi-Fi DSD64 (DoP) Resolu-
tion: PCM up to 24bit/192kHz
•1x RCA S/PDIF coaxial PCM asynchronous up to
24bit/192kHz
•2x TOS-optical PCM asynchronous up to
24bit/192kHz
•1 COAX asynchronous up to 24bit/192kHz
•1x AES/EBU balanced PCM asynchronous up to
24bit/192kHz
•1x USB-A port to feed USB flash memories,
FAT32/NTFS formatted playing DSD64 and PCM up
to 24bit/192kHz
•1 x USB-B asynchronous native up to DSD512
and PCM up to 32bit/384kHz
AUDIO OUTPUTS
Line output level (fixed): stereo RCA @ 1Volt and
balanced XLR @ 2Volt
POWER
Mains supply: 100V to 240V, 50/60Hz
Multiple Transformer proprietary power supply
Power consumption: 30W
MAIN CONNECTIVITY
LAN/WLAN (WiFi): 802.11b/g via RJ45
10/100Mbps socket - Bluetooth 5.0
SUPPORTED AUDIO FORMATS (NETWORK)
AIFF (.aif, .aiff, .aifc)
ALAC
WAV (.wav) packed/unpacked
FLAC
MP3
DSF, DFF
Apple Lossless
OGG
Monkey's
(IMPORTANT: UPnP server must support DSD
streaming in order to stream DSD files).
SUPPORTED MEDIA SERVERS
All UPnP / DLNA / Roon
EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLY
PSU-10 EVO: external inductive multi trans-
former power supply
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
220mm W | 80mm H | 260mm D - 4 kg
FINISHES
Brushed anodised Aluminium available in Black,
Silver or Gold
REMOTE CONTROL
Multifunctional remote control/handset
APP
Mconnect control
6

7
FRONT PANEL
FRONT PANEL OVERVIEW
DS-10 is an innovative D/A Converter, Streamer with a High-End headphones amplifier and Bluetooth 5.0.
Everything has been designed to provide the best experience and thanks to the exclusive SKC (Single Knob Control)
the unit becomes a friendly plug-and-play source that can be fully controlled even without the remote.
All the information and features are easy to read and access on the display at any time, so you will also have
complete control over the system.
SKC (Single Knob Control)
DISPLAY
LED STANDBY/ON-OFF

REAR PANEL
REAR PANEL OVERVIEW
DS-10 features a wide selection of connections to offer the best versatility and become the core of a real High-
End system that will deliver audio in true audiophile quality:
- 7 digital inputs
- 2 stereo analog outputs (XLR balanced and RCA unbalanced)
1
2
ANALOG LINE OUTPUT
RCA unbalanced
XLR balanced
DIGITAL INPUT
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
USB HOST (A type)
USB DAC (B type)
Ethernet
AES/EBU balanced
WI-FI Antenna*
RCA S/PDIF COAX
TOS 1
TOS 2
WI-FI led
AC plug IEC standard
Bluetooth Antenna*
*PLEASE NOTE: the antennas must be mounted.
PSU IN
GN Link connector
POWER AND OTHERS
678910
11
12
13
14
15
12
5
16
443
WPS WI-FI reset
8

SELECT FUNCTIONS
HOW TO SELECT THE FUNCTIONS
1. press the knob once to activate the SELECTION FRAME
2. turn the knob left or right until the desired function is highlighted by in white then press the knob to select it
3. the frame will turn red: now you can turn the knob to change the function
4. press the knob again when the desired value is set to confirm and exit the selection
SINGLE PUSH
TURNING ON/OFF DS-10
To turn on/off the unit, press and hold the knob for 3 seconds.
3 SEC. PUSH
9

REMOTE CONTROL
ENTER
activates the SELECTION FRAME
and selects the functions, just like
you would do by pressing the knob
POWER ON/OFF
use POWER ON/OFF to turn ON and OFF
the DS-10
DAC
To control DS-10 press the button
DAC on the remote control
VOLUME
use VOL+ and VOL- to adjust the
volume level by 1 step at a time
MUTE
use MUTE to instantly mute the DS-
10 the input selection is disabled
while DS-10 is in MUTE
INPUT SELECTION
use IN+ and IN- to change the
selected input.
use IN+ and IN- when the SELECTION
FRAME is red (active selection) to
change the function and set the
desired value
DISPLAY
Dimmer in 4 step:
Full, 50%, 25%, OFF
USING THE REMOTE CONTROL
DS-10 is supplied with a Gold Note remote control to help you conveniently operate the DAC without even touching the knob
located on the frontal panel.
With the remote control you can fully access every function just like you would when using the knob.
10

DS-10 FEATURES
- select this input to use the streaming services, for music on local servers storage and airplay
- balanced input to connect additional sources from your system, like a professional CD Player
- input to connect additional sources (USB drive)
- input to connect additional sources (PC/MAC)
- digital inputs to connect additional sources, CD/TV
- digital inputs to connect additional sources, CD/TV
- share music from your phone or computer
NETWORK
AES
USB A type
USB B type
TOS 1, 2
COAX
BLUETOOTH
VOLUME
0 to 100
DISP
Turn the display ON / OFF
/ Dimmer.
When the display is OFF,
simply operate the knob or
the remote to turn it ON
again temporarily (timing
is 3 seconds)
PHONES/LINE OUT
Select and choose one
of the two listening
modes: Headphones
or Line out
AUDIO FORMAT
ENABLE FUNCTION
PRE = volume
DAC = fixed output
MUTE
HIGH - LOW
Browse and select one of the power output
options depending on your Headphones.
The possibility to choose the right
sensitivity allows matching any kind of
Headphones model.
HIGH = 5Watt / LOW = 1Watt
FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS
DS-10 was developed using proprietary technologies and features designed to offer the best audiophile sound quality
but also to achieve ease of use and versatility in order to always deliver a great performance with a large variety of
loudspeakers.
INPUT SELECTION
CONNECT PSU-10 EVO
When external PSU is
connected the message
PSU showed on the
display and the led
ON/OFF on the front
panel became green.
11

