Audiophilepure

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/reference-components/2047-recommended-reference-component-sme-model-35-turntable-and-series-vi-tonearm

There are only minor caveats. As the Model 35 weighs more than 70 pounds, installation is not a one-person job. Meticulous setup is essential to obtain the best performance, and buyers will likely want to source an aftermarket dustcover, since none is included. While the Model 35 is not cheap, Jonathan did point out that this new model comes “dangerously close” to SME’s flagship model, the Model 60 with Series VA tonearm. According to Jonathan, the Model 35 occupies “the sweet spot in SME’s range” and could be considered “a truly aspirational turntable.”

Considering how well the Model 35 holds up against the Model 60, it can be considered a high-value design. But it was its performance alone that earned the SME Model 35 a Reviewers’ Choice award at the time the review was published, a SoundStage! Network Product of the Year award for 2025 in the Outstanding Performance category, and now a Recommended Reference Component award. The Model 60 with Series VA tonearm also received all three of these awards.

While many similar products rely on data reordering, guesswork, repeated limitations, and a known ceiling, the Ediscreation audiophile router opens new design pathways with what appears to be an autonomous underpinning.

Through careful, multi-level implementation that integrates logic and proprietary firmware, the Net Silent Extreme Version seems to impose order with no delays or bottlenecks and often feels as if it adapts in real time.

With similar products, one cannot escape the feeling of being forced to define a particular problem while never quite arriving at a clear solution. Ediscreation approaches everything from the opposite direction, delivering complete, ready-to-use results that even outpace some of the associated paraphernalia.

Ediscreation’s Router is a far cry from yesterday’s streaming paraphernalia meme, transcending static operation to join the class of products that truly make a difference. It is striking how something that once would never have been closely associated with audio can tap into the fundamental psychoacoustic nature of the listening experience – and Net Silent Extreme does just that, notably differently.

For modern audiophiles and music lovers, the appeal of getting digital right runs deeper. The technical achievements, inventive mindset, and engineering creativity that sustain its performative impact (or lack thereof) are continuously perceptible and meaningful.

This time, MOONDROP explicitly stated that the Skyland aligns ideally with their VDSF target curve and features excellent non-linear distortion.Testing it across multiple gears, it is indeed tuned to be on the bright and extended side, yet it remains nicely controlled at high volumes and with intense, sharp vocals.

This actually aligns closer to my impression of MOONDROP, a brand with an ACG-targeted background, more so than the COSMO, which takes a more traditional audiophile approach and does not favor the ACG genre as directly.Conversely, its bass-light character may turn Rock and R&B fans away. I initially thought the spare pads would shift the tuning toward a more bass-heavy direction, but they somehow make it sound even cleaner, and in a good way, as they do not make the treble sharper, but rather more extended and airy.It is also a relief that the Skyland is much easier to drive compared to the COSMO, which I compare below.

I’ve heard various implementations of the CS43198 chip in other dongle DACs, and none of them sound the same; they range from bright to slightly dull. So, I didn’t know what to expect from the ICEBORNE.

Luckily, the ICEBORNE’s sound is the one I like: neutral and transparent, without sounding dull or borinICEBORNE has a flat perceived frequency response, an accurate, balanced sound presentation, and good energy, which prevents it from sounding boring, dull, or dry.The bass might not be the tightest, but for dongle DACs this size, it’s acceptable. I don’t hear any ‘boomy’ sounds or artificial warmth, and the bass remains tonally neutral regardless of the volume.

Midrange is very neutral with no warmth or thinness in sound. I hear no elevation in the lower midrange, which causes a warm sound, and no elevation in the upper midrange, which pushes the instruments forward.

The treble has a flat, extended frequency response with smooth sound, yet maintains good energy and reasonable liveliness.