Chord Epic X Aray hits the mark
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 is the magic number
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 […]
CAD drops the noise with USB II-R
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 […]
Muon Digital XLR lets the music flow
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 Nublu Cryo: silver cable for less
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 […]
Muon Pro for ultimate streaming
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 […]
Ansuz: all about the Mainz8
Ansuz Mainz8 A3 & Mainz A2 power distributor and cables Ansuz is adamant that power distribution should not involve conditioning, thus its Mainz8 distributors apply no filtering or regeneration of the incoming voltage. This is because doing so saps energy from the sound. Ansuz also believe that the mains distributor is the most important element […]
Powerhaus M6 raises the sound barrier
Chord Company Powerhaus M6 distribution block Regular readers may remember me being very impressed with Chord Company’s Powerhaus S6, which I reviewed last May. It was one of those products that left a void, making it difficult to enjoy my system for a few weeks after it departed. Since my review, I have spoken to […]
Tubulus Concentus I2S
I2S – pronounced eye-squared-ess for those unfamiliar with the term – is a serial digital signal bus scheme originally intended for board-level IC-to-IC transfer (integrated circuit). Now, an increasing number of audio equipment manufacturers are specifying I2S as a digital interconnect for use, for example, between a CD transport or a streamer and an associated […]
The Townshend DCT Isolda advantage
Townshend DCT Isolda and DCT 300 cables Townshend has been producing the DCT Isolda speaker and interconnect cable since the ’90s. Over that time, changes to the product have been incremental, which suggests they got the basics right in the first place. This review followed a chat between the editor and I regarding cable characteristics. […]
Network Acoustics Muon USB Cable
Network Acoustics Muon USB Cable Network Acoustics made the Muon USB Cable because they are mad about noise, by which I mean they hate it. Their aim is to eliminate the noise from streaming systems and by doing so allow those systems to reveal the full glory of the music. Electrical noise on the AC […]
Best Hi-Fi of 2022
The best of the best that we have reviewed on the Ear over the last 12 months