Schiit Audio Gungnir 2 Balanced Multiform™ DAC – Balanced Perfection
August 16, 2025 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Gungnir 2 Balanced Multiform™ DAC – Balanced Perfection
Just a final extra note: this article was originally slated to run on June 30th, but as fate would have it, the above-mentioned firmware update was launched on the 30th, so I delayed it a week so that I could install the update and talk about it. The update process was simple enough; I went to the Apple App Center and updated the Forkbeard App, at which point a small arrow appeared on the Gungnir 2 section of the App. I then ran the update several times until the arrow went away, at which point it was necessary to uninstall and redownload the App, and the Volume control and EQ showed up in the App window. The EQ can be accessed by touching the three plus signs icon (“+++”), and there is a pull-down menu with “Flat”, “Loudness”, and “EQ” selectable. For those not familiar with what “Loudness” is for, essentially, since Bass has a tactile component to it, as volume is lowered, Bass drops off at a greater rate than other frequencies, so Loudness is meant to compensate for this. Having your Loudness handled in the digital domain means you don’t have the phase distortion normally associated with analog EQs and Tone Controls. To operate the Parametric EQ, there are five dots on a frequency graph, and you can adjust by putting your finger on the dot and moving it around. Again, for those who don’t know what “Parametric” means, it means that you have full control of the frequency of each band as well as amplitude. The Volume control, of course, means that you can use the Gungnir 2 with a straight power amp rather than having to have an integrated preamp/preamplifier. All in all, a very cool update.
VPI Forever Model One Record Player $5850 Review
August 16, 2025 Comments Off on VPI Forever Model One Record Player $5850 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/vpi-forever-model-one-record-player
he Forever One features VPI’s new three-point suspension. Drawing on earlier suspended designs, VPI assembles the F1’s suspension from precision CNC-machined aluminum parts. The suspension’s heart is a 0.5″ thick 6061 aluminum alloy slab that acts as a floating subchassis, isolated by three inverted Sorbothane stanchions—not springs. This subchassis/Sorbothane combination holds three leveling screws, which attach to the 0.625″–thick upper aluminum plate and aluminum armboard. An inverted stainless steel bearing fits into the floating subchassis, effectively isolating the platter and armboard together so that they can work together, separate from the solid oak frame. A nonmagnetic stainless steel spindle is affixed within the platter bearing.
New Audio Research S-100 amplifier and LS-3 preamp: Best Amplifiers Under $10k Series
August 16, 2025 Comments Off on New Audio Research S-100 amplifier and LS-3 preamp: Best Amplifiers Under $10k Series
Chord Electronics Alto $4320 Review
August 13, 2025 Comments Off on Chord Electronics Alto $4320 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/hi-fi/headphone-amplifiers/chord-electronics-alto
On the whole, the Chord does well, though we do find its outer limits soon enough to confirm that it works best in a nearfield context.
When we’re sitting close to speakers, say less than 2m, the Alto sounds suitably bold and powerful, delivering the sound with all the conviction we hear through its headphone outputs.
However, in larger spaces it doesn’t really have the scale, dynamic clout or low-end authority to truly satisfy, particularly when driving less sensitive designs such as the ATC SCM50 in our 3 x 7 x 5m (hwd) test room.
How does the Alto perform as a preamp? It turns out very well. There is little to complain about the insight it offers into recordings or the even-handed way it deals with each genre of music. The soundstaging isn’t the most spacious, and there is a lack of ‘air’ compared to our much pricier reference preamp, the Burmester 088.
But, judged by price standards, it is still up with the best of them when it comes to honesty, resolution and musical cohesion. Our only word of caution is that having just two inputs could be a major limitation for many.
Schiit Audio Gungnir 2 Balanced Multiform™ DAC $1,599 Review
August 13, 2025 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Gungnir 2 Balanced Multiform™ DAC $1,599 Review
As one would expect from a state-of-the-art DAC, the Gungnir2 is genre agnostic, working well with any form of music; the timbre and tonal balance are correct, imaging is laser perfect, the soundstage is palpable and realistic, and streaming music seems to perform as well as local storage.
The reality of the situation is that I intend to use the Gungnir2 as my reference DAC for as long as I continue to have it in my possession, which will probably be until I am able to perform the Lyr3 review. I can easily recommend the Gungnir2 to anyone who is looking for an end-game DAC and isn’t burdened with a ton of DSD tracks. Two thumbs up.
Magico S5 2024 loudspeaker $82,000 Review
August 11, 2025 Comments Off on Magico S5 2024 loudspeaker $82,000 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/magico-s5-2024-loudspeaker
Then something unusual happened. After setting up a Dayton Audio OmniMic V2 on a microphone stand above the center of my listening chair and connecting it to a USB port on his laptop, Peter called Magico’s CTO, Yair Tammam, at his home in Israel. Peter gave Tammam internet access to his laptop; I played the appropriate test-tone tracks from the OmniMic CD on my Ayre player; and Tammam measured each speaker’s in-room response. Yair and Peter discussed the measurements; Peter made some slight adjustments to the speaker positions; and Yair signed off on the placements.When, later, I interviewed Magico’s Alon Wolf about the S5 2024, I mentioned that Tammam had remotely measured the speakers in my room. He explained that Magico started offering this service to help customers who buy subwoofers. “We can measure the room, log in to the subwoofer’s DSP control panels, and do the adjustments so we have good integration with the main system.”The S5 2024s’ front baffles ended up 86″ from the wall behind the speakers; the center of the right-hand baffle was 56″ from the books that line that speaker’s closest sidewall; and the left-hand baffles were 37″ from the LPs that line that speaker’s sidewall. The Magico speakers were toed in not quite all the way toward the listening position, and the tweeters were a few inches above the height of my ears, which, when I was seated, were 36” from the floor.
FiiO K15 is a versatile, feature-packed headphone amp and streaming DAC
August 11, 2025 Comments Off on FiiO K15 is a versatile, feature-packed headphone amp and streaming DAC
FiiO is positioning the K15 as featuring “trickledown technology” from its higher-end K17 model, claiming to achieve pricing at half that of comparable rivals.
The company claims that the new K15 delivers an organic, immersive sound signature, while maintaining ultra-low distortion and wide dynamic range. Whether that translates to genuinely premium performance at this price point, remains to be heard.
At the heart of the amplification stage sits a discrete Class A/B circuit capable of delivering up to 3000mW per channel through its balanced output. That should be enough grunt to drive both sensitive in-ear headphones and high-impedance over-ear headphones.
The fully balanced signal path extends from the DAC stage right through to amplification, with FiiO choosing a tri-board design that separates digital, analogue and power supply sections across different PCBs. This approach should, in theory, reduce crosstalk and electrical interference for cleaner sound reproduction
Audeze CRBN2 Electrostatic Headphone Review
August 11, 2025 Comments Off on Audeze CRBN2 Electrostatic Headphone Review
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