Sony TA-DR1a Stereo Digital Amplifier

Sony unveiled new digital amplifier - TA-DR1a. It sure looks cool but the technical characteristics are not very promising given the high price of the unit 1,260,000 Yen (about $11262). THD is <0.15%. One should expect this number be way lower in 0.05 area for the price. SNR ( signal to noise ratio ) is reported to be above 90Db that isn't good enough. This amp also got digital optical and i.Link (IEE1394) inputs that presumably are pass-through since there should be no decoder to work with those inputs. The power output is rated at 150Watts at 8 Ohms and 300Watts at 4 Ohms over full frequency range of 20Hz-20000Hz. The unit will be available in Japan late November.