Audiophilepure

https://www.stereophile.com/content/dcs-vivaldi-apex-da-processor

I wasn’t feeling up to rock music, but I ventured as far as the first tracks of Roger Waters’s Amused to Death (24/192 MQA, Columbia/Tidal) and was wowed again by the Vivaldi Apex’s ability to harness detail in service to emotion. In Yosi Horikawa’s fascinating, gimmicky “Bubbles” (footnote 3) (16/44.1, Tidal), I felt surrounded by the dropping balls at the beginning—uncanny. In “Twilight Song,” from bassist Charlie Hayden and pianist Kenny Barron’s sublime live recording Night and the City (16/44.1, Verve/Qobuz), every note of the piano sounded like a precious pearl. And on Harmonia Mundi’s wonderful period-instruments recording of Beethoven’s Archduke Trio, with violinist Isabelle Faust, cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras, and pianist Alexander Melnikov, the sound was so natural and flowing that I closed my eyes and thanked the universe for the glory of it all.

I’m not trying to be all Rod McKuen here, but this will give you an idea of what I heard with the Aavik U-280 and that huge assortment of products from Audio Group Denmark. I knew I was listening to a very low noise floor–I feel like I’ve had a lot of practice identifying low noise floors after spending the last couple of years investigating high-end audio grounding gear. I did learn, for example, that low noise floors have very little to do with putting your ear up to the woofer cone and trying to hear some sort of electronic presence. It’s more of the same philosophy about lowering the noise floor so that more music comes through. It comes across as lower distortion and razor-sharp transient images. It’s funny that in 2022, a lot of audio manufacturers are starting to talk about these same approaches in their ads and seminars and exhibition rooms. Audio Group Denmark is at the vanguard, it seems, and not the fringe.

Still, I was tempted. I was all set to cue an LP when suddenly I noticed that my ear was fairly close to the woofer of the Børresen Z1 Cryo and I thought well, I’m right here. Let’s see what happens with this Aavik U-280 and all the other stuff in the system

https://www.hifinews.com/content/auralic-altair-g11-network-attached-dac

Listening further, it became clear these two filter options represent the extremes of what’s on offer. On the other hand, both ‘Dynamic’ and ‘Balance’ take a less outspoken approach, with the last of those two lacking a bit of liveliness when heard in my particular set-up. However, regardless of the filter selected, these sonatas by Bach are rendered engagingly with just the right amount of warmth and depth, giving you enough insight to focus on the nuances brought by each stringed instrument of the quartet.

Ultimately, the sonic character of the Altair G1.1 can be described by the same ‘do it all’ terminology as its functional description. This is a streamer/DAC that covers all bases and does so with panache.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/ch-precision-c12-da-processor

In my review of the D1.5, using it as a player, digital conversions carried out by its dual-mono DAC boards, I found—this surprised me—the external clock made a big, meaningful difference. I did not find that to be the case this time, with the C1.2. I heard differences, subtle and difficult to describe, but none that substantially increased or decreased my pleasure in listening. The X1 power supply made a bit more difference, adding, I thought, a touch more flesh, more tangibility, to acoustic objects, but I could live without that, too. Call me easy to please, but I’m willing to settle for just the $38,500 version (with the options I’d need installed)—although I’d also be tempted to include the analog input board for another $2500. I guess a $40,000 DAC—this $40,000 DAC—is good enough for me. So sue me.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/topping-dm7-8-channel-da-processor

After I selected the DM7 as the output device in Roon and JRiver, I wanted to hear something new. The timing was just right. For many years, I have really enjoyed Holst’s St. Paul’s Suite whenever I have come upon it, especially, the third movement Intermezzo. Written to mark the opening of a soundproof music studio in St. Paul’s School for Girls in Hammersmith, it is filled delightfully with variants and interlacings of traditional melodies familiar from Holst’s other works, such as the Second Suite for Band. The quasi-Oriental section that opens the Intermezzo, with its solo-violin melisma, is perfectly placed and startling. I already had two recordings of the suite, but neither was especially satisfying, so I looked for a better version, in multichannel if possible. HRAudio. net listed three. In my auditions on Qobuz, one stood out, the one by Ensemble Esperanza. I ordered the SACD (Ars Produktion ARS 38 227, SACD), which arrived in time to be ripped and played back for the DM7’s debut in my system.

The clarity and spaciousness of the recording was wonderful, the dynamic range impressive, in stereo or multichannel. Both versions approached, but did not equal, similar achievements (in different music) of the much immersive 2L recordings by the Trondheimsolistene; still, the DM7 rendered a traditional and believable soundstage from the Ensemble Esperanza’s recording. I heard striking purity in Chouchane Siranossian’s solo violin, especially in that wonderful Intermezzo—and also in the suites by Grieg, Bridge, and Nielsen that fill out the disc.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/matrix-audio-element-x2-network-attached-dac

If all this sounds rather familiar from my Element X review back in January last year, then so be it. As I mentioned, the fundamentals of the audio design haven’t changed in this new ‘Mk2’ model, and while the internal tidying up does seem to give the newcomer just a little more clarity and bite to the sound, not to mention a punchier bass, most of the effort has gone into the user interface and the connectivity. But then there’s a real sense of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – just give it a dust down and bit of buffing’ about the Element X2. Nothing wrong with that, and the work done here makes an excellent-sounding product that little bit more enjoyable to use.

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/dcs-rossini-apex-dac

We switch to Massive Attack’s Mezzanine and the dCS responds just as we hope. There is lots of detail and an impressive degree of organisation, but accompanied by a surefooted rhythmic ability that allows tracks like Atlas Air to motor along full throttle. Low frequencies are painted with power and grip with a good dose of agility thrown in. Move up the frequency range and you’ll find a wonderfully open and expressive midrange that communicates the passion and nuances in vocals superbly. 

Over our test sessions, we try the various digital inputs and different file types from 24-bit/88.2kHz PCM files of Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall and Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions in DSD to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in 24-bit/192kHz, and the dCS takes it all in its stride. There are no hiccups when changing file formats and no unexpected differences in the way different formats sound. The Rossini Apex DAC delivers transparency of the highest order.

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/dcs-rossini-apex-dac

We switch to Massive Attack’s Mezzanine and the dCS responds just as we hope. There is lots of detail and an impressive degree of organisation, but accompanied by a surefooted rhythmic ability that allows tracks like Atlas Air to motor along full throttle. Low frequencies are painted with power and grip with a good dose of agility thrown in. Move up the frequency range and you’ll find a wonderfully open and expressive midrange that communicates the passion and nuances in vocals superbly. 

Over our test sessions, we try the various digital inputs and different file types from 24-bit/88.2kHz PCM files of Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall and Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions in DSD to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in 24-bit/192kHz, and the dCS takes it all in its stride. There are no hiccups when changing file formats and no unexpected differences in the way different formats sound. The Rossini Apex DAC delivers transparency of the highest order.