Edgar Kramer has posted a review, including a full suite of measurements, of the Bel Canto DAC3 with USB input ($2495) at AVHub. His conclusions: Ergo, the Bel Canto DAC3 serves oodles of detail and superb dynamics with a sense of speed and tight control of the whole frequency span. Put on an acoustic...
Read More »
Adam LaBarge has posted a review of the Electrocompaniet Prelude System (together, $7239) at Dagogo. His conclusions: Analytically the best way to describe sound produced from the Prelude system is, slightly rolled off highs at the top-end of the frequency spectrum, the treble and mids in general are a bit louder than the lows,...
Read More »
Jason Kennedy has posted a review of the Rega Isis CD player ($9995) at The Audio Beat. His conclusions: Whilst the Valve Isis was in residence, I enjoyed an all-too-fleeting period with a Metronome Kalista Intégré, an alarmingly expensive French CD player (£38,000 here in the UK, $65,000 in the US) that does everything...
Read More »
Kal Rubinson has posted a review of the Logitech Squeezebox Touch network music player ($299) at Stereophile. His conclusions: By now you'll little doubt of my enthusiasm for the Logitech Squeezebox Touch. Streaming music from the Internet is great for an unlimited supply of background music, but high-definition downloads can be brought to your...
Read More »
Larry Cox has posted a review of the m2tech hiFace USB to S/PDIF converter ($150) at Positive Feedback Online. His conclusions: I also had an opportunity to compare the hiFace in my system to the Ayre QB-9 USB DAC. Dave brought the QB-9 over for a listen along with a $2800+ USB cable from...
Read More »
Andy Schaub has posted a review of the Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2 ($1,499) featuring a 192/24 USB input at Positive Feedback Online. His conclusions: So I suppose, to sum things up, despite a few minor complaints that really apply more to a $10K DAC, the Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2 can give you some very...
Read More »
John E. Johnson, Jr. has posted a review, with a complete suite of measurements, of the Manley Stingray iTube Stereo Integrated Amplifier at Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity. His conclusions: The Manley Stingray iTube is a product that I see in a consumer's den or, better yet, in a college student's dormatory...
Read More »
Steven Stone has posted a lengthy review of the Logitech Squeezebox Touch ($299) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: Economically speaking, a $300 device is not high end. But high-end audio isn’t only about economics. Performance matters. Judged strictly by that yardstick the Logitech Squeezebox Touch qualifies as a legitimate high-end component. Alone, the...
Read More »
Chris Connaker has posted a rather surprising review of the Esoteric D-07 DAC ($4,800) at his website - The Computer Audiophile. His conclusions: By now it should be crystal clear that I call things as I see them. I see the D-07 DAC as Esoteric's half-hearted attempt to enter the USB DAC market. Between...
Read More »
Mark Fleischmann as posted a review, including measurements, of the Peachtree Audio iDecco Stereo integrated amplifier ($999) at Home Theater. His conclusions: Peachtree Audio’s iDecco is a killer desktop amp, especially when fed through its jitter-controlled, enhanced-DAC-equipped digital inputs. Here’s a product that bridges the yawning gap between the hi-fi verities and the way...
Read More »
has posted his review the tube/solid-state hybrid Vincent CD-S8 Hybrid HDCD CD player ($3,295) at Enjoy the Music. His conclusions: Well here we are at the end of the review and sadly the CD-S8 is soon to be returned leaving a hole in my system that will unfortunately be hard to replace. In today’s...
Read More »
Constantine Soo has posted a review of the Ypsilon DAC 100 ($29,000) at Dagogo. Here are his conclusions: In today’s digital converter marketplace, products costing from less than $1,000 to well over $20,000 are a dime a dozen. Even more exotic are those priced well above the $20,000 mark, such as the Ypsilon, although...
Read More »
Michael Fremer has posted a review, together with John Atkinson’s test measurements, of the Cary Audio Design Classic CD 303T Professional SACD player ($6,500) at Stereophile. His conclusions: The CD 303T costs $1500 less than Cary's CD 306, and its sound is clearly different—but I can't say it's less accomplished. The CD 306 resolves...
Read More »
Kent Johnson has posted a review of the Wyred 4 Sound USB DAC1 ($999) at Positive Feedback Online. His conclusions: I spent a lot of time with the W4S DAC-1 and a lot of that time, I must admit, ended up being spent simply listening. I was enjoying what I was hearing too much...
Read More »
Matt Evert has posted yet another review of the Oppo BDP-83SE ($899) at Audio Video Revolution. His conclusions mirror those of evryone else who has reviewed the unit: The Oppo BDP-83 Special Edition Universal DVD Player is one of the few intermediately priced universal players that can provide the quality needed to shake loose...
Read More »
Tom Martin has posted a review of the NuForce Icon HDP Headphone Amp/DAC/Preamp ($449) at Playback Magazine. His conclusions: As always, we should remind our gentle readers of the standard caveat that value is a function of your budget and your needs. That said, it is hard to imagine a logic that would find...
Read More »
Andy Schaub has posted a review of the Audio Note balanced DAC 4.1 at Positive Feedback Online. His conclusion: It forms an image which is an equivalent to the experience of standing in the Paris' Metro subway station and seeing so many faces in front of you; without literally describing the scene in a...
Read More »
Chris Connaker has just published a review of the Sonore Music Serve at The Computer Audiophile. His conclusion: Like any high end audio purchase one must consider the pros and cons of the Sonore Music Server. On the plus side I consider the absolute ease of bit perfect playback at all sample rates and...
Read More »
Tim Shea has posted a review of the Ayre C-5xeMP CD/SACD/DVD-A player on Soundstage! HiFi. His conclusion: Before the Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP came my way, the Bel Canto DAC3VB, CD2, and VBS1 were easily the best digital source components I’ve had in my system — and in terms of holographic imagery and bringing a...
Read More »
Robert Kozel has posted a review of the Marantz SA-KI Pearl Reference SACD player ($3000), including a full suite of measurements, at Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity. While the review was glowing, I was somewhat surprised at the penultimate sentence of the summary: From a price and performance perspective, you should also...
Read More »
Chris Connaker has posted a very favorable review of the new DAC202 firewire digital to analog converter ($6,670) at The Computer Audiophile. His conclusions: Back to the hovering question. Are we there yet? The combination of a good Windows 7 or Mac server and the Weiss Engineering DAC202 is enough to transport anyone into...
Read More »
