YBA launches Design One transportable SACD player for hi-fi

YBA has released the Design One, a transportable SACD player for portable and desktop hi-fi use. The Personal Hi-Fi model arrived in May 2026 and is YBA’s first product aimed at that market. In the United States, the Design One is listed at $1,699.00 and is available for pre-order through Forté Distribution.

The player uses an HD850 laser with an MT1389EE disc system and a custom magnetic disc clamp. Conversion is handled by an AKM AK4497S DAC. The Design One plays Audio CD, CD-RW, CD-R, multi-layer SACD and single-layer SACD discs.

YBA has built the Design One around battery-powered use, with two 21700 batteries inside the chassis. It also has a balanced discrete headphone amplifier. The balanced headphone output is rated up to 1.65 W at 32 ohms, with stated SNR above 125 dB and THD+N of 0.0004%.

Connections include 3.5 mm single-ended and 4.4 mm balanced headphone outputs. The player also has RCA and 4.4 mm balanced analog outputs, plus SPDIF coaxial and USB-C audio digital outputs. A USB-C input enables DAC mode, with playback support up to PCM 32-bit/768 kHz and DSD512.

The Design One measures 188 x 166 x 40 mm and weighs 1.34 kg. It has a 2.79-inch display and sits in YBA’s Personal Hi-Fi category. Forté Distribution lists the US-market Design ONE as tuned by Yves-Bernard André, designed in France and manufactured in China.