Audiophilepure

http://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/jeff_rowland_daemon.htm

“The first thing to note is the absence of a ground post on the Daemon (I finally found something Rowland overlooked), meaning that I had to ground the tonearm via an unused input. With that minor inconvenience sorted, the HP boards delivered a nearly silent background, even at high volume levels. More importantly, they exhibited exactly the sort of easy musical expression and flow that you should expect from a good record player. Differences between cartridges were clear, with the benefits of the big Clearaudio particularly apparent. But what really intrigued me was just how comfortably the Denon DL-103 generator, rehoused in a milled-aluminum body, dovetailed with the Daemon amplifier’s sonic characteristics. Big and bold, rich and rounded, the ‘103 has never been a high-res cartridge, but its body, presence and broad tonal palette gave the Daemon just what it needed to make the most of an otherwise modest front-end. Sure, the added dynamic range, impact, separation and detail of the Goldfinger were sonically spectacular, delivered via the Daemon’s willing power delivery, but the Denon delivered spectacular value in purely musical terms.

https://www.avforums.com/reviews/quad-vena-ii-play-streaming-amplifier-review.16996

“Now, after leaving it aside while we considered the merits of the Vena II Play itself, it’s time to talk about the bit that makes it a Vena II Play. On description alone, DTS Play-Fi sounds like an open platform equivalent of the barnstorming BluOS interface; support for many streaming services, UPnP for network audio playback and the ability to tie multiple Play-Fi devices together via the same control app. The catch has been that for a fair bit of the life of Play-Fi, the reality of the experience hasn’t met the promise. What’s interesting though is how my perception of the software has changed since IAG started to use it. It’s been a little less than a year and I’ve already seen more tweaks and improvements to Play-Fi than I have since between the Audiolab and the Arcam rPlay back in 2017. This is still not as good as BluOS but once I would have said it had no chance of ever getting there. Now I’m not so sure. “

https://www.stereo.net.au/reviews/cyrus-audio-one-cast-smart-amplifier-review

“A number of gloomsters in the hi-fi world have long since decreed that Class D is in some way “not musical” and “no fun.” Anything that uses it then, they argue, should not be accorded any seriousness as a listening tool. Integrated amplifiers like the Cyrus ONE Cast show just how wrong they are because this turns in a high-quality sound that leaves one wondering how it’s all possible at the price. Indeed, it’s a most impressive, listenable little amplifier that impresses across all its myriad inputs.

I’m a huge fan of the original Mission Cyrus range, but even an old-school purist like me can’t help but concede that the new ONE Cast does an awful lot rather well, sonically. It has a surprisingly rich, creamy sound that lets the listener relax into the music and enjoy the occasion. There seems to be far more power than is normal for an amplifier of this physical size, and it translates to a full-bodied, confident sound that tackles the recording head-on, without fear or favour. This little integrated isn’t scared of powerful basslines, dramatic dynamic crescendos or soaring, expressive vocals. The result is both suave and sophisticated, punchy and powerful.”