PS Audio DirectStream Memory Player and DirectStream DAC $5,999 Review
December 5, 2018 Comments Off on PS Audio DirectStream Memory Player and DirectStream DAC $5,999 Review
“The Digital Lens imposes a small penalty on user experience. The interface to the Memory Player is the same symbols and functions we are accustomed to for CD and DVD playback – and for tape before that – except you engage with it via the touchscreen in place of physical buttons. But because the Digital Lens needs to accumulate the data before sending it along, the Memory Player is overall less responsive than CD and DVD players. Not agonizingly so, and certainly not a deal breaker for me, but having lived with CD players for decades, it’s something you notice and may find frustrating. We’re used to ever-increasing speed with our technology (among other things); it’s hard to go back.”
Hifiman he1000se Open Back Headphone Review
December 5, 2018 Comments Off on Hifiman he1000se Open Back Headphone Review
iFi Audio xDSD Bluetooth DAC and Headphone Amp Review
December 5, 2018 Comments Off on iFi Audio xDSD Bluetooth DAC and Headphone Amp Review
“Now that you know all that, where does that leave us with the xDSD? Well, it is quite pleasing to listen to and the sound quality it puts out has a certain warmness to it that I can see a lot of people really liking. When I subjectively compare the xDSD to the sound of my OPPO HA-2SE, the OPPO comes across as cleaner and more neutral to my ears. This may have more to do with the tuning of the analog output stage more than the actual DAC chipset itself. When I used the xDSD as a stand-alone DAC, with the separate line-out jack attached to my reference system, the same sound signature translated through to my speakers. I find this sound characteristic less objectionable over headphones but it’s not something I personally care to hear in my main system. It’s just a matter of taste.”
Parasound ZoneMaster 2350 Two-Channel Amplifier
December 4, 2018 Comments Off on Parasound ZoneMaster 2350 Two-Channel Amplifier
QUESTYLE AUDIO SHB2 MASTER DAC/PREAMP/HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER/WIRELESS RECEIVER $2,499
December 3, 2018 Comments Off on QUESTYLE AUDIO SHB2 MASTER DAC/PREAMP/HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER/WIRELESS RECEIVER $2,499
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As a final test I set the CMA Twelve MASTER to high gain and standard bias and while I don’t own a pair of headphones that would require such massive amounts of power I do know they exist, so it was important to verify that owners of said headphones would not be making fatal sacrifices. The noise floor remained ridiculously low (although to listen to music I had to lower the volume to a little over ¼ ). Harry Nilsson’s “The Lottery Song” (Son of Schmilsson – 16/44.1 kHz) was exceptionally musical despite being 16/44.1 kHz and running Class A/AB. Nicky Hopkin’s piano was full and rich and Harry’s voice was intimate and silky amidst a completely enveloping soundstage. I will admit though that the same track was a bit more honeyed in pure Class A.”
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC) Turntable
December 3, 2018 Comments Off on Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC) Turntable
Roon Nucleus Plus Network Streamer
December 2, 2018 Comments Off on Roon Nucleus Plus Network Streamer
ZMF Auteur $1,600 Review
December 2, 2018 Comments Off on ZMF Auteur $1,600 Review
“The bulk of my listening was done with a Mytek Brooklyn digital converter and headphone amp, which sounded fine, but after switching over to the much less expensive Schiit Valhalla 2 tube headphones amp, the Auteur’s charms were hard to ignore on Paul Simon’s beautifully recorded In the Blue Light album. The lushness of the tube amp really clicked with the Auteur, and it had a more dynamic kick over the Valhalla 2. The Brooklyn and Auteur combination was more transparent, but the Valhalla 2 had more soul. I like soul.”
Audiophilepure 
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