Detailed High-end Cartridge Setup | Step by Step
February 7, 2022 Comments Off on Detailed High-end Cartridge Setup | Step by Step
Cayin RU-6
February 6, 2022 Comments Off on Cayin RU-6
https://stereo-magazine.com/article/audiophile-mobile-usb-dac-by-cayin
The best solution for the R-2R circuitry is to obtain the highest possible incoming bit-stream level and then apply a high-quality analog volume control after the signal is converted by the R-2R DAC. Therefore, Cayin recommends using a music player app for the smart device that supports Bit Perfect USB, bypassing the volume control of the source device.
An optional adapter cable is also available for devices with a Lightning connector. Two headphone outputs with 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm jacks are placed on the connection panel. The user can also choose between oversampling (with upsampling to 384kHz) or non-oversampling.
Hegel H390 Integrated Amplifier Review
February 6, 2022 Comments Off on Hegel H390 Integrated Amplifier Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2021/10/26/xq15djapfx4nkpjazcyz48xz0d9lc9
Break in on the H390 was not particularly drastic or jarring, but the amplifier did like about 100 hours to loosen up after sounding a bit tight and thin out of the box. I first listened to the Hegel as a pure analog integrated, forgoing the streamer and DAC for the moment. Let’s be frank, the streamer and DAC portions are important features and may help seal the deal for many buyers, but the sound quality of the pre and power should always be paramount when considering a unit at this price.
Very quickly I discovered the strengths of this amplifier design and why they seem to be flying off the proverbial shelves. This amplifier is powerful, and I don’t just mean in watts per channel (of which it has plenty), rather, I am referring to its muscle and grip when applied to any speaker you throw at it. With the Alyssa, the Hegel tamed the larger than life bass of the transmission line design (something the McIntosh could not do) and allowed deep instruments and notes to come through with punch and clarity. With the Harbeths, the Hegel breathed fire to wake up these studio monitors and make me wonder if I was listening to much larger speakers.
NXEars Opera Earphones Review
February 4, 2022 Comments Off on NXEars Opera Earphones Review
Many travel cases that come with in-ears are virtually useless, except for providing a place to put your earphones when they’re not in your ears. The NXEars case is much better, being a hardshell, so it provides some protection. Inside the case is a foam block into which you can place each earpiece, so it doesn’t roll around inside the case. This is important because the primary reason that balanced armatures eventually fail is trauma that knocks the internal elements out of alignment. This foam block is a design detail that should heighten Opera’s longevity and that all BA in-ear cases should employ, though few do.
The Opera has a sensitivity rating of 100dB with 18-ohm average impedance, which places it among the easy-to-drive but not most-sensitive category of in-ears. In comparison, the most-sensitive CIEMs in my collection, the Empire Ears Zeus, have a 115dB sensitivity. While custom in-ears, such as the Zeus, offer multiple colors and finishes, currently the Opera comes in only one color, an attractive “Stardust” blue, which is translucent enough to let you see inside, but dark enough so that the Opera doesn’t resemble a 3-D schematic. The dark blue is punctuated by metallic sparkles, so it brings to mind Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.”
Electrocompaniet EMC 1 MK V CD Player Review
February 4, 2022 Comments Off on Electrocompaniet EMC 1 MK V CD Player Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/electrocompaniet-emc-1-mk-v-cd-player
Upgrades over the previous generation of EMC 1 are a new (unspecified) drive unit for the player’s top-loading mechanism, refinements to the balanced analogue circuitry that sits downstream of the Cirrus Logic upsampling and DAC chips, and improvements to the vibration-cancelling properties of the chassis. Connections are exactly the same, however: balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA, plus coaxial and optical digital audio outputs enabling the EMC 1 MKV to be paired with an outboard DAC, operating in transport-only mode.
Back around the front, the display’s illuminated blue text is large, making it easy to note track number and time elapsed, and it can be dimmed fully. The supplied plastic remote control is less impressive – lightweight compared to the player itself – and festooned with buttons that are of no use here. However, it makes operating the EMC 1 MKV a breeze with keys for direct track access, search, shuffle and various repeat play options.
Meze Audio Elite Masterpiece Open Back Headphones $4000 Review
February 3, 2022 Comments Off on Meze Audio Elite Masterpiece Open Back Headphones $4000 Review
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0122/Meze_Audio_Elite_Headphones_Review.htm
Meze is on a roll with their reference designs and the Elite is a heavyweight champion in performance Priced at $4000 for a handmade design is not inexpensive, but there are years of research along with being hand made by fine European craftsmen with the best parts and the performance itself justifies the price point and makes it competitive with other electrostatic and planar designs and exceeding many.
Elite is my Editor’s Choice for overall sound quality. If you’re looking for balanced top-tier performance the Elite always delivers uncompromised performance with extreme comfort and gets our highest recommendation. Congratulations to Meze for their accomplishments in a fiercely competitive market and a crowning achievement. Highly Recommended.
Core Power Technologies AV EquiCore 1000
February 3, 2022 Comments Off on Core Power Technologies AV EquiCore 1000
A strong empirical example of the amazing noise reduction powers of the Core Power Technologies AV Equi=Core 1000 was what occurred when I first got the Equi=Core and the LSA Warp 1 Amplifier. Due to a series of mishaps, I ended up powering up the Warp 1 without an input connected which due to the design of the Warp 1 caused a loud humming sound. Since I had set up the Equi=Core at the same time, my first impulse was to bypass the Equi=Core in case that was the source of the issue and the noise was a magnitude louder with a significantly wider bandwidth of noise. Or to put in terms of the effect of the Equi=Core, the noise was reduced to about 10% of the level without the Equi=Core and reduced in frequency to say about 60 Hz, which one would expect if they had a pure 60 cycle AC signal without injected noise from other sources. The difference was jaw-dropping and while this is not a normal test case, it does parallel the effect of inductive noise that is not filtered out by a component’s power supply.
For active listening tests, I decided to use the Questyle CMA Fifteen (Review Pending) as Questyle is well known for their over-built power supplies which should make for a spectacular challenge. For headphone, I chose my Noble Zephyr IEM’s as they are one of my most efficient and articulate IEMs, and to maximize noise potential I put the amplifier in high gain and used the 4.4mm balanced output. At about half volume with the player (JRiver) on pause (IE: no signal but not open), I could hear the transistor noise. With the Equi=Core bypassed you could hear spurious noise added to the steady hiss of the transistors
Audiophilepure 
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