Audiophilepure

https://www.stereophile.com/content/bluesound-powernode-streaming-integrated-amplifier

Roon spoils us with its detailed playback path and file resolution information, something we audiophiles care a lot about but apparently most others don’t. In contrast, BluOS provided only basic information: “CD,” which I assume means the file or stream being played is 16/44.1, or a squiggly sign for MQA, next to the song’s countdown ticker.

BluOS, though, was easy to navigate, and I never saw an error message or experienced a glitch that left me music-less or frustrated. It simply worked, and worked simply, every time. The app let me traverse decades, genres, and musicians, making the transition between choices almost as quick as my thoughts.

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/audio-analogue-aadac

Our next step is to use the Audio Analogue as a preamp, and it does its job superbly. Usually, when we do this with products the result is a bit of a disappointment. While the removal of a dedicated preamp such as our Burmester 088 should on paper result in a better sound due to the simpler signal path it rarely works that way. We normally get a small increase in detail but also significant losses in drive, dynamics and overall authority. That doesn’t happen here, with the AAdac delivering a lovely, rounded and entertaining sound. While a preamp of the quality of the Burmester – almost five times the price of the AAdac – still produces a better overall sound when included in our system, we think the Audio Analogue’s preamp section will more than hold its own in more price compatible set-ups.

Have you noticed that we haven’t mentioned the difference in performance between the various digital inputs or the way the various sampling rates and formats sound? We haven’t had to, as the AAdac is reassuringly consistent regardless of how it is connected. This speaks to careful and consistent engineering on Audio Analogue’s part.

Also of interest is the headphone socket, which I believe utilises the output section of the power amplifier. So with my Sennheiser HD 800’s in hand, and listening to the same tracks as before, I notice a very high quality headphone amplifier, with the all the liquidity of the best tube headphone amplifiers, spacial control and sweetness, almost as a throw-in. I’ve heard headphone amplifiers selling for the price of this integrated fail to reach this quality of sound. Very impressive for someone who takes headphone listening seriously.

Like other PrimaLuna models, the Evo 400 integrated amplifier is an extraordinary mixture of being low maintenance, and a great first valve amplifier, combined with a spot of tube-rolling audio nervosa paradise. The ability to change between ultralinear and triode at the flick of a remote control button, combined with the ability to use different valve types means that this amplifier can indeed be all things to all people, or ‘cakeism’ as the modern turn of phrase goes. But not only is this the ultimate ‘cakeist’ amplifier, it actually does the various options extremely well. It is not only an educational experience, it is also extremely satisfying to listen to. Well thought out, well executed, and creates a high bar for those few competitors at this price.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/primaluna-evo400-integrated-amplifier

When I asked California tube guru and PrimaLuna importer Kevin Deal about the duo of uncooperative 12AU7s, he said it could simply have been a break-in issue: “Sometimes a new tube that gets a little noisy just needs to be reinserted or moved.” He added that his company, Upscale Audio, has retubed about 75,000 components and that many tubes that people send in as faulty test fine. “A tube that’s noisy in a gain stage may be perfectly quiet as a driver or phase splitter.”

Everything else about the EVO 400 was hunky dory. No hum emanated from the speakers or directly from the amplifier, not even when the room was dead quiet and I placed my ear practically against the drivers of my Tekton Moab speakers, which have a specified sensitivity of 98dB.

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/rega-research-io-integrated-amp-built-phono-preamp%E2%80%94-cautionary-tale

Based on my experiences with the Rega io, it definitely makes for a superb headphone amplifier. Headphone listeners will adore the Rega io’s sonic characteristics alongside its small, sleek physical footprint. Those seeking low-level background music may also appreciate the piece’s potential. However, given its relatively low power output one must take great care in choosing loudspeakers. Neither the 85dB efficient KEF LS50 Metas nor the ELAC Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52s were well served by the io. Perhaps driving more efficient speakers the io might not produce the listening fatigue I experienced. Those crafting new systems must carefully pair their new Rega io with suitable and efficient loudspeakers. Those with a preexisting system including higher-output AV receivers likely haven’t thought as deeply about loudspeaker pairing. If you’re ditching your AV receiver for Rega’s io, please ensure your loudspeakers are either efficient or you’ve budgeted for new, more efficient loudspeakers. Pairing inefficient loudspeakers with the Rega io will only send beginner audiophiles back to their AV receivers where a recording’s detail, dynamics, and three-dimensionality often die. What’s certain is that dealers recommending the io to drive the KEF LS50 Metas are doing their customers and Rega Research for that matter a great disservice.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/marantz-model-40n-streaming-amplifier

The Marantz ’40n/DALI set-up turned out to be an able pairing for – don’t shoot me – TV viewing, especially content featuring a lot of music. Case in point: ‘Letter To You’ on Apple TV+, a poignant ‘making of’ documentary featuring the latest album from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

It’s not the portentous tone of the narrator or the black-and-white photography that makes this documentary worth watching, but the excellent fidelity of the songs, and it’s certainly a step up to hear them played through the refined Model 40n. The Boss’s vocal reminiscences are suitably gritty, and when the band breaks into its first tune the amp handles the sudden jump in dynamics without hesitation. There’s something here for everyone.

https://www.monoandstereo.com/2022/05/ubiqaudiolab-ubicube-power-amplifier.html

An uncompromising approach has also been implemented in the other supporting ancillary components such as the unique MCU control of all the amplifier’s vital protection functions, the special copper plates thermal management for the heat dissipating enclosure, the soft-start circuitry, the solid-state output switches with less than 1 milliohm, and so on. 

Special attention has been paid to the rear panel of the amplifier, which houses one of the best connection sockets available on the market, as well as a beautiful design and an easy-to-understand explanation of the correct connection use and functions of this unique ubicube amplifier. 

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1106-gryphon-audio-designs-apex-stereo-amplifier

Next, I moved on to something more delicate: Esther Abrami’s eponymous album (Esther Abrami, 24/48 MQA, Sony Classical/Tidal). The 25-year-old violinist has introduced classical music to thousands of new listeners through her TikTok and Instagram posts, and her first album on a major label, released in March of this year, is a wonderful listen. It was made even more so with the Gryphon Apex anchoring my system. The fourth track, “Tomorrow,” is one of my favorites, particularly for the interplay between violin and piano, which combined to pour rich sound into my room through the Apex. The piano that begins the track was weightier and more tonally saturated than I’ve heard it, and the French player’s violin was satisfyingly resonant—that word again—and textured, yet silky smooth and present in my room. I could not believe how much better this track sounded over my system with the Apex. It honestly made my old setup sound like the dreaded “hi-fi” by comparison: clean and precise, yet still lacking in realism.

The musicality pf this device is striking , even addictive. And you don’t need any technically sophisticated recording, because the Floyds have already sounded great. I did not expect, however, that the debut of the Led Zeppelin group would sound so well, rocking me with so much fire. I listened to the version remastered by Robert Plant and although it is not a particularly good version in terms of timbre, its resolution is excellent, much better than of all previous digital versions.

The sound had a weight and gravitated towards the lower midrange, there was also a lot of bass. The latter, however, was not exaggerated, and in its own special way it was actually an excellent basis for the sound, not overshadowing the midrange. In fact, the sound had great dynamics and scale, and was still warm at the same time. How was it achieved by Lithuanians and Qvortrup—I have no idea. But people from Leben achieved something similar. Again, the sound stage was wide and full, and the sounds placed by the recording engineer behind me, as in the “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” where they had a well-defined position, they were big-bodied, they didn’t seem fleeting.