Melco C1-D20 SFP+ streaming cable Up until Melco told me about the so-called C1-D20 SFP+ direct attach cable I understood that SFP cables were exclusively optical and used glass or plastic fibre to conduct signals. Melco’s copper based C1-D20 SFP+ has revealed that this is not the case. While the SFP cables used instead of […]
The Ear picks the best hi-fi of 2023 2023 has been a tough year for the hi-fi industry but that has done nothing to stem the flow of first class products coming to market. In fact there are even more extraordinary audio components to choose from than there were last year, with advances made in […]
Tellurium Q Ultra Black II power cable In the past five years of reviewing audio products, I have had quite a few pieces of Tellurium Q cable through my system and I can say with hand on heart that not once have I been disappointed by what they have delivered. In fact it was almost […]
Titan Audio Helios, Helios Signature and Eros power cables To assist with my assessment of the Titan Ares 6-way mains distribution block, Titan Audio kindly sent me samples of the cables I am reviewing here. As you may have read, I feel the Ares represents outstanding value for money at its price point, which, as […]
Audioquest Niagara 5000 AC power conditioner Electrical pollution of the mains supply is generally pervasive, and in cities and other locations it may be worse than in rural areas. Noise in the audio band and upwards intermodulates with the music signal in an audio system and leads to poor tonality, muted subtle detail and weak […]
QED Golden Anniversary XT speaker cable Like thousands of other lovers of quality home music and cinema reproduction, QED’s 79 Strand cable was the first specialist speaker cable to grace one of my systems. This cable has been on sale for forty-seven years, with their 42 strand cable a year older again. From memory, my […]
Chord Company Epic X Aray interconnect cable The Chord Company is arguably become the best-known manufacturer of cables for high-quality audio systems in the UK and Epic X Aray, their latest interconnect cable, sits slap bang in the middle of their range. I have been impressed by their range of Aray noise-reducing products in recent […]
Tellurium Q Statement II interconnect cables Before I discuss the Tellurium Q Statement II, let me start with a hypothetical situation for you to ponder. You have been manufacturing a range of audio components, which have over the years picked up numerous awards from publications around the globe. Your ultimate range, which you have with […]
Computer Audio Design USB II-R cable & USB Filter The USB II-R is the latest USB cable from CAD or Computer Audio Design. CAD was one of the first companies that saw USB as the best solution for streaming high resolution audio, their 1543 DAC only had a USB input at a time when few […]
Network Acoustics muon Digital XLR digital cable The idea of a muon Digital XLR digital cable seems like an anathema, Network Acoustics are streaming specialists who have concentrated their efforts on ethernet and USB connections until now. What were they thinking when creating what is effectively an AES/EBU digital cable? It seems that when the […]
Gothic Audio Nublu Cryo interconnect cable Manchester cable-maker Chris Duwe and his Gothic Nublu cables have not featured here before on the Ear. But the company is worthy of our attention because its solid silver cables deliver remarkable value; proper sonics for not too many ££££s, especially when compared to some of the considerably pricier […]
Network Acoustics Muon Pro Streaming System ethernet filter and data cable Long before anyone dreamt of a device like the Muon Pro it was assumed that the music data heading for our streamer was just that. To suggest that it might be accompanied by electronic pollution that was damaging to sonic performance was to invite […]