Melco C1-D20 SFP+ streaming cable

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 […]

Denafrips Iris 12th Anniversary DDC and Ares 12th Anniversary DAC review https://the-ear.net

Denafrips Iris 12th DDC and Ares 12th-1 DAC Although this is the first time The Ear has published a review of one of the brand’s products, Denafrips has been making news amongst the audiophile community over the last few years. Technology such as R2R DACs and I2S connections have become synonymous with the brand, whose […]

mutec REF10_NANO_MC3_plus_USB review https://the-ear.net

Mutec MC3+ USB reclocker and Ref10 Nano master clock I have enjoyed the benefits of reclockers in the past, the little Ideon 3R USB Renaissance MkII was very inspiring for its asking price and the Innuos PhoenixUSB proved to be one of the highlights of 2020. In fact I encouraged a friend who owns the […]


Auralic Vega G2.2 DAC review https://the-ear.net

Auralic Vega G2.2 DAC The Vega G2.2 is currently the only digital to analogue converter in Auralic’s seven strong range of streaming oriented electronics, the Vega G1 never made it to G1.1 status so at present there is a hole at that entry point for the brand. They do however make an Altair G1.1 which […]

Bricasti Design M19 SACD/CD transport, M1 Series II DAC, M20 preamplifier and M25 power amplifier review https://the-ear.net

Bricasti Design M19 SACD/CD transport, M1 Series II DAC, M20 preamplifier and M25 power amplifier Bricasti products reveal their heritage in the casework design, a style that comes from company founders Brian Zolner and Casey Dowdell whose backgrounds were with Lexicon and who work closely with former Madrigal Labs engineers. The latter manufactured Mark Levinson […]

The Ear Best hi-fi of 2023 https://the-ear.net

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 […]


network-acoustics-Tempus switch review

Network Acoustics tempus network switch It was only a matter of time before Network Acoustics got around to making a network switch. The streaming specialists have built class leading ethernet filters and all manner of digital audio cables so a data or network switch was the next logical step to building a complete back end […]

Ayre EX-8 2.0 integrated amplifier & CX-8 CD player review https://the-ear.net

Ayre EX-8 2.0 integrated amplifier & CX-8 CD player The Ayre EX-8 2.0 and CX-8 are innocuous looking components, they do not inhabit heavy, machined aluminium cases and nor do they have much in the way of ornamentation, in black they look very restrained indeed. Yet beneath the plain exterior are electronics that ensure all […]

Merason DAC1 MkII review https://the-ear.net

Merason DAC1 MkII digital to analogue converter When I reviewed the original Merason DAC1 a nearly three years ago what struck me about it was its speed and agility, it sounded like a Rega turntable or more obscurely a DNM preamplifier. Which in my book is a good thing, it means that music sounds less […]


auralic ARIES G2.2 network streamer

Auralic Aries G2.2 network streamer If the rate at which new products appear is any indication Auralic CEO Xuanqian Wang is a restless individual. The evolution of the Aries G2.2 started back in 2014 as a much smaller and lighter device which garnered a reputation for the fledgling brand that its founder has been persistently […]

Cyrus Stream-XR network streamer review www.the-ear.net

Cyrus Stream-XR network streamer I reviewed the Cyrus PSU-XR, in combo with the company’s i9-XR amplifier back in April and was inspired to look at the Stream-XR, which for many Cyrus owners, could be the perfect streaming partner for their systems. The Cyrus Stream-XR retails for £2,495, like the entry level Classic Stream it uses […]

Innuos Pulsar streamer review www.the-ear.net

Innuos Pulsar streamer Having firmly established itself as a major player in the server market, last year Innuos finally announced its range of dedicated audio streamers with the Pulsar at its apex. Innuos Zen servers are now in their third generation and their flagship Statement is widely regarded as one of the best in the […]