AURALiC VEGA G2.2

REVIEW
Jason Kennedy
Jun 30, 2025

The AURALiC VEGA G2.2 remains the top DAC in the brand’s range of digital audio components. The upcoming AQUILA X3 is the brand’s new modular platform, and that may challenge the VEGA G2.2 pole position.

However, as a standalone DAC, the AURALiC VEGA G2.2 is the best converter in its current range. It’s a serious piece of not-quite full-width kit, too. The build, fit and finish are exceptionally high. It weighs nearly 10 kilograms, which for a component that measures 34 x 32 cm square, feels dense. One reason for this is that the anodised aluminium casework. It conceals an internal case made from Nickel-plated pure copper. This serves as a shield to keep out radio frequency noise. AURALiC transitioned from a single-piece chassis to the multi-part construction seen in the G2.2 range a few years ago.

Most digital audio specialists RFI issues are well aware of RFI issues. However, few go to such lengths to protect the circuitry in their converters. The only companies that appear to appreciate the benefits of copper casework are in the tube electronics field. AURALiC discovered the material’s qualities through trial and error. Tube amp makers are likely doing the same with those products as well.

Same but different

The VEGA G2.2 is not a typical converter in any respect. For a start, it has a built-in analogue preamplifier with a relay-based volume control albeit only one purely analogue input. It is far better equipped when it comes to accepting digital sources of the wired variety. Unlike other AURALiC streamer/DACs, the VEGA G2.2 does not support wireless sources such as Bluetooth. Nor can it stream without an Ethernet cable plugged in. Did I mention that it’s a streamer? AURALiC calls the VEGA G2.2 a ‘streaming DAC’ and dubs the visually similar ALTAIR G2.2 a ‘digital audio streamer’. This makes them sound like the same thing, and in many ways, they are.

What the VEGA offers is the option to upgrade through its Lightning Link connections with a word clock. However, it doesn’t have the option of onboard storage for a music library that you get with the ALTAIR. That model is a more comprehensive one-stop solution. The VEGA G2.2 is, therefore, the more hardcore audiophile device with upgradability built in. Regardless, it sounds pretty good on its own.

Onboard buffer

One reason for this is the onboard data buffer, known as Direct Data Recording (DDR). DDR records the incoming stream into memory in a binary format and then processes and outputs it to the DAC. It means that the DAC doesn’t have to cope with fluctuations in data rates. These can cause power supplies to have to vary their output. Having separate 60 fs femto clocks for 44.1 kHz and above, and 48 kHz and above, means that the data is fed to the DAC with maximum precision and minimum jitter. AURALiC claims the VEGA G2.2 is immune to input signal distortion and jitter as a result.

AURALiC VEGA G2.2 internals

The DAC itself is a hybrid of a discrete ladder and Delta-Sigma designs. AURALiC uses only the switching network inside a DAC chip and takes over the other roles. These include PLL (phase lock loop), filtering and oversampling, and do these discretely. The AURALiC VEGA G2.2 also offers streaming and preamp functions as mentioned. However, those looking to get maximum thrill power from its conversion section can select the Pure DAC mode. This disables those features and dedicates all its efforts to delivering the cleanest analogue signals.

Lesser spotted

The preamp is not an afterthought though. It uses an analogue resistor ladder with coil latch relays that are only powered when the level is changed. This helps minimise noise. The streaming system has the benefit of AURALiC’s Lightning HD server software, this buffers all the metadata from attached drives or network servers and means that the Lightning control app displays the contents of your library with a degree of clarity that approaches the best in the business. You need to have it scan your music collection to do this but the process for doing so is straightforward with the app.

The only niggle is that it must scan the whole thing every time you add new music, there is no ‘scan recent additions’ which some apps offer. The way around this is to schedule a daily scan at a time when both VEGA and the server are turned on and let it run in the background.Alternatively, you can stream from the usual services alongside less common options including Amazon Music, Highresaudio and Netease (me neither), with both Spotify and Tidal Connect options plus internet radio.

Connection-wise, the VEGA G2.2 has pretty much the full gamut of options with AES, coax, Toslink and USB for starters, these are augmented by a LAN port for streaming, a single pair of RCA analogue inputs and a word clock connection. Two of the three HDMI ports are for AURALiC’s Lighting Link which can be used to hook up an Aries streamer and a LEO GX word clock, the third HDMI is an eARC for use with a TV or set-top box. Analogue outputs are as expected with the balanced being AURALiC’s preferred option.

Mmm… woody

Auditioning this AURALiC started with it connected directly to a Bricasti M25 power amp via XLR with a USB input from my Longdog Audio power-supplied Lumin U2 Mini, this revealed that the Bricasti has a lot of gain and the Acoustic Energy Corinium speakers are sensitive. The sound produced by this system was live and direct with strong immediacy and excellent timing. Removing the streamer and hooking the VEGA G2.2 up to the network brought out the gutsiness of the strings played by the Locrian Ensemble (Mendelssohn Octets) which had lots of texture but avoided sounding coarse, they were just woody and fluent. Joni Mitchell was great too (Herbie Hancock, ‘The Man I Love’, Gershwin’s World), with strong three-dimensionality. It worked well without a separate preamp into the Bricasti, coherently presenting lots of detail, dynamics improved when a decent line stage was used but the onboard volume is quite presentable.

The VEGA has a clean, open presentation that solidifies stereo imaging and projects voices well into the room with the right record, Laurie Anderson’s ‘Strange Angels’ was right on this occasion. It is powerful and clean in the bass, often pulling out low notes that elude my usual converter which sounded mid-strong by comparison, and a little bit rose-tinted for that matter. I used the AURALiC’s Smooth filter setting alongside the Clean balance option, the alternative to the latter being Tone Mode which enhances harmonics in a vaguely tubey kind of way but ultimately reduces transparency. If you want a more relaxed ride however it may well appeal.

