Merason DAC1 digital to analogue converter If you spotted the Merason DAC1 at the High End show in Munich you wouldn’t equate it with Swiss origin because high mass is clearly not a goal in its construction. It looks like something from France or the UK in its use of an acrylic front panel and […]
Prior to the EVO 400 my Dutch colleague René van Es got in first when it came to Primaluna reviews in the past. Despite the Italian name, this company is from the Netherlands, and owner Herman van den Dungen is a major figure on the scene there. Having read his enthusiastic reviews of these valve […]
First of all, a very happy new year to all of you, wherever you are reading this. These are troubled and troubling times for the whole world, so we music lovers are especially lucky that being forced to stay at home is much less of a hardship than it is for many. I have spent […]
The A&norma SR25 is the latest addition to Astell&Kern’s entry-level, portable, hi-res DAPs aimed at a those seeking an affordable improvement in sound quality over their smartphones without sacrificing user experience and connectivity. The AK70 and SR15 models the Korean company released in 2016 and 2019 demonstrated that even its most affordable offerings have a […]
In the early days of USB in digital audio Vertere main man Touraj Moghaddam did a lot of experimentation with topologies and configurations in USB cables, some worked in certain situations but not others, and some PCs were fussier than others. They were interesting and occasionally frustrating times for computer audio. Approximately ten years later […]
Moor Amps Angel 6 Some men buy Harley Davidsons, some get a carbon fibre road bike while others decide that middle age is the time to build their dream audio component. Go to almost any hi-fi show and you will find someone who has been making their own speakers for a few years (it’s usually […]
The Hegel story begins in 1988 when Bent Holter, a student at the Technical University in Trondheim, prepared his thesis on transistor amplifier design. He quickly discovered that enemy number one was distortion. Holter could not accept the fact that when we supply a simple signal to an amplifier, the output reproduces that signal plus […]
2020 has been an eventful year to say the least but also one in which many have turned to music as an escape from the madness of the world around them. Music is a meditation that allows you to escape from the problems of life, whose powers are not to be underestimated, and having a […]
Launched at the last High End event to be staged in Munich, the 2019 show, the Micra III Excel is the latest addition to Italian specialist Diapason’s Classic Series. At the Bavarian event it was somewhat overshadowed by other announcements from this manufacturer, but I knew it was a model worthy of further investigation. And, […]
To my knowledge PMC is the only audio manufacturer of any repute to have used Townshend Seismic bases under its loudspeakers at a hi-fi show. It’s a brave move given the tendency for the audience at such events to ascribe disproportionate benefits to ancillary components. But PMC clearly understand the improvements that genuine isolation can […]
New York-based Woo Audio was founded in 2004 and specialises in tube powered headphone and loudspeaker amplifiers. Taking three years to develop the WA8 Eclipse reflects the company’s desire to bring the undiluted performance of their big amps to a smaller product for audiophiles who want an authentic tube headphone listening experience without being confined […]
I don’t suppose I was alone in thinking that Melco had gone too far when they announced the S100, a network switch with a £2,000 price tag. How on earth could a switch make enough difference to warrant that kind of expense, especially when Melco’s music servers already have a dedicated output for streamers that […]