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Description: Solid state streaming D/A processor with 16-core XMOS microprocessor and fully balanced, dual-mono circuitry. DAC: Burr-Brown four-channel True Native. Inputs: Wi-Fi, Ethernet (M12 optical, RJ45), USB-A, USB-C. Outputs: 4.4mm Pentacon analog balanced, RCA analog unbalanced, USB-C, USB-A (2), TosLink (PCM up to 192kHz), S/PDIF Coaxial (PCM up to 192kHz), AES3 via XLR, 12S via HDMI. S/N ratio: >106dB @ 0dBFS. THD: <0.007% @ 0dBFS (balanced and unbalanced). Formats: PCM up to 32/768, DSD (native) up to DSD512, MQA Full Decoder. Streaming: Tidal…

Analog sources: VPI HW-40 turntable, VPI 12" "Fatboy" tonearm, Pro-Ject Classic EVO turntable, Lyra Etna cartridge, Ortofon Bronze Cadenza cartridge, Sumiko Amethyst cartridge.
Digital sources: MacBook Air running Tidal, Roon, Qobuz. Bricasti M1SE DAC, Musical Fidelity M1 CDT transport, Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T.
Preamplification: Audio Research Corporation REF3 phono preamplifier, Audio Research Corporation REF6 preamplifier, McIntosh C2700 Preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: McIntosh MC462 Quad Balanced Stereo Amplifier, McIntosh MA252 Integrated…

I measured the iFi NEO Stream using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. Out of the box, the review sample was running firmware version 2.15.8. When I connected the iFi to my router with a CAT5 cable either directly or via iFi's optical Ethernet converter, Roon recognized it both as an AirPlay device and as a hard-wired Roon Ready streamer. To control playback, I installed the iFi app on my iPad and also opened the iFi.local webpage on my computer.

However, when I tried to play a file from Roon with either the app or with the webpage, it would stop after a…

23 year-old Samara Joy is the recipient of the 2023 Grammy Awards for best new artist and best jazz vocal album. Her 2022 sophomore outing, Linger Awhile (Verve), is a jubilant celebration of The American Songbook. Her warm, velvet-dark vocal tone, graceful swing sense, and intuitive interpretations provide a master class in classic jazz fundamentals.

Joy owns the past but also the present. On her TikTok channel, "Samarajoysings," she has accumulated 585,100 Followers and 4.3 million Likes. The channel documents performances of such standards as "A Foggy…

Micallef: What do you like about those vocalists?

Joy: A while back people would ask me "Why are you singing jazz when you could be doing so many other things?" Well, if you listen to the singers of this music, who established the sound, each of them was singing jazz, but they had their own style that they contributed to the music. So I think of it not as like a box; it's like an open door. With Betty Carter, I really love the liberties she took when it came to singing the melody; she redefined what it means to interpret and story-tell. When you listen…

These symphonies may seem strange bedfellows, but both scores alternate spacious, sustained writing with scurrying, supercilious passages. Unexpectedly, one CD accommodates both.

Noseda's readings are leisurely, not in tempo but in the sense of urgency. Even in the livelier passages, he emphasizes harmonic and sonorous elements. The Sixth's boisterous coda is…

It is hard to believe that 40 years have passed since Metallica released its debut LP, Kill 'Em All. The band is a Superbowl halftime show away from completing its transformation from subversive thrash-metal pioneer to American cultural icon. 72 Seasons, the latest studio album and 11th overall, may just get them on the field in Las Vegas in 2024, or at least a…

Eva Cassidy died of melanoma in 1996, age 33, almost completely unknown. She has since become a cult figure. The cult is large.

Cassidy left behind three self-released albums that…

Audio Tekne TEA-8695 PCS phono preamp: A really big show
How about a moving-coil-only, 100lb, tubed phono preamplifier costing $55,000? Audio Tekne's TEA-8695 PCS is the company's "midpriced" phono preamplifier. There's one that's more expensive, but it requires the accompanying preamplifier for its power.

I wish, for this much scratch, the company had invested in a competent English-speaking translator. Instead, it appears to have hired the same person who translates for Miyajima Laboratory. The translations are charming and humorous—until you really need to understand them…