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Mark Schifter is constantly teasing me with new product offerings that are either currently under development or on the verge of reaching the marketplace. And more often than not, when I get a notification that something has actually shipped to me for evaluation, I have no idea which exact device is on the way. That... Read More »

Ye Olde Editor enjoying a cigar and Single Malt at Tiberias, Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret), Israel, 2022. (Photograph by John Robinson; image processing by Ye Olde Editor himself.) A keyboard can be a piano. "It is the artist who, more than other men, is able to create something out of nothing. A whole artistic work... Read More »

The iFi Neo iDSD 2 occupies a most intriguing spot in the UK firm's extensive roster of DACs and DAC/Amps. At $899, it is the first step down from the much praised $3249 iDSD Pro Signature. In fact, the two are the only items the iFi website lists as "Home Audio" above the ZEN range... Read More »

The dCS Varèse DAC For some time now, I have enjoyed visiting my friend Scott Carpenter who owns Evolution Hi-Fi in the Buckhead section of Atlanta, Georgia. As my friends will tell you, I am a frequent visitor of hi-fi shops, and I have a deep passion for the latest technology. Fortunately, Scott is not... Read More »

Bob Katz at work wearing the Audeze CRBN 2 Headphones, a portrait. (Photograph by Mary Kent.) Introduction Today I'm reviewing two remarkable products, both of which represent a new audio paradigm and a veritable redefinition of the state of the art! I know, this is an old audio cliché, but in this case I think... Read More »

Over a decade ago, the late John Sunier of Audiophile Audition called me with a hardware review offer for the original AURALiC Aries streamer. I was clueless as to what a streamer was or what it was supposed to do, John was unable to offer any explanation of its function to me, and I only... Read More »

Dean Waters at the Pacific Audio Fest, 2023: a portrait with cigar (photograph and image processing by David W. Robinson) The Tambaqui from Mola Mola represents the finest in high end DACs available for the serious audiophile who's looking for a no-compromise solution for digital-to-analog bliss. I've been listening to the Tambaqui for the last... Read More »

PREMIERE Fezz Audio is a company specializing in tube amplifiers. It is the audiophile branch of toroidal transformer manufacturer, Toriody.pl, also for audio applications. Fezz Audio was founded in 2014, and its first product was the Laura integrated amplifier. We are testing its Equinox digital-to-analog converter. This is its first test in the world. The... Read More »

Mid last year, I reviewed the Topping E70 Velvet DAC, which is a Delta-Sigma design that in my view offered astounding performance at a surprisingly low price point. Most of my love of the E70 Velvet revolved around its very cool implementation of the recent new production AKM chipsets, and its use of AKM's Velvet... Read More »

Digital playback technology is now commonly viewed as a mature field, where groundbreaking discoveries have already occurred, and the consumer can expect a higher level of performance, more features, and a lower price tag as the industry moves forward. After all, the first digital PCM recording was created in 1971 by NHK, and Sony and... Read More »

Totaldac is a French audio manufacturer, founded in 2010 by Vincent Brient. Its headquarters are located near Mont Saint-Michel, a rocky island in the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, in the English Channel. The company specializes in digital-to-analog converters and audio file players. It also offers a range of amplifiers, speakers and accessories to improve digital signal... Read More »

"As good as it gets?" I dunno know anymore. Every time we get something here to listen to, and possibly review, we sit there and think just that. Which of course, we thought that the last time… that it was as good as it could get, but now, this time, it is better than that,... Read More »

Greeting friends, I hope you are doing well! This article is about the Audio Note (UK) CD 5.1x Red Book CD player ($30,850 USD), a CD player that rewrites what kind of performance I thought was possible from CD players and the Red Book CD format.  A unicorn is a mythical creature of ancient lore:... Read More »

PREMIERE Ferrum is a Polish audio brand of the company HEM, one of the most experienced companies in this industry, designing and manufacturing devices for Mytek for 20 years before it went to their own. The first Ferrum product was the HYPSOS power supply. The second project was the OOR balanced headphone amplifier, the third... Read More »

The iFi Neo Stream network audio streamer is a sterling representation of smart audio design, boasting an open, musical delivery from a simple and compact chassis sporting clean angular lines and functional features. As such, it's a gleaming 21st Century take on form meets function, melding well with the natural and industrial elements of a... Read More »

Back in February, I received a series of unsettling emails from Dalibor Kasac, my contact at Euphony Audio in Croatia, telling me about a discovery they'd made concerning how ESS Pro delta-sigma DAC chips process native DSD. And that Euphony had gotten a couple of the new Topping E70 Velvet DACs that incorporated the newest... Read More »

The Grace m900 USB DAC Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) was an Italian civil engineer, sociologist, and economist. Pareto was primarily responsible for shifting the focus of economics from theories of "moral philosophy" to being a data-driven social science. Pareto was the first to use the term "elite" in economic and social analysis and criticism. Vilfredo Pareto... Read More »

dCS is a British company based in Cambridge focused on development of digital audio sources—D/A converters, SACD and files players. It made its debut in 1987 in the military industry (radar). The first A/D converter, model 950, from 1989 was intended for recording studios, and only after some time they also designed versions for home... Read More »

Dialing in this DAC conjures an enchanted eye exam—however, instead of an optometrist switching lenses in a phoropter and asking, "Better or worse?", you swap 12AU7 tubes and focus on how they affect your music experience. As with eyeglasses, the optimal fit varies with each individual. It depends on a variety of factors—the room's acoustics,... Read More »