Audiophilepure

I also asked Naim about this. They say the pre-amp outputs can be used for a subwoofer, and while true, the output is not labeled such on the back panel and there is no mention of how to hook up a sub in the included documentation. Naim says they will update the documentation as well. All in all, Naim is to be praised for seeing these issues when pointed out and taking proactive steps to correct them. Many companies would just ignore the criticisms.

Once your speakers are ready to go, plug in a network cable or put the unit on your local Wi-Fi network. If you are streaming high-resolution files, a direct network connection is your best bet.

Using the app, you can set up Tidal or whatever streaming service you have. The app allows more control than the included remote, so I found it was best to keep my iPhone handy.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/vac-sigma-170i-iq-integrated-amplifier

The VAC Sigma 170i iQ did well across criteria typically associated with tube amps, and more: sweet treble, excellent midrange, musicality, bloom. Timbres were more natural than warm. Bass was substantial, with good definition. The VAC amp seemed more powerful than its rating suggests, and often delivered solid attacks. It’s not inexpensive, but it is luxurious, and all its details are well-considered. It was a pleasure to set up and to use. It’s built by hand and meant to last at least one lifetime. There is value here.

https://www.hifichoice.com/content/luxman-sq-n150

No less importantly, provided that the speaker it’s matched with is suitably sensitive, the performance manages to deliver heavier and larger scale music without sounding strained or lost. The live studio edit of Bring Your Lovin’ Back Here by Gomez captures the heavyweight swagger of the band and the punch and drive of the music is central to the experience. Although certainly not a recording for the ages, the SQ-N150 takes the experience further with a level of refinement and airiness in the midrange that ensures any limitations of the music are avoided.

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/linn-majik-dsm-streaming-integrated-amplifier-review

I checked out the Majik DSM’s HDMI functionality using a Sony UBP-X800 Blu-ray player, with the player converting soundtracks to 2.0 PCM for output. Streaming the Afghanistan war movie The Outpost, the Linn nicely reproduced the crackling flames that followed in the wake of explosions. Of course, asking the Majik 109 book- shelf speakers to convincingly reproduce the ultra-low sound of explosions by themselves would be unfair. To quote Emeril Lagasse, I “kicked it up a notch” by connecting a JL Audio Dominion d110 subwoofer to the Majik DSM’s line-level analog RCA outputs. While this didn’t exactly turn the Majik DSM into a full-fledged home theater system, the sub added low-end impact and allowed the amp to deliver even louder movie sound.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/marantz-project-t-1-amplifier

With speakers which never exploit its lower registers, like LS3/5As without a subwoofer or the old Quads, the T-1 behaves just like you’d expect of a classic tube design. Only you’re not sampling all it can offer. Still, even those of you not using speakers which operate below 80Hz would still enjoy the textures with in-your-face realism, and not just the various vocal tics which help you to distinguish Crystal Gayle from Dolly Parton.

The amp’s way with textures carries over to each and every instrument, enough to allow you to use a compilation like the tribute, Rattlesnake Guitar: The Music Of Peter Green, as a guide to different guitar models. lt also means that incredibly fine details come through without a fight, with spatial clues so vivid that you can picture the walls of Abbey Road’s Studio 2 when you play the Fab Four. And you will hear vertical images just like the Cheskys said you would. It’s a near- magical experience, restricted only by speaker sensitivity rather than frequency response, driver type or impedance. Still, it has power to burn, compared to a SET.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1528-nad-c298-stereo-mono-amplifier

With the C 298’s balanced and single-ended inputs, auto-on sensing, fixed and variable gain, enough power output for most applications, the ability to be used as a far more powerful monoblock, and the serviceable but nonextravagant build quality and visual design long typical of this company, NAD has done a wonderful job of implementing Purifi Audio’s Eigentakt amplifier technology into a commercial product that is, at least in features and looks, distinctly their own. The C 298 is also a conventional-looking amplifier that will visually fit nicely into any traditional audio system.

Of all the power amplifiers that I have reviewed after the CH A1.5, the Delta Stereo power amplifier has honestly impressed me most. Possessing of a solid and full but natural and even-handed sound with a hint of smoothness, the amp is never cool or sterile. Its articulate directness and positively huge dynamic impact make that is always engaging and lively. In certain areas, such as bass solidity and slam, it outperforms even my Swiss reference! I much enjoyed my time with it and the match with the Magico S1 mk2’s was absolutely perfect. The Classé clearly has a very well-thought-out design and it is one of the best transistor amplifiers that I have heard.

http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/baudio-bdpr-one-preamplifier-and-bamp-one-power-amplifier/

By this point I had moved onto Bowers & Wilkins 802 D3 speakers which have a brighter balance than the PMCs, the combination with the B.audio delivering a more detailed result that worked better at low and medium levels than at full chat. These amps are themselves highly detailed and the combo can sound a bit forward if you turn it up. That said another track from Mingus, ‘Dry Cleaner from Des Moines’ really bounced with energy and finesse, if you are looking for an in-the-room result this is a pairing that delivers.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1528-nad-c298-stereo-amplifier

I let the rest of the album play out, enjoying all the layers of detail presented to me by the C 298 with such apparent ease. In each track, voices and synths are added over electric bass and those drums, layer upon layer. Random Access Memories highlighted some of the NAD’s strengths—the C 298 delivered huge amounts of detail across the entire audioband. The album’s high energy came through in spades, the amp always providing quick-sounding bass, mids, and highs. Its reproduction of the treble was excellent—I heard no faults whatsoever. I soon began to prefer its ever-so-slightly more “polite” sound over the slightly splashier highs I’m used to from my Bryston, whose sound can, at higher volume levels, be a little too hot for my taste.