Schitt Gungnir Multibit DAC & Mjolnir 2 Hybrid-Tube Headphone Amp $1249 Review
April 9, 2016 Comments Off on Schitt Gungnir Multibit DAC & Mjolnir 2 Hybrid-Tube Headphone Amp $1249 Review
” Now for the most important part, the sound. Starting off with the Gungnir Multibit (Gumby), the tonality is quite remarkable. Sounds seem to arise from a broad expanse with spatial cues being projected both wide and deep. Imaging is top-notch but the slightly warm tone that this DAC imparts along with its lack of forthright transients places it slightly behind the much more expensive Schiit Yggdrasil and PS Audio Perfectwave II models in overall separation and resolution. This is a real testament to the Gungnir Multibit as it essentially able to compete with heavyweights many times its own price bracket. The Gumby is able to sound warm, full and smooth while at the same time being highly resolving. A truly great hallmark of any set-up, this talent makes the Gumby a go-to option even in the face of technical beasts because of its organic and liquid-esque quality. It would not be a far off statement then, to liken these to a vinyl system due to its inherent signature and lack of glare. ”
CYPHER LABS SUSTAIN84 REVIEW
April 4, 2016 Comments Off on CYPHER LABS SUSTAIN84 REVIEW
” The treble on the Sustain84 is detailed, clear and articulate but much like the bass performance it is in no way overly strident and forceful. Instead you have a slightly smoother top end that helps take the edge of quite a number of headphones known for their overly sparkling top end or peaky performance. It will not change their inherent tonality but it does produce a more pleasing and less fatiguing treble experience than quite a number of solid state counterparts such as the Mjolnir or the Tisbury Audio Challenge One amp I tested last year.”
MOON BY SIMAUDIO NEO 230HAD HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER/DSD DAC/PREAMP $1500 REVIEW
April 2, 2016 Comments Off on MOON BY SIMAUDIO NEO 230HAD HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER/DSD DAC/PREAMP $1500 REVIEW
” Through a system that is so transparent that I could clearly hear the NuPrime ST10 power amplifier warm up after being turned off for a day, the soundstage started flat with almost no depth, and gradually, over the next 30 minutes, deepened and expanded to its normal dimensions. I could also hear how little the Neo 230HAD altered the sound, especially on material I was familiar with. A recent guilty pleasure, the cut via Tidal “Dracula” from Bea Miller’s Not an Apology, has some very deep bass pulses combined with some very rude percussion crashes that can sound either very cool or sorta cruddy depending on your system’s high-level dynamic resolution and low bass capabilities. On my nearfield system it can rock, and with the Neo 230HAD in the signal chain, it did.”
Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies Review
April 2, 2016 Comments Off on Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies Review
” The house sound of Woo has always managed to avoid a Goldilocks scenario with regards to “how much” tuby-ness it seeks to employ. The bed it chooses to lie in always supplies the right amount of warmth without leaving the mids too loose or allowing the low end to get destroyed in a grand wave of slushy softness. The “sweet” sound is there with the WA7, but it’s not in your face waving its hand wildly for attention. The subtlety of it all drives your music with a pleasant demeanor, one that can often counter-balance the directness of the room-less headphone listening experience. Listening to the 24/96 version of Jason Mraz’s Everything is Sound provided a very open representation of the fairly dynamic and varied track. The vocals to the introductory verse sounded robust and textured with a pleasing timbre. As the first signs of the backing band appear in the track, it was easy to pick out the left and right stereo location of the keyboard (right), organ (left), guitar and sax as they jumped around in the sound field.”
Violectric-V850 Review
March 24, 2016 Comments Off on Violectric-V850 Review
” The V850, like the V800, offers resampling/upsampling and you of course can only sample up till you’ve reached the chips’ limits (1x, 2x, 4x). The LEDs indicate if the resampling function is activated or not. When using the “BEST” setting, the digital input word will be recombined and forwarded to the D/A converter at a sample rate of 96 kHz, a rate at which most contemporary converters perform best according to Violectric. After installation of Violectric’s drivers a Violectric “mini app” will show you what bitrate the DAC is receiving. To know what bitrate the Violectric V850 is receiving without looking at that you can always check it by trying the upsample feature. 88.2 will be possible to upsample twice and 192 only once of course. Personally I’ve always set the upsampling to “Best” as this is what Violectric recommends. I do find there is an audible difference when using the upsample function, so just let your ears decide what they like most.”
Miyo DAC/Amp
March 22, 2016 Comments Off on Miyo DAC/Amp
” Just over a year ago, a bunch of audio nerds launched a Kickstarter to get a new digital-to-analog converter and headphone amp into the hands of fellow high resolution music lovers. The Colorado startup promised backers that the palm-friendly Miyo would deliver the same kind of audio quality and sonic detail found in a professional recording studio. The campaign proved successful and the aluminum brick has since started shipping to consumers. We’ve spent the last few weeks rocking out with this useful audio toolbox, while also feeling the warmth radiating from the device itself.”
The Pass Labs HPA-1 headphone amplifier
March 21, 2016 Comments Off on The Pass Labs HPA-1 headphone amplifier
” The Pass Labs HPA-1 is a reference-grade component designed with well-heeled headphone enthusiasts in mind — ones that already own at least one world-class headphone. If that describes you, I hope you can get to hear the HPA-1. For everybody else, there’s a fair chance this level of performance will come down in price, in 5 or 10 years.”
Hifiheadphones Demo Room – UK Headphone Specialist – Video
March 16, 2016 Comments Off on Hifiheadphones Demo Room – UK Headphone Specialist – Video
MIT Cables Designs First Headphone Amp $1999
March 13, 2016 Comments Off on MIT Cables Designs First Headphone Amp $1999
” A planned launch of the Vero HCA 29 Headphone Amplifier is scheduled for the first week of March on Indiegogo, with an opportunity for early adopters to purchase the headphone amplifier at more than 50% off of the MSRP price of $1999.
Audeze Deckard Headphone Amp and DAC Review – Video
March 11, 2016 Comments Off on Audeze Deckard Headphone Amp and DAC Review – Video
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