Chord Electronics Ultima Integrated Amplifier
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- Written by George de Sa George de Sa
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 15 July 2024 15 July 2024
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
The British audio manufacturer Chord Electronics Ltd. produces some of the most distinctive-looking audio products on the market today. Chord has imbued its products with a unique aesthetic—a fusion of nautical, steampunk, and classic sci-fi themes, wrapped in organic stylism. The design elements of their products include rounded eye-like buttons, colored lights, porthole windows, domes, and gentle contours, which together deliver visual impact and generate curiosity. Chord’s new Ultima Integrated is a ground-up design that continues in this tradition.
iFi Audio iDSD Diablo 2 DAC–Headphone Amplifier
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- Written by Killain Jones Killain Jones
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 01 July 2024 01 July 2024
During the pandemic, I became enthusiastic about brewing my own coffee at home. I’d twist myself into knots trying to figure out which brewing method suited me best and what all the flavor profiles on packaging and in reviews meant. Terms such as “acidic,” “sweet,” and “full-bodied” sounded descriptive enough—but acidic, or sweet, or full-bodied compared to what, I wondered. Then there were admonitions to use light roast for this, medium roast for that, and dark roast for something else. With experience, I have found that espresso is my preferred brewing method, and learned that there is no such thing as an espresso bean.
Lyngdorf Audio MXA-8400 Multichannel Amplifier
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- Written by Roger Kanno Roger Kanno
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 15 June 2024 15 June 2024
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
In the last few years I have reviewed the two integrated amplifiers currently on offer from Lyngdorf Audio: the TDAI-3400 and TDAI-1120. I have always admired Lyngdorf’s integrated amplifiers for their fantastic sound and excellent user interface, and these two amps were no exception: they performed wonderfully in my system. I was especially impressed by the room-correction system built into these amps, Lyngdorf’s proprietary RoomPerfect software.
Amphion Argon7LS Loudspeaker
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- Written by S. Andrea Sundaram S. Andrea Sundaram
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 01 June 2024 01 June 2024
In Greek mythology, Amphion, the son of Zeus and Antiope, was a gifted musician; so much so that when he played his lyre, he caused great stones to move and form themselves into the city walls of Thebes. Anssi Hyvönen, the founder of Amphion Loudspeakers, may not expect his speakers to move stones, but he seeks to make them a pathway through which music can move the soul. Many other companies espouse the same goal, but the Amphion philosophy is that this is best accomplished if the loudspeaker acts as a neutral conduit for the music, rather than adding its own “musicality.” In a nod to this ambition of neutrality, all of Amphion’s home-audio speaker models are named after noble gases—elements that do not react with substances with which they come in contact.
GoldenEar T66 Loudspeaker
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- Written by Philip Beaudette Philip Beaudette
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 01 May 2024 01 May 2024
Note: measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada's National Research Council can be found through this link.
Some brands are so distinctive they become synonymous with a specific product or feature in the minds of consumers. Subaru designs all-wheel-drive vehicles, Nike makes Air Jordans, and Nintendo has Mario and Luigi. Audio is no different. McIntosh Laboratory brings blue VU meters and glowing green tubes to mind. Vivid Audio conjures thoughts of graceful, highly sculpted speaker cabinets, and Linn is known for suspended turntables. In the case of GoldenEar, the association I make is tower speakers with built-in powered subwoofers.
Estelon Aura Loudspeaker
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- Written by Doug Schneider Doug Schneider
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 01 April 2024 01 April 2024
Note: measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada's National Research Council can be found through this link.
When I received a pair of Estelon Aura loudspeakers for review in the middle of last year, I proceeded to cover them in my “System One” column confident it would be sufficient for all I’d need to say. That writeup, which was published last November, earned the Aura a 2023 Product of the Year award for Aesthetics and Sound. After the article was published and the award presented, however, I had some misgivings. I felt that the Aura deserved a fuller, traditional equipment review that focused less on the speaker’s appearance and more on its technical details, measurements, and, most important, its sound. There’s far more to this accomplished loudspeaker than my original article presented.
Magnetar UDP900 4K Ultra HD Universal Blu-ray Disc Player–DAC
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- Written by Roger Kanno Roger Kanno
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 01 March 2024 01 March 2024
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
I have reviewed some excellent optical disc players recently, including the Technics Grand Class SL-G700M2 streaming SACD player–DAC ($3499.95, all prices USD) and the Rotel Diamond DT-6000 CD player–DAC ($2299.99), a recipient of a 2023 SoundStage! Network Product of the Year award in the Exceptional Value category. While I loved the sound of both of these players, neither has video-playback capability. This won’t be a showstopper for most audiophiles, but video playback is a welcome feature for those of us who have multiuse A/V systems.
Ferrum Audio Wandla Digital-to-Analog Converter and Hypsos Power Supply
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- Written by Matt Bonaccio Matt Bonaccio
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 15 February 2024 15 February 2024
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
Ferrum Audio CEO Marcin Hamerla is evidently fond of wordplay. The Wandla DAC gets its name from Wandler, a word meaning “converter” in German—a language Hamerla speaks in addition to English and his native Polish. The Hypsos power supply is likewise cleverly named, drawing its moniker dually from the Grecian term for the sublime and from the device’s function as a hybrid power-supply system. The company’s name is inspired by the large deposits of iron ore found near its headquarters on the outskirts of Warsaw, Poland. But these are just words. What’s in a name, after all?
Arendal Sound 1723 Tower S Loudspeaker
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- Written by Philip Beaudette Philip Beaudette
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 01 February 2024 01 February 2024
Note: measurements taken in the anechoic chamber at Canada's National Research Council can be found through this link.
“They’re the SVS of Norway.” Such was my introduction to Arendal Sound in November 2023, when Doug Schneider dropped off a pair of their 1723 Tower S speakers at my home. The similarity to the Ohio-based SVS can be seen in the type, price, and quality of speakers from the two companies but also in their business model: both sell directly to customers (as do Canada’s Axiom Audio and Denmark’s Buchardt Audio, among others). This, of course, reduces overhead costs and allows the manufacturer to pass savings to the consumer.
Meitner Audio PRE Preamplifier
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- Written by Phil Gold Phil Gold
- Category: Full-Length Equipment Reviews Full-Length Equipment Reviews
- Created: 15 January 2024 15 January 2024
Note: for the full suite of measurements from the SoundStage! Audio-Electronics Lab, click here.
When contemplating the very best in digital audio, Canada’s EMM Labs, along with dCS and certain other brand names, comes to mind. EMM Labs is equally adept at analog electronics, to be sure—the company’s founder, Ed Meitner, has long been involved in both analog and digital electronics—it just may not be the first company you think of in the vast analog domain. Ed Meitner’s most recent exploits include developing the EMM Labs DS-EQ1 optical phono equalizer for the DS Audio line of optical cartridges. The current EMM Labs range also includes the PRE analog preamplifier, the MTRX and MTRX2 monoblock amplifiers, the MTRS stereo amplifier, the NS1 streamer, and two DACs: the variable output DV2 and the fixed output DA2 V2. These highly regarded products are designed for maximum performance rather than being built to hit a particular price.
