Digital Processor Reviews

Lumin P1 streaming D/A preamplifier

John Atkinson Mar 23, 2022 First Published: Mar 23, 2022

I start this review with a confession. I have consistently found that when I play CDs on a transport and feed the digital data via AES3 (AES/EBU) to a D/A processor, the music has more drive, particularly at low frequencies, than it does when I send the same 16/44.1 data to the same D/A processor via my network.

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Three March 2022 FollowUps: iFi, Pro-Ject, Canton

John Atkinson Feb 21, 2022 First Published: Feb 21, 2022

One reason Stereophile publishes a FollowUp is when the original review leaves an issue unresolved or where further thoughts would be useful. Such was the case with the magazine's March 2022 issue, which had followup reviews on the iFi ZEN CAN headphone amplifier and ZEN DAC Signature V2 D/A processor ($599/pair). the Pro-Ject Phono Box RS2 phono preamplifier ($1999), and the Canton Reference 7K loudspeaker ($6995/pair).

Budget Component Reviews Digital Processor Reviews Headphone Reviews

Questyle Audio M12 portable USB D/A headphone amplifier

John Atkinson Feb 04, 2022 First Published: Feb 04, 2022

There are words that, for reasons I can't fathom, I cannot stand. One such is "dongle." So when Bluebird Music's PR rep emailed me to ask if I would be interested in reviewing a new dongle from Chinese company Questyle Audio, I shuddered. But I must admit that "dongle" rolls off the tongue a lot more readily than "portable USB D/A headphone amplifier." I put aside my grammatical quibble and agreed to a review.

Digital Processor Reviews Phono Preamp Reviews Solid State Preamp Reviews

Three New Year's FollowUps

John Atkinson Jan 03, 2022 First Published: Jan 03, 2022

The January and February 2022 issues of Stereophile feature followup reviews of three products: the darTZeel NHB-18NS Mk.2 preamplifier; the Sutherland Little Loco Mk.2 phono preamplifier; and the Mola Mola Tambaqui D/A processor.

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iFi ZEN CAN headphone amplifier & ZEN DAC Signature V2 D/A processor

Julie Mullins Dec 31, 2021 First Published: Dec 31, 2021

It had been a while since I'd done any serious, critical listening through headphones. That changed when Editor Jim Austin asked if I wanted to review the iFi Audio ZEN Signature Set ($599). Figuring I could use more Zen in my life, I agreed.

UK-based iFi Audio, which operates under the auspices of the Abbington Global Group, has released several compact products in its ZEN series: DACs, headphone amps, a Bluetooth receiver, and a network streamer.

Digital Processor Reviews

Jadis JS1 MkV Reference D/A processor

Alex Halberstadt Dec 22, 2021 First Published: Dec 22, 2021

"Resolution can be a tricky thing when it comes to digital," my friend Michael Lavorgna recently told me. "Too much, and my focus shifts from music to sound; too little, and I become less engaged." Lavorgna, a visual artist and proprietor of the online audio-and-music publication Twittering Machines, is one of my favorite people to talk to about records, books, art, and hi-fi. We've been doing it for almost 20 years.

Digital Processor Reviews Gramophone Dreams

Gramophone Dreams #55: Mola Mola Tambaqui D/A processor

Herb Reichert Dec 02, 2021 First Published: Dec 02, 2021

Since the plague arrived, several of my closest audio friends have been chattering and bugging me constantly, not about masks, vaccines, Trump, or Biden but about Bruno Putzeys's digital-to-analog converter, the Mola Mola Tambaqui. They've been sending emails and texts like pesky kids:

"Herbie! Have you tried the Mola Mola? Come on man, what's taking you so long? Is Putzeys's DAC better than my MSB? Or the dCS Bartók? Or the HoloAudio May?"

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Three FollowUp Reviews

John Atkinson Nov 29, 2021 First Published: Nov 29, 2021

Stereophile often subjects products that have been reviewed to further coverage: sometimes because there was an aspect of performance that needed further investigation; other times because there was a controversial finding. Three recent followups concerned the Ayre Acoustics EX-8 2.0 Integrated Hub amplifier that Ken Micallef reviewed in the November 2021 issue; the Accuphase DG-68 Digital Voicing Equalizer that Jason Victor Serinus reviewed in August 2021; and the Zesto Leto Ultra II line preamplifier that Ken Micallef reviewed in February 2021.

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HiFi Rose RS250 audio & video streaming D/A preamplifier

John Atkinson Nov 24, 2021 First Published: Nov 24, 2021

In the summer of 2021, MoFi Distribution's Jonathan Derda emailed me about the South Korean HiFi Rose brand. "This brand strikes me as being the spiritual successor to the original SlimDevices Transporter and Squeezebox Touch," he wrote. "We're all really excited about it."

Digital Processor Reviews

Sonnet Morpheus D/A processor

Alex Halberstadt Nov 05, 2021 First Published: Nov 05, 2021

Playlists embody who we are. We use musical affinities to understand (or at least categorize) others, not only as evidence of their aesthetic discernment but also of their emotional and political affiliations, which amount to an entire worldview. In other words, the database of favorite music that we carry around in our brains is no laughing matter. So, one of the most unexpectedand rewardingthings that can happen in music fandom is a complete and sudden inversion of one's beliefs. Which brings me to the perennially touchy subject of Steely Dan, a band that cleaves the ranks of listeners like a gold-plated katana.