Soulnote D-2 DAC Soulnote is Japanese brand that has been around for a lot longer than recent events would suggest. They first made an impact on me at the High End show, Munich in 2022 but a quick web search reveals that their products go back considerably further, to 2004 in fact when it was […]
Silent Angel Munich MU streamer The Munich MU is the latest streamer from Silent Angel and aims for higher performance than the entry level Munich M1. To this end it has a double-layer aluminium chassis inspired by their Bonn NX audiophile network switch, for superior structural integrity, enhanced resonance damping and better electromagnetic interference isolation. […]
Network Acoustics eno2 streaming filter system The eno was a lockdown project between Richard Trussell, an ex-IT professional who is a qualified electronics engineer, and Rob Osbourne, who previously worked as a publisher, filmmaker and DJ. Dissatisfied with the sonic results they were hearing from their music streaming systems, they worked together and came up […]
Merason Reuss DAC The name of Merason’s mid price DAC is pronounced royce I am told, but that takes some remembering. I have enjoyed both iterations of the Merason DAC1 which sits at the top of the range, especially the original with its stainless steel and acrylic casework, and the UK distributor is of the […]
Pachanko Labs Constellation Mini SE server/streamer Made in La Réunion is not something I have seen on anything before let alone a high end audio component, and yet Pachanko Labs is based in the French Department in the Indian Ocean thousands of miles from the nearest hi-fi retailer. Apart from the active volcanos and persistently […]
Lampizator Baltic 4 valve DAC I have been using solid-state electronics for years but have always been intrigued by valve or tube based components. The Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista products, which were very impressive when I reviewed them for The Ear qualify as hybrid tube products, but the Nuvistor tubes used in them are a niche […]
Leema Neutron & Graviton pre & power amplifiers Leema Acoustics launched its Quantum range of entry level electronics late last year, the first to come our way are the Neutron, an analogue and digital preamplifier bristling with input options and boasting onboard DAC and MM/MC phono stage, and the matching Graviton is a 150 Watt […]
Daniel Hertz Maria 350 integrated amplifier Mark Levinson has sold his name more than once so in the last few decades has created other brands for his creations, Cello and Red Rose come to mind, and now we have Daniel Hertz which is apparently a family name. The Daniel Hertz Maria 350 integrated amplifier is […]
Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 800.2 integrated amplifier & Nu-Vista DAC As an audiophile who got his introduction to this hobby, or perhaps obsession is a better word, in the late eighties, the Musical Fidelity brand had a big impact on me. I remember hearing their Tim de Paravincini designed Class A, A1 model for the first […]
Auralic Vega S1 & Purer-Power S1 streamer & power supply Auralic’s range of streamers and related ancillaries has been growing in quantity and price over the dozen or so years since the brand launched with the original Aries streamer in its curvy plastic case. Today’s top Auralics inhabit machined aluminium casework and sit on sprung […]
Benchmark DAC3 HGC DAC/pre and AHB2 stereo power amp I suppose it’s having grown-up with it, as it were, in my early BBC days but I just love the look, feel and operation of professional audio equipment. When the chance presented itself to try some Benchmark electronics from the US, I just could not resist. […]
Naim NSS 333 streamer, NAC 332 preamplifier, NAP 350 power amplifiers Apparently the NAC 332 is the first Naim preamplifier to have an onboard power supply. In a day and age when finding any preamplifier without its own power supply is unlikely this is hardly shocking but it’s clearly a change of approach for Salisbury’s […]