anteloppe-ocx_bf

Without a clock signal generated somewhere in your CD player, streaming device, D/A converter or digital video player you would not be able to get any sound or picture out of the box. Most clocks are very simple devices that generate a waveform from a quartz oscillator with some simple parts to get the clock […]

Metrum-Octave-2-front

The original Metrum Octave was a rather special DAC. It came in two boxes, had minimal features and sounded remarkable, in fact truly superb and competed with products at twice its £729 Price. It had only one shortcoming and that was the absence of a USB input, largely because it was developed before this input […]

A_NF-DAC_01

In a world changing from CD to download as the primary music source a digital to analogue converter is as easy to buy as a CD player (probably easier, Ed.). In any price range you can think of from less than £50 up to astronomical figures. At the same time a lot of integrated amplifiers […]


McIntosh-D100+Angle+Left

Every once and a while someone is kind enough to loan me a McIntosh product, this time it was the Dutch distributor New Transtec that brought a D100 digital preamplifier to play with. I have been in love with McIntosh since the 70’s although I’ve never bought a single piece because it might finish my […]

DAC30FRONTALT

Although there is a less is more ethos across the high end world few companies imbue their products with the degree of design purity that Primare does. This one suspects is down to their Scandinavian roots, that part of the world is well known for its clean, pared down design, frippery is not in their […]

Naim-DAC-V1_main

There are moments when I don’t quite understand the marketing inclinations of Naim Audio, in particular moments when they promote product combinations that deserve to be treated separately. Take the DAC-V1 digital-to-analogue converter under consideration here and the NAP 100 power amplifier that I have been using for a couple of months. Look up most […]


Hex-front

For as long as I can remember D/A-converters have intrigued me and as a result these little boxes prey on my wallet from time to time. I have owned quite a few, ranging from Audio Alchemy, TEAC and Apogee to PS Audio and I still possess one of the first Sony’s (a 1985 example). I […]

arcam-rPAC-pic-6

A&R Cambridge or Arcam as it's known these days is well established in the field of hi-fi proper, but it could be said that the rPAC represents a departure from their usual products. It's true that they've made DACs before, but not combined with headphone amplifiers, not USB powered portables and not this reasonably priced. […]

47 Labs Shigaraki system

This review was written in 2005 when the world was a wealthier place and the Shigaraki System cost just over £5,000. Seven years later the system still exists albeit with an upgrade to the speakers and costs nearly £9,000 in total, so despite that fact that the Japanese have been in recession for so long […]