Carbon connection

The dynamics on offer from the Laurie Anderson track were impressive but the VEGA reveals that the quality of ECM’s recording on Anouar Brahem’s Blue Maqams is vastly superior, the depth of image, the tone and shape of the bass and all-round resolution is superb. As the opportunity presented itself, I tried an ARIES G2.2 with the VEGA to contrast results with different digital connections. AudioQuest kindly leant a box of Carbon cables with different terminations, this revealed that coax sounds fluent and relaxed but not overly detailed or spacious.

Lightning Link has better imaging and finer nuancing of detail while USB sounds a bit drier; instrument and vocal tone not being as rich as AURALiC’s proprietary connection. AES was ultimately the best sounding however, it’s a little brighter than the Lightning Link but times superbly and has a very engaging fluency.This result will probably vary with speaker choice and taste of course but it was an interesting experiment and one that few other products offer so many different options to try.

Back to Lumin

I went back to listening to the AURALiC VEGA G2.2 with the Lumin streamer and my regular Network Acoustics muon2 USB cable which is a lot pricier than the AQ Carbon but does deliver notably superior results. With this combo Ali Farka Touré and Ry Cooder’s ‘Ai Du’ (Talking Timbuktu) just oozes quality, the languid pace of the rhythm section counterpointed by crisp guitars and all the space and time you could want. The VEGA producing an easy but precisely defined version of events that is very engaging indeed. The Liv Andrea Hauge trio album Ville Blomster is not from an audiophile label (Hubro) but the depth of image that this DAC finds on the album is superb, the piano playing is so strong and tactile, the instrument sitting solidly in the room as if it was right there.

VEGA G2.2 Back

I love the way that the AURALiC VEGA G2.2 is fast enough to define the attack and decay of each note without blurring the transients, it has excellent low-level resolution thanks to all the efforts to keep noise at bay, and this brings a degree of focus and clarity to the results that makes you want to play more. JJ Cale’s ‘Call Me the Breeze’ was one of the pieces selected and the groove produced seemed as solid as I have heard it on any digital system, and a few analogue ones at that.

Natural high

I also enjoyed the way the AURALiC VEGA G2.2 can create such wide-open soundstages when the relevant detail is on the record, and it’s there on more of them than you might expect. Openness is generally a good sign. It indicates that the noise floor is very low and that the quietest signals are collaborating with the fundamental ones coherently.Sense of scale is produced by the entire bandwidth, subwoofers tend to enhance scale, but clarity in the higher frequencies is the key to reproducing the ‘air’ from the studio or concert hall.

High frequencies are the areas that digital audio finds most challenging to reproduce accurately. It’s where any inherent grain or grime will get in the way. This will make the system sound digital in a bad sense. This AURALiC is very extended; it doesn’t seek to flatter by rolling off the treble, and very clean thanks to very low noise. And this makes all the better recordings sound more natural and well, analogue.

I don’t mean that it has the cuddly warmth that you get with a few record players. I mean that it has an excellent sense of timing and none of the harshness of bad digital displays. Ryley Walker’s ‘Summer Dress’ (Primrose Green) has a strong leading-edge definition on digital versions. It sounds quite compressed, which is likely the case, but it remains coherent despite lots being going on. The energy of the song comes through. It inveigles its way into your subconscious almost as well as the vinyl on a good turntable.

Power and dynamics

Labi Siffre’s ‘I Got The…’ (which contains the riff sampled on ‘The Real Slim Shady’) grooves like it should. It has plenty of power and has as much dynamics as the recording allows. Michael Chapman’s Window sounds equally analogue due to its 1970s origin. This means that you can hear a great deal of what went into it, even with a Qobuz stream. Locally stored music files sound better through the VEGA G2.2, but uncompressed streaming services are far from shabby here.

The AURALiC VEGA G2.2 is a very capable DAC, one that responds to source upgrades of any ilk with great enthusiasm. I spent a lot of time trying different reclockers and was always able to appreciate the differences between them. It imposes little character, has a highly even tonal balance and vast bandwidth in terms of tone and dynamics. As a dedicated digital-to-analogue converter, it is challenging to beat the combination of features. AURALiC’s VEGA G2.2 offers build quality and sonic capability that are unparalleled at its price. It seems even AURALiC is having trouble surpassing this thoroughly evolved DAC.

Technical specifications

Type: Solid-state high-resolution PCM, DXD, and DSD-capable digital-to-analogue converter/preamplifier.
Digital Inputs: One AES/EBU, Coaxial, one Toslink, and one USB, HDMI eARC, Lightning Link.
Analogue Outputs: One stereo single-ended (via RCA jacks), one balanced (via XLR connectors). Both outputs are configurable for fixed or variable-level operation. One headphone output (via 6.35mm jack).
DAC Resolution/Supported Digital Formats: All PCM from 44.1KS/s to 384KS/s with word lengths up to 32-bit, DSD up to DSD512. The following format restrictions apply:
- 352.8KS/s and 384KS/s are supported through USB only.
- 32-bit word lengths supported through USB only.
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz, ± 0.1dB
Distortion (THD + Noise): <0.00012% (XLR), < 0.00015% (RCA) 20Hz – 20kHz at 0dBFS.
Output Voltage: 6V / 2V user selectable
User Interface: Front panel display, Lightning app.
Dimensions (HxWxD): 96 x 340 x 320mm
Weight: 9.3kg
Price: £6,899, €7,799, AURALiC is currently not sold in the US market