World Premiere Review! Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 Magnum Hybrid Stereo Integrated Amplifier Review
May 6, 2025 Comments Off on World Premiere Review! Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 Magnum Hybrid Stereo Integrated Amplifier Review
Now some clarity about the LRS with the Sphinx Magnum. After listening to the full impact of the Magnum with the Falcons, it became clearer to me that the Magnepan LRS needed more oomph to realize a larger presentation. I switched over to my reference amp, The Rogue Audio Pharaoh. Boom, full-scale, and solid tuneful bass. The Pharaoh has a monster power supply that can handle low sensitivity and 4-Ohm load speakers with more brute force, along with finesse. Of course, it is twice the price of the Sphinx Magnum.
The Falcons at 15 Ohms presented a friendlier load to the Sphinx Magnum. Voltage vs. Current. You could hear some of the tube-adjacent sound of the Sphinx Magnum coming through. Ok, it was getting late, so I opted to go for headphone listening so as not to disturb those who were sleeping upstairs. I wear headphones when doing radio shows and for listening to critical mixes of pre and mastered recordings. I was surprised by how nice sounding the headphone experience was on the Magnum. The MOSFET amp section makes for an easy and relaxing listening session. Oh yes, there was detail and the good things your ears beckon for.

WiiM Vibelink Amplifier Review
May 6, 2025 Comments Off on WiiM Vibelink Amplifier Review
https://stereonet.com/reviews/wiim-vibelink-amplifier-review
The Vibelink also has a Post-Filter Feedback (PFFB) circuit to minimise distortion and enhance clarity across different speaker loads, it is claimed. While affordable TPA3255-based amplifiers and ESS Sabre DACs abound, the WiiM distinguishes itself on several fronts. The unibody aluminium chassis is a premium touch and the switched-mode power supply is internal. Many competitors rely on chunky external power supply bricks, and some encounter overheating due to inadequate cooling.
WiiM’s fully passive cooling solution uses a PID thermal control circuit, a copper heat pipe and a large aluminium heatsink – PC assembly enthusiasts will feel right at home! During my listening tests, the Vibelink Amp reached a maximum of about 15 degrees C above ambient temperature after several days of continuous use. I didn’t trigger the amplifier protection circuit, so the cooling design definitely works. Also, the amplifier will power down after a period of inactivity, which is great in a world of rising energy costs.


Schiit Audio Skoll F Balanced Discrete Phono Preamp $399
May 4, 2025 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Skoll F Balanced Discrete Phono Preamp $399
We’d always recommend you pair a Bluetooth turntable with a great-sounding pair of wireless headphones or Bluetooth speakers to get the most out of your vinyl playback. The Pro-Ject pairs well with a variety of kit, from Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones to the Ruark MR1 Mk2 desktop speakers.
The Pro-Ject T1 Evo BT has an effortless way with music that makes listening to it very appealing, too. Its fluid and easy-going delivery might come at the expense of outright rhythmic attack and punch, but it has a mature balance that puts refinement to the fore.
There’s a satisfying amount of body and authenticity to vocals and instruments, ample dynamic contrast and snap when the music calls for it, and a general sense of spaciousness.

Vinnie Rossi gen2 Brama Review
May 4, 2025 Comments Off on Vinnie Rossi gen2 Brama Review
https://pt.audio/2025/03/16/vinnie-rossi-gen2-brama-integrated-amplifier-review/
But I do want to discuss one more design feature of the gen2 Brama, and it involves those lovely Western Electric 300Bs in the preamp stage that are positioned horizontally into Teflon tube sockets just under the top plate. When I reviewed Vinnie’s L2-i integrated amplifier a few years ago, it had a similar hybrid design–but the kicker was that you could use any DHTs that fit in the socket and it would work. Vinnie’s insistence on the Western Electric 300Bs for use in the gen2 Brama Integrated Amplifier, which costs about three times as much as the L2-i, tells me that with all of his research and those long listening sessions the WEs were the ones he loved the most.


Electrocompaniet ECI 6 MKII Integrated Amplifier $6200 Review
May 3, 2025 Comments Off on Electrocompaniet ECI 6 MKII Integrated Amplifier $6200 Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2024/12/11/electrocompaniet-eci-6-mkii-integrated-amplifier
During The Firebird, another Watford gem (Classic Records/Dorati/LSO), the ECI 6 allowed the spacious acoustic and the pinpoint imaging achieved by the original Mercury recording team in 1960. Also, the very demanding dynamic range of this pressing (Bernie Grundman cut) presented no problems to the MKII. The control of bass during the bass drum heavy Side 2 was very impressive on transient, note and decay. Excellent control.
The MKII is said to have an improved power supply, and this new version never gave me an ounce of power envy. At times, however, the massive headroom of the MBL allowed a more refined, effortless playback—an ease that only gobs of brilliantly engineered power through the right speakers can bring. In my case, it’s not about speaker matching, though that is important; it’s a comfort and peace of mind thing. And if you hear one of these 20 K plus integrateds, such as examples from MBL, D’Agostino or Accuphase, you’ll know what I mean. The Bugatti Veron rarely uses its 1000 hp, but it’s there underfoot, and the driver knows it and feels it.


SMSL RAW-DAC1 Review
May 3, 2025 Comments Off on SMSL RAW-DAC1 Review
It could be said that SMSL is pretty good at what they do. It can also be said that they sometimes put models out quite quickly, hardly giving us time to enjoy the existing ones.
The SMSL RAW-DAC1 could be the current culmination of all those machinations within the company. Keeping the DAC separate is always in the best interest of sound quality.
The RAW-DAC1 comes across as almost startlingly neutral in presentation, with a crystalline nature that presents a whole new aspect. The clarity with which the music is presented through the various sources here is equally impressive, no matter the budgetary limitations of each.
The RAW-DAC1 allows vocals to come through with a level of clarity they have no right to and carries forth a thoroughly engaging signature.

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