CONTROL APP
repeat the whole track list
play the whole track list once
repeat the current track
TRACK LIST ORDER
random or sequential
PLAY TO
select the music player
SEEK
FAVORITES
folders and tracks
BROWSER
streaming services and local music
PLAY/PAUSE, STOP, SKIP
QUEUE
track list
DEVICE SETUP PANEL CONTROL
DOWNLOAD THE CONTROL APP
Scan the QR Code to download the iOS or Android DS-10 Remote Control App or search “Mconnect Control” on
Apple App Store or Google PlayStore.
ANDROID QR
CODE iOS QR CODE
IMPORTANT
To use Gold Note DS-10 Remote app, the
phone/tablet must be connected to the
same network of DS-10.
12

CONTROL APP
FIRMWARE UPDATE
if there is a new update for the firmware the app
notifies it and let you update the DS-10
WIFI STATIC IP ADDRESS SETUP
LAN STATIC IP ADDRESS SETUP
WIFI NETWORK SELECTION
connect the device to a different Wi-Fi network
DEVICE NAME CHANGE
rename the device on the network
DEVICE SETUP
DEVICE INFO
Gapless playback is available here
DEVICE SETUP AND INFO
13

CONTROL APP
SORT TRACKS
Music tracks in a folder can be sorted by track
number and track name.
It can be applied even for each folder.
CLOUD SETUP
enable and disable:
- STREAMING SERVICES
- CLOUD SERVICES
CLOUD SETUP
In CLOUD SETUP you will be able to turn ON/OFF all the streaming services available on DS-10 as:
TIDAL ,QOBUZ,DEEZER,VTUNER, SPOTIFY, MQA, ROON. You will also be able to turn ON/OFF the cloud storage services as:
DROPBOX and ONEDRIVE.
14

CONTROL APP
PLAY TO AND BROWSER
BROWSER
In the "Browser" tab choose the source of the music:
STREAMING SERVICES
Deezer | TIDAL | MQA | Qobuz | Roon | Spotify |
VTuner
CLOUD STORAGE SERVICES
Dropbox | OneDrive
LOCAL SERVERS
Network NAS and UPnP/DLNA services
USB flash drives are listed as "DS-10 Server"
PLAY TO
Select the "Play To" tab and then select DS-10.
Please be sure that the DS-10 is connected to the
same network the mobile device is using.
If the App doesn't show the DS-10 it is most likely
due to the fact the mobile device is connected to a
different network than the DS-10.
15

CONTROL APP
FAVORITES
Use this button to add folders
and tracks to your Favorites list.
The folder/tracks will be then
listed in the Favorites tab.
You can find the Favorites tab in
the bottom menu.
MY PLAYLISTS
New playlists can be created using
this button when you are in the My
Playlist screen. Use this tab to
manage your playlists, rename or
delete them.
You can create a new playlist also
while browsing music on Streaming
services and local servers.
If you don't want to create a new
Playlist, simply add the tracks to
the playback Queue.
CLOUD SETUP
16

NETWORK SETUP
WLAN CONNECTION
DS-10 supports both Wired LAN and Wi-Fi connection.
To use a Wired LAN connection simply plug the cable into the Ethernet port on the rear panel and you are ready to go.
WI-FI CONNECTION VIA WPS
The easiest way to connect DS-10 to your network via Wi-Fi is to use the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) function available
on DS-10 and your router:
to press and hold for about 10 seconds the Wi-Fi Reset button on the rear panel of DS-10 and release it when the blue led start
flashing fast
press the WPS button on your router (please refer to the instruction manual)
wait until DS-10 automatically connect to your network
the blue led will turn ON when the DS-10 is connected and ready
1-
2-
3-
4-
17

NETWORK SETUP
[in App screen][in App screen][mobile device screen]
2- turn ON the Wi-Fi on your mobile device and scan the networks to find GOLD-NOTE_XXX
3- connect to GOLD-NOTE_XXX using "password" as password
4- open the App and go into DEVICE SETUP > Wi-Fi Network Selection
5- here are listed the wireless connections available, select the one you want to use with DS-10
6- DS-10 is now connected to the selected Wi-Fi network
7- connect your mobile device to the same network used by DS-10
DS-10 WIFI AP MODE
In case your router doesn't support the WPS function or you can't access it, use the Wi-Fi Access Point Mode:
1- Press and hold for 5 seconds the WPS Wi-Fi Reset button on the rear panel of DS-10 and release it and wait
when the blue led start flashing slow DS-10 will create its own wireless network.
18

CONNECTING SOURCES VIA DIGITAL INPUT
You can connect digital sources to DS-10 using the digital inputs located on the rear panel.
CONNECTING OTHER SOURCES
19