https://www.stereophile.com/content/brilliant-corners-7-dual-mono-manley-mahi-amplifiers

This musical breadth and their energetic, approachable, largely faultless sound make the Manley Mahis a pretty compelling proposition at a price that strikes me as entirely sane. If your speakers and room can make a big noise with 40 watts, then these petite but never petite-sounding amplifiers will probably delight you, doing justice to all but the most ambitious systems. They will allow your favorite recordings to excite, inform, and inspire you, like an audiophile version of my Fisher Vinyl Grinder: a magic box, now with good sound.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/reference-components/1829-recommended-reference-component-hegel-music-systems-h600-integrated-amplifier-dac

Concluding his review, Philip pronounced the H600 “an exceptional integrated amplifier” with “a topflight DAC that can easily rival external DACs costing thousands of dollars.” He also declared, “This is the finest integrated amplifier-DAC combination I’ve heard in my time as a reviewer.” Together with the fine set of measurements from our lab, Philip’s praise earned the H600 a Reviewers’ Choice designation at the time the review was published—and now a Recommended Reference Component award. But those aren’t the only accolades that the H600 has received. About two weeks after Philip’s review was published, the EISA organization, a global group of print and online publications covering several consumer-electronics market segments, presented the H600 with one of its Best Product awards. It is unquestionably one of the most critically acclaimed integrated amplifiers on the market right now.

The Saga+ did not sound exactly like my Pass XP12 ($6100) but it was far closer than I would have thought. Far closer. Grit, grain, attenuated frequency extremes? No. I was stunned at how good the Saga+ sounded. This is a really linear reproduction of music. My benchmark for good sound is not imaging or soundstaging or the visual elements of music, but tone and timbre, they’re absolutely essential to me. The Saga+ and the Pass XP12 were far more alike than I’d have thought. Far more.

Both are just a wee bit drier than a well balanced tube line stage, but, they’re both very good. Where the Pass stepped ahead was with nuance. Music was just more elegant, performances seemed just a bit better executed. I found myself holding my breath just a little more often with the Pass than the Saga+. If the cost of the Pass does not dent your pocket book, get it, it’s better. No question. If it’s a painful stretch, the Saga+ should be on your radar.

To contextualize, if a Saga+ system is not as rich as desired, I believe the listener should reach for a richer source or richer speakers first. This small, inexpensive preamp is a stunner. Of course, if you have thick or stiff cables… forget it, the Saga+ at six pounds is going to get pushed off your shelf.

Building a satisfying system is about knowing what you want and making complimentary choices to fill your bill. Were I starting as an audiophile today, I’d look at the Saga+ as maybe a starting and destination preamp for audiophiles that don’t want to spend decades and tons of money chasing their tails. Sure, better performance is available but that’s an endless and expensive climb, summiting with the Saga+ gets a great view of music at a silly good price. Overlook it at your wallet and time’s peril.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1827-ars-sonum-armonia-stereo-amplifier

Yes, some care needs to taken when choosing speakers to use with the amp—that’s true of almost all tube amps and other amps with similar or lower power outputs. That is where I (your friendly Ars-Sonum distributor) come in. I am more than happy to talk with anyone interested in a Ars-Sonum amplifier (new or used!) to answer any questions about compatibility with whatever gear and speakers the customer may have. As well, for those (tube-head) Ars-Sonum amplifier owners who wish to “roll” different EL34s (n.b., KT77s are not recommended), I am happy to test their set of EL34s in our Amplitrex tube tester and then try them in the Filarmonía or Armonía on my test bench to verify matching and that self-biasing measurements meet factory specs for the amp.

I do want to test out the ACSS, which opens up the possibility of more reviews of at least two Audio-gd components and the specialized cables. This company sells an extensive line of DACs, headphone amps, preamps, power amps, integrated amps and cables. They manufacture both tube and solid-state components. I think I can open my schedule up to hear more from this intriguing company.

I was so impressed with the off-the-chart value of this integrated amplifier, in fact, that I was prompted to start listing our PTA Best Value nominees for 2023. As the halfway point of the year passed by quietly a few weeks ago, I haven’t encountered anything this year that’s this amazing for the money. I might even go as far to say that the Master 10 is easily my favorite product to come out of Underwood Hi-Fi so far. That says a lot.

Distinguishing the K9 from the K9 Pro ESS are several key elements: it features a slightly different PSU, employs dual 9068AS DAC chips as opposed to dual 9038PRO, includes a newer USB controller (XUF308 instead of XUF208), and lacks official MQA support. Moreover, the K9 is 40 grams lighter, has a similar but slightly modified aesthetic, and lacks a side USB-C OTG port. Priced about $350 USD cheaper than the K9 Pro ESS, the K9 stands as a compelling alternative. Initially, I expected it to launch at around $650, so discovering such a technically impressive all-in-one unit at $500 was a pleasant surprise. Once again, the FiiO team has outdone themselves.

But the ampsandsound Casablanca just kept saying, “I’ve got more in the tank. You just can’t hear it.” So, I’d certainly encourage consideration on speaker pairing, leaning towards high efficiency speakers. Justin does lots of his voicing on horn and LS 3/5A speakers. Justin is also a speaker builder, but that’s a story for another day.

As Rick Blaine walks into the evening fog with Louis Renault as the plane departs for America, if you purchase a pair of these wonderful ampsandsound Casablanca monoblocks you too will say, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1784-hegel-music-systems-h600-integrated-amplifier-dac

The Hegel H600 is an exceptional integrated amplifier. Using the Bryston BDA-2 DAC I was able to compare the H600 and B135 strictly as integrated amplifiers and found the former superior—effortless and pristine at any volume. Remarkably, Hegel includes with this outstanding amplifier a topflight DAC that can easily rival external DACs costing thousands of dollars. This is the finest integrated amplifier-DAC combination I’ve heard in my time as a reviewer. At $12,500, the H600 isn’t cheap, but I suspect it would cost at least as much, probably more, to find another combination of integrated amplifier and DAC, whether as one or two units, that could outperform it.