Cavalli Audio Liquid Carbon Headphone Amp Reviewed – Video
May 12, 2016 Comments Off on Cavalli Audio Liquid Carbon Headphone Amp Reviewed – Video
Moon by Simaudio Neo 230HAD Amp/DAC $1,500 Review
May 7, 2016 Comments Off on Moon by Simaudio Neo 230HAD Amp/DAC $1,500 Review
” The Neo was also the best mate I’ve found for the NAD VISO headphones. While not as constantly surprising as the Neo/HiFiMan combo or as sparkling as the Neo/Sony, the Neo/NAD combo produced a full, rich, dark sound that never gave me an uncomfortable moment, and it was far livelier than the NAD with any other amp I’ve plugged it into. All the tracks dominated by voice and acoustic guitar—Jansch, Rosselson, Thompson, Wonder—flowed naturally and irresistibly. The Bowie, always brilliant but sometimes fatiguing, was definitively civilized. I was afraid the Neo and NAD—both of which abhor edginess—would anesthetize the Debussy. Instead they brought it to life with coherent and involving imaging and texture.”
Optoma-NuForce Audio DAC80 D/A Converter Review
May 7, 2016 Comments Off on Optoma-NuForce Audio DAC80 D/A Converter Review
” DAC80 performed remarkably on this track, a clear notch above what I was used to hearing. During the performance there were keys being hit rather hard on the piano, resulting in a sound bordering on angry and certainly not a pretty tinkle on the ivories. But the tonality presented through the DAC80 was smooth but still revealing of the subtle imperfections in the notes that were hammered on by the pianist compared to the sweetness of the gentler notes. The DAC80 held back any sibilance or exaggeration to the middle-highs.”
MicroZOTL 2 Headphone Amp Review
May 6, 2016 Comments Off on MicroZOTL 2 Headphone Amp Review
“The lightweight switching power supply was upgradeable and folks substituted various LPS units. LTA just released it’s own LPS, while the stock ZOTL is fine sounding, adding the LTA LPS does improve things. I put on the Henry Butler/Steven Bernstein track again…the switching supply sounds fine, but the LPS tightens and deepens the bass, and the stage becomes bit more open, deep, and clean. Perspective drops back a few rows. A barely perceptible edge is tamed with the LPS. All Time Low became even clearer, the stage deepened and instruments got more defined, with deeper bass and convincing cymbals.”
Chord DAVE $13,000 Review
May 2, 2016 Comments Off on Chord DAVE $13,000 Review
“The layering of the orchestra in its proper location and sound staging was wide and deep with air and space between each section of the orchestra. The DAVE just played music. The sound was more like listening to a analogue record without any of the drawback that you would get listening to vinyl and had the explosive dynamics and range that only digital can provide. The DAVE sound was not digital in any way. The musicality and tonality were exceptional.”
QUESTYLE CMA800R HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
May 2, 2016 Comments Off on QUESTYLE CMA800R HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
” Essentially, current mode acts as it sounds like it acts: the signal is amplified by modulating the current rather than the voltage. Current and voltage are not exactly strange bedfellows, their relationship is forged in Ohm’s law, and the resultant current mode amplifier creates an inherently low distortion and wide bandwidth design. Current mode is a very common amp design in high-speed communications and video processing. The CMA800R features an additional voltage-controlled current source and a current amplifier in front of a more traditional Class A output stage, but creating those two amplifier stages requires a low-impedance negative feedback circuit that reacts a couple of orders of magnitude faster than conventional voltage mode amp designs. In addition, the amplifier’s slew rate achieves a linear increase as input signal amplitude increases, in direct proportion to the input signal amplitude. When receiving a high amplitude signal, a current mode’s amplifier’s slew rate is much faster than traditional voltage mode devices, eliminating intermodulation distortion and ensuring a high amplitude signal, with an extremely wide linear bandwidth and an almost distortion free realistic playback.”
Schiit Audio Ragnarok integrated amplifier
May 1, 2016 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Ragnarok integrated amplifier
” The Ragnarok does have two balanced (XLR) and three-single-ended (RCA) inputs, and four vulcanized rubber feet. (Don’t laugh—no other Schiit product of my experience has had feet of any kind.) This four-footed legend also has one balanced and one single-ended preamplifier output.”
Woo Audio WA5-LE REVIEW
April 23, 2016 Comments Off on Woo Audio WA5-LE REVIEW
“The new WA5-LE has a sound signature that is quite similar to that of the original. It was linear, extended, and open. The amplifier is transparent and has tons of spatial details with an ethereal presence and air around every note. The tonality is very natural and imaging is excellent. There is however, one key difference with the new model being more dynamic. The new WA5-LE is dynamic and focused across the entire frequency range there is significantly more energy behind every note. The WA5-LE is no longer a lush and polite 300B tube amplifier but one that is bolder and more involving with the flow of the music.”
Moon by Simaudio Neo 230HAD DAC-Headphone Amplifier $1,500 Review
April 22, 2016 Comments Off on Moon by Simaudio Neo 230HAD DAC-Headphone Amplifier $1,500 Review
” At $1500, Simaudio’s Moon Neo 230HAD enters a competitive segment of the market in headphone DAC-amplifiers. Its multiple analog and digital inputs, multiple analog outputs, well-specified DAC, and remote control, while comprising a list of features not as long as those of some pro-audio models, cover the features that most audiophiles need and want. The 230HAD doesn’t offer balanced drive or extreme power, as does its larger, more expensive sibling, the Moon Neo 430HA, but these options are relevant only with a small number of very high-end headphones.”
Woo Audio WA8 amplifier Review
April 10, 2016 Comments Off on Woo Audio WA8 amplifier Review
” The WA8 also sounded great with my hard-to-drive, high-impedance (600 ohm) Beyerdynamic T 1 full-size headphones; the amp sweetened and warmed up the sound. I next played my low-impedance (32 ohm) Grado RS-1 headphones with the WA8, and compared it with an Aurender Flow portable digital converter/headphone amp ($1,295/AU$1,799). The solid-state Flow was a touch more laid-back and mellow; the WA8 more transparent, low-level detailing and spatial cues were more vividly presented. While you might expect the tube amp would be more “tubey,” the solid-state Flow softened details more than the WA8″
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