News

iFi Neo iDSD 2 DAC/headphone amp

iFi Neo iDSD 2 DAC/headphone amp Sporting a host of upgrades and industry ‘firsts’ including lossless Bluetooth, iFi’s Neo iDSD 2 ultra-res DAC/headphone amp is every music lover’s perfect housemate Southport, England – Since its inception in 2012, iFi Audio has been at the forefront of DAC technology for home and portable use, delivering exemplary […]

Fiio K11 desktop headphone amplifier

Fiio K11 desktop headphone amplifier The Fiio K11 Desktop DAC/Amplifier is a versatile low profile desktop headphone DAC and amplifier. With multiple inputs — including USB-Type C, optical and coaxial — as well as RCA stereo line-out, the K11 also features a 1.1-inch VA display which can display information about the audio file being listened to. Available […]

Sennheiser Audiophile Experience Centre

Sennheiser audiophile experience centre in Tullamore, Ireland Sennheiser headphones have been manufactured in the company’s own factory in Tullamore, Ireland for over 30 years. On September 27th, the brand will open the doors to its inner sanctum for the first time, offering guided tours through the state-of-the-art facility that is home to many audiophile staples […]


Hardware Reviews

Auralic Aries G2.2 streamer review www.the-ear.net

Auralic Aries G2.2 network streamer If the rate at which new products appear is any indication Auralic CEO Xuanqian Wang is a restless individual. The evolution of the Aries G2.2 started back in 2014 as a much smaller and lighter device which garnered a reputation for the fledgling brand that its founder has been persistently […]

Show Reports

EI Live show 2023 www.the-ear.net

EI Live 2023 custom install show We don’t often visit the EI Live custom install shows at the Ear but once in a while it can be interesting to see how things are progressing in that field. Having speakers in walls and ceilings is no longer the preserve of the super rich nor is it […]

Features

Crescent Records recording studio

Audio Consultants at Crescent Records Crescent Records recording studio is tucked away in a rather unlikely place among the elegant Victorian villas clustered on a hill overlooking the ugly sprawl of modern Swindon. Next to an agreeable but unimposing house, the studio is in an extension originally intended to accommodate an indoor pool. The story […]


How To

Bluetooth for audiophiles www.the-ear.net

Bluetooth technology At its basic core, Bluetooth employs UHF radio waves in the ISM bands to connect between source and receivers. When first designed and brought to market in the ‘90s, it was primarily for transmission over very short distances of up to 10m. The technology is shared by nearly 40,000 partners and governed by a central body that […]

Gear

SFC SK-III Rhodium anti-static brush review www.the-ear.net

SFC SK-III Rhodium anti-static brush Back in my Hi-Fi Choice days we enjoyed putting April Fools news stories in the magazine once a year (hard to imagine today) and one was along rather similar lines to those embodied by the SK-III Rhodium anti-static brush, there was definitely a mention of goat’s hair but it may […]

Music Reviews

Adam Birnbaum Preludes www.the-ear.net

Adam Birnbaum’s Preludes is a musical gem, an album that will remind listeners of the enormous influence of J.S. Bach on music that has been composed centuries after his death and remains omnipresent in both pop and jazz to this day. Paul Simon’s American Tune is very similar to Bach’s O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, […]