Electrocompaniet EC1M MkII streamer & DAC The ECM 1 MkII is not a new product but my attention was drawn to it by someone whose ears I have come to trust, namely Rich Trussel of Network Acoustics. Rich has a pretty fancy system with Vivid G2 speakers and a Soulution power amplifier, he must be […]
Melco S1 network switch “That’s a lot of money for a switch” is the most common response when I mention the figure, and it is, but network switches are critical to the performance of any streaming system, more so than many realise. They are the gatekeepers for any streamer and have to get the signal […]
Bricasti Design M11 R-2R Classic DAC When Madrigal Labs folded in 2004 and the Mark Levinson brand they worked for was sold to Harman, Brian Zolner and Casey Dowdell combined their names with a little bit of Italian flare to create Bricasti Design. These guys are audio engineers to the core, not the sort of […]
Mutec REF10 SE120 master clock The REF10 SE120 is just one product, not two, and quite a compact one at that. It is a 10MHz master clock, the £5,200 flagship design from Berlin-based Mutec. Not so long ago such a device would be regarded by most audiophiles as professional exotica to be found only in […]
Bluesound Node Icon streamer A dealer friend recently told me that a streamer’s success is highly dependent on the quality of the control app assigned to it. Looking at the impact made by brands such as Auralic at the higher end and Wiim at the budget end suggests that this theory is a valid one. […]
The Ear’s reviewers pick the best hi-fi of 2024 If you want to know the best hi-fi of 2024, the audio products that really wowed our reviewers this year look no further. These components that made a lasting impression, they are the ones reviewers would have held onto if they could and sometimes did. There […]
Newontech DAC 08, Pre 08, Amp 10 Newontech’s founder, CEO and passionate music lover, Ole Nielsen, is clear about a mission that seems more like a declaration of obsession. It’s all about the sound (well, it always is) but he stresses that many thousands of hours are spent listening and trying out different components before […]
Wiim Ultra streamer DAC preamp Wiim has taken the budget end of the audiophile streaming market by storm since the launch of the Wiim Mini three years ago. Followed by the Wiim Pro and Wiim amp range, these products have formed the basis of many entry-level and secondary streaming systems. The company is a subsidiary […]
Auralic Altair G2.2 streamer DAC preamplifier With their very similar if precisely executed cases you could be forgiven for not noticing differences between Auralic components. The flagship G2.2 models all look very much alike in their two thirds width, black anodised aluminium chassis with a central display, the only differentiation is the presence or otherwise […]
Primare SC15 Mk2 streamer, DAC and preamplifier A few months ago I received a pair of Phonar Match Air WiSA-enabled wireless speakers to review and, on realising that the the supplied streaming units were holding back sound quality, I asked for a Primare SC15 Mk2, purely with the aim of achieving a better sound from […]
Cyrus 40 CD player UK audio manufacturer Cyrus has launched a new family of separates, the 40 Series. It’s a re-think of its existing popular range that at debut comprises just four products, but is likely to grow further. Aesthetically the new look is sleeker, some might say more up-to-date, with dark glass, TFT displays […]
Atoll MS120 streamer Somewhat bizarrely, it was in an Austrian high street dealer, while sheltering from a torrential downpour, that I heard the Atoll MS120 streamer. It was clear that the unit has great qualities and, having enjoyed the brand’s integrated streaming amps, I wanted to try this mini version in my own system. French […]