Audiophilepure

https://www.hifinews.com/content/cambridge-audio-edge-nqm-streamermonoblocks

This streaming DAC/power amp combination has a lot going for it – gorgeous looks and a sound and build quality to match. It’s simple both to install and use, and you won’t need any tweakery to tease out their best. Cambridge Audio has got its ‘no limits’ series pretty much bang-on, and anyone who still thinks the brand is just about ‘budget hi-fi’ needs to know it’s playing with the big boys now – with great success.

At the beginning of this review, we called the M33 an innovative new design. Looking at the distortion and noise results above we can confirm this. We believe this is the best performance to date of a stereo or AV product, that has no analog volume stage. It’s the AKM AK5578 chip used with four converters processing one channel. Wired this way this ADCs performance is about as good as can be achieved from a single chip. We know of no other consumer product with this ADC performance. We believe we are the first to extensively examine the preamp-out performance of the M33 and note the performance standard it has set. Only a relay-based analog volume or a volume using an exotic current mode multiplying DAC with laser trimmed film resistors will provide a significant improvement over what we see here.

“Are triode tubes the answer for everything? Like everything else, triodes have their limitations. In the case of these ancient triode tubes that were born in the 20-30s, they have very low-efficiency. So when we design around with these triode tubes, we need to make sure to use preamp tubes that have a good enough voltage range to drive them. Although, these triodes are on the lower side of efficiency compared to newer and other types of power tubes, there are still many choices of tubes to use as the driver, and the 6SN7 / CV181 is one of them. We like the 6SN7 / CV181 very much with its good-ole tube sound and flavor, over the more controlled and quieter 9-pin preamp tubes. The 9-pin preamp tubes are sometimes too “perfect” or synthetic sounding for tube connoisseurs. Like the triode tubes, the 6SN7 is also a very rugged and durable tube. Getting a quiet 6SN7 is difficult today. Recently we bought 10 new premium versions of 6SN7s, and 6 of them we tested were microphonic, and we had to send back.”

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/1559-bryston-b135-cubed-integrated-amplifier

These aren’t the kinds of differences that will make B135 SST² owners run out and sell their amps—the gap in performance was no gulf. However, if I had the choice of buying one or the other and sound was the only factor, I’d opt for the B135³. As I switched back and forth between them, it was sometimes hard to pinpoint exactly what difference I was hearing—yet I consistently heard an overall smoothness to the sound of the B135³ that was incredibly easy on my ears. When I reviewed my listening notes, I found the nouns ease and easiness sprinkled throughout. Evidently, that was the consistent impression I was left with.