Conspicuous “CAD” logos filled the front door of Computer Audio Design’s exhibit at High End 2025. What is this? I wondered. Computer-aided design has been used for decades in designing hi-fi products. Could this be a system designed by a computer? Was I about to hear a system designed by AI?
Thankfully, the answer was no. But that doesn’t mean that the system in the CAD room wasn’t cutting-edge. I’d stumbled upon a hidden gem, a room filled with top-shelf gear from a handful of brands that haven’t made much of a splash in North America, but are trying to—and deserve to. As such, note the mix of currencies in this article. Prices are quoted in euros, British pounds, and, when available, US dollars.
My curiosity about the brand name led me to a conversation with company founder Scott Berry. A man with infectious enthusiasm, Berry told me that he’d founded the firm when he foresaw, circa 2009 or 2010, that integrating computers into music systems would be the future of home audio. At the time, streaming and internet radio were beginning to make waves, but had yet to achieve widespread adoption. Berry had recognized—correctly—that there were not yet adequate solutions for using computers as audio components. People used laptops, desktop PCs, and Mac Minis, but there was nothing purpose-built for high-fidelity playback. He developed a high-end music server and CAD’s first DAC, the 1543, both of which saw success in the UK. Berry said the brand has always been focused on developing digital-audio solutions that emphasize ultra-low noise and accuracy in timing.
At High End 2025, CAD brought the latest iteration of its DAC, the 1543 MkIII ($21,450/€22,600/£17,950). The 1543 MkIII uses 20 (!) Philips resistor-ladder DAC chips and has five independent low-noise power supplies. Berry told me the company has recently stopped selling music servers, as the market has become so oversaturated with suitable solutions, but nonetheless used the Windows-based CAD Audio Transport as the source. It cost around $21,000 when it was available. Additionally, CAD makes several devices it calls Ground Control, which are meant to passively remove noise. The big flagship grounding unit you can see between the amplifiers is the Ground Control GC-R ($32,450/$€33,500/£27,500).
The other electronics in the room were made by another British manufacturer, Trilogy Audio. The big, bad 995R mono power amps combine tube front ends with solid-state output stages. They sell for €56,000 a pair in Europe and £43,000 in the UK. The speakers were bi-amped, thus two pairs of mono amps. The preamp was the 915R fully-balanced unit, which is priced at €27,950 in the EU and £21,500 in Britain. I was told that though there were no prices in USD, there is a North American distributor for Trilogy, so at least in theory, they may be available in the Western Hemisphere. Completing the system was a pair of El Diablo speakers by the Danish high-end brand Peak Consult. These sell for €65,000 per pair. Finally, the principals from CAD and Trilogy were proud to announce that the cabling was from my home country, by Purist Audio in Texas.
So how did this computer-based audio system sound? As I found the sweet spot between the Danish loudspeakers, everything snapped into focus, and the soundstage seemed to break away from the dimensions of the room, seemingly stretching 20 feet in all directions. The music was mostly audiophile dreck, some opera singer going nuts, but I didn’t care—the vocalist seemed to stand before me in 3D space, with a profound sense of dynamics. Other classical music was just as stylistically dreadful, but utterly euphoric sonically, with crashing dynamics and concert-hall spatiality. It sounded so good, I didn’t have the heart to ask them to play something more . . . offensive.
Maybe the next time I get to hear some CAD and Trilogy stuff, I’ll work up the stones to ask them to play something from Tool’s Lateralus.
Matt Bonaccio
Contributor, SoundStage!
