Manufacturer T+A positions the new Caruso R as a receiver, however, in essence, the model is a high-end player-amplifier. According to statements by the German company, the device is designed for those who need classic stereo with modern functions and advanced switching capabilities.
T+A head of new projects Jörg Küpper explained that the Caruso R is a “blood brother of the T+A Caruso ”, but at the same time the new model turned out to be an “independent product”. The heart of the T+A Caruso R’s user interface is the large screen on the front panel. All functions can be controlled via the display. The company also provides an application for Android and iOS. There is also a remote control. The manufacturer paid special attention to the display and controls – this has become one of the main “proprietary” features.
If we talk about technical capabilities, the T+A Caruso R CD receiver is ready for almost any music from any source. There are analog and digital inputs on board, including optical, coaxial, LAN and USB. There are built-in FM and DAB tuners, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi module. Caruso R also has support for Airplay 2. You can play music both from your home network source device and through online services like Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz. If the network capabilities are not enough, the device also has a CD slot. Emphasis was also placed on the built-in Streaming Client software, which will directly provide access to Amazon Music HD and Spotify.
Among other things, the device received smart functionality based on Amazon Alexa: according to the creators of the system, the user will be able to use the T+A Caruso R CD receiver as a “control center” for a smart home. The system is controlled using the proprietary T+A Caruso Navigator OS, which is simple and concise – even a not very experienced user will understand it without studying the instructions. A similar interface also contains an application of the same name for devices on Android and iOS – T+A Caruso Navigator, which works when the devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. And supporters of the good old keys can control basic parameters using a stylish aluminum remote control.
As an additional design element, there is a backlight on the bottom panel, where you can adjust the color and choose between a continuous glow or flickering (or turn it off altogether). Although this feature is not related to sound, it fits well with the design and creates a special atmosphere, so I had no desire to get rid of it.
There are no physical buttons and handles on the microsystem body. Apparently, the developers considered that in the presence of a flawlessly working touch screen with additional controls, it would be an obvious overkill – and it would not decorate the smooth walls of the cubic case.
Characteristics T+A Caruso R
Number of channels 2
Power 8 Ohm, W 2 x 50
Power 4 Ohm, W 2 x 100
Headphone power 30 mW (32 Ohm)
Frequency range, Hz-kHz 5 – 22
S/N ratio, dB 101
Audio DAC 16/24-bit/192 kHz
Supported formats MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, ALAC
Supported servers UPnP, Tidal, Deezer, qobuz, Spotify, DLNA, AirPlay2, Bluetooth A2DP 1.2 (Audio), AVRCP 1.4 (Control) / aptX, Bi-directional
Playable discs CD/DA, CD-R, CD-RW / CD-Text
Built-in tuner FM, DAB, DAB+
Inputs: Coaxial 1 x S/PDIF (RCA), Optical 1 x Toslink , Ethernet 2 x LAN (RJ45) 10/100 Base-T, WiFi Yes, (IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth Yes, aptX, MP3, AAC, SBC, USB 1 x USB (2.0) type A, Analog audio 2 x RCA, Antenna FM F-type
Outputs: Analog audio 1 x RCA, Multichannel audio 1 x RCA (subwoofer), Headphones 1 x 3.5 mm
Power consumption, W 200
Dimensions, mm 210 x 290 x 290
Weight, kg 7.5
