iFi iDSD Pro
iFi Pro iDSD — Where Do You Begin With a DAC Like This? DAC / PREAMPLIFIER / HEADPHONE AMP · IFI AUDIO · REVIEW This is not a dCS Puccini or a Devialet. But it costs almost six times less. So it isn’t a pretty DAC with masses of machined metal and surface detail — […]
Audio Research Reference Phono 2 SE
Audio Research Reference Phono 2 SE — Review System PHONO PREAMPLIFIER · AUDIO RESEARCH · REVIEW Associated Equipment Speakers Sonus Faber Amati Homage · B&W 800D Source Revolve TT · SME 30 — both with Graham Phantom Supreme · Van den Hul Colibri Amplification MingDa MC300 / Halcro DM10 · Perreaux Prism 350 · Krell […]
Ming-Da MC300 Preamplifier
MingDa MC300 — Is This the Best Preamplifier Under R100k? VALVE PREAMPLIFIER · 300B / 6SN7 · MINGDA · REVIEW Where does one start with this preamplifier? The company has been designing and building amplifiers for 25 years. The MC300 was designed by MingDa in China — and for once, it is not copied from […]
Lance Dixon – Revolve Turntable
Lance Dixon’s Revolve Turntable — A South African Masterpiece TURNTABLE · PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN · LANCE DIXON · REVIEW At the end of a long phone call with an audiophile friend, he mentioned someone who had built a magnificent turntable — a work of love and pure genius, meticulously designed with very sound mechanical principles. […]
Chord Hugo TT
Chord Hugo TT — Review System DAC / PREAMPLIFIER · CHORD ELECTRONICS · REVIEW Associated Equipment Speakers Sonus Faber Amati Homage Amplification MingDa MC300 · Perreaux Prism 300 Power Amplifier Cabling Van den Hul Mountain ICs · Van den Hul Supernova speaker cables
Gryphon Diablo 300
Gryphon Diablo 300 — The New Reference Integrated INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER · 300W/CH · GRYPHON · REVIEW Nearly 10 years ago, the original Gryphon Diablo brought newfound credibility to the integrated amplifier — a category previously scorned by serious audiophiles. So far ahead of its time, it remained the reference in its class for a full […]
Technics SB-AFP10
Technics SB-AFP10 — The Flat Panel Pioneer FLAT PANEL SPEAKER · TECHNICS · VINTAGE · REVIEW The SB-AFP10 is the base model in Technics’ Audio Flat Panel series — a category that stood apart from everything else in its era. It is a translated-from-Japanese description, and that translation is part of what makes it fascinating: […]
Pass Labs XA30.5 Power Amplifier
Pass Labs XA30.5 — The Best Solid State Amplifier I Have Heard CLASS A POWER AMPLIFIER · 30W/CH · PASS LABS · REVIEW Nelson Pass has one thing in common across all his amplifier designs: sheer brilliance. From the Threshold designs through the legendary Aleph to the monster X1000 monoblocks — his amplifiers are some […]
Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit
Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit — First Impressions FLOORSTANDING SPEAKER · VIVID AUDIO · GIYA G1 SPIRIT · REVIEW Vivid Audio has expanded their range with a new flagship: the Giya G1 Spirit. I had the opportunity to listen to them and discover what changed. The original G1 was already a speaker I deeply admire. […]
Bookshelf Fest 2016 & MingDa Release
Bookshelf Fest 2016 & MingDa Release EVENT · SPEAKER SHOOTOUT · AUDIOEXCHANGE · 2016 Every year the question comes: “How does my bookshelf compare to what’s out there?” “Is it still relevant?” “Does it still sound good?” It’s not easy to find out — which is exactly why we host the Bookshelf Fest. Come and […]