Not content to rest on its laurels, Accustic Arts has since replaced AMP V with (what else) AMP VI. The new product has a redesigned power supply that includes a new transformer and larger capacitors. US distributor Philip…
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Over three years ago, when I reviewed Accustic Arts’s AMP V stereo power amplifier, I called it "the most intelligently designed hunk I’ve ever put my hands on, and one of the finest and most musically satisfying amplifiers to ever enter my system." I wish it were still here so I could reevaluate it with my current system, which has become exponentially more revealing.
It wasn't long ago that bottom-shelf DACs had this dry, gray, punchy, grainy sound, emerging from a weird mechanical clarity. Their sound reminded me of cheap whisky. The ones that didn't sound like $1 shots replaced the dry grain with some blurry gel. No vitality. No subtle contrasts. No nuance. No air. No atmospherics, no reverberance, and nothing I would call transparency.
Digital's rapidly evolving technology made the next wave of DACs sound strikingly clear and quiet, with some touchy-feely hints of wetness to suggest a more natural transparency. Unfortunately, most of these…
That was through the super-transparent Voxativs. Now seemed like a good time to try the Fezz through my forever reference Falcon Gold Badges. Every time I go back to these speakers, it feels more like a marriage, with decades of memories to use as comparison fodder.
I turned twenty-one in prison doing life without parole
You can blame it on the sound quality of the Fezz Equinox or the persuasiveness of Alex Halberstadt—take your pick—but during this review period I climbed off my high horse and accepted Merle Haggard as my three-in-the-morning savior. Alex helped me recognize…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel D/A processor using a Burr Brown PCM1794 converter chip with a 12AU7 output tube and no oversampling. Digital inputs: One USB Type B, one coaxial S/ PDIF RCA, two optical (TosLink). Analog outputs: stereo pair single-ended (RCA). S/ PDIF receiver: AKM4118 PCM. Sampling rates: 32kHz–192kHz, 16–24 bit, USB up to 384kHz, 32-bit. THD: <0.05%. Power consumption: 10W.
Dimensions: 14" (355mm) × 15" (380mm) × 3.9" (100mm). Weight: 19.8lb (9kg).
Serial number of unit reviewed: 0074531F. Designed and built in Poland.
Price: $2995.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC, HoloAudio May Level 3 and Spring 3 KTE DACs, dCS Lina DAC with Master Clock; TEAC VRDS-701T CD transport.
Preamplifier: HoloAudio Serene line.
Power amplifiers: Elekit TU-8900 with Brimar 6067/ECC82 and Psvane T Series MKII 300B tubes; First Watt SIT-4.
Headphone amplifiers: dCS Lina, Linear Tube Audio Z10e.
Loudspeakers: Falcon Acoustics Gold Badge LS3/5a, Voxativ Hagen2 Monitor.
Headphones: Audeze CRBN.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Kable D60 coaxial, AudioQuest Cinnamon USB. Interconnect:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
After making sure the single Electro-Harmonix 12AU7/ECC82 dual-triode tube was firmly plugged into its socket under the top-panel window, I used my Audio Precision SYS2722 system to perform a full set of measurements on the Fezz Equinox. I then repeated some of the tests with the magazine's APx555 analyzer. (The results with the two systems were consistent.) As HR had told me he used the Equinox's USB and coaxial S/PDIF inputs for his auditioning, I used those inputs for the testing. I didn't use the two TosLink inputs, as these only worked with data sampled at 44.…
The Munich unveiling of dCS’s Lina DAC X network music player ($15,500) drew significant attention from lovers of the Lina DAC ($14,400). The debut occurred alongside a static display of the top-of-the-line Varèse transport, due in June.
The DAC X includes a new physical volume dial, IR remote control, support for high-resolution streaming via Qobuz Connect, the option to connect CD/SACD transports, and a larger, standard-width chassis machined from solid billet aluminum. For those who prefer the appearance of the original Lina three-box DAC, headphone amplifier, and Master Clock, the…
The big news in the Constellation room was not the Revelation 2 Series, complete with its special Constellation Switch-Mode Power Supply (C-SMPS)—we’ve reported on it previously, including at AXPONA 2025. Rather, it was the chance to glimpse prototypes of the higher-level Performance 2 stereo amplifier and preamplifier, both due later this year.
As Irv Gross, Constellation's VP of Sales, spun silver platters, I spoke with co-founder and CEO Murali Murugasu. He discussed how the original Constellation design team has continued its work even after the deaths of celebrated…
"Our new Octave Jubilee class-A mono amplifier has a slightly different sound than the Jubilee Mono SEs you reviewed three years ago," said Andreas Hofmann. Hoffman is the founder and chief engineer of Germany’s Octave Audio, and he was talking about his forthcoming push-pull monoblock, noting that the amp outputs 160W in class-A lower-power mode and 280W in class-AB high-power mode. The Octave Jubilee’s projected price is $85,000/pair without potential tariff hikes.
“I was looking for a smoother yet natural sound,” Hofmann said. “A bit like an old red wine. I wanted it smooth but…
Göbel didn't debut a new speaker at High End Munich. In a totally selfless world, I would have bypassed the room for another with something new. But I'm an audiophile, and audiophiles have needs. Not having heard a Göbel speaker for a long time, I strolled into the room for a listen.
Company founder Oliver Göbel had cued up the same recording of the Calmus Ensemble's "Dindirindin" that I'd heard on the huge, over $2 million Magico / D'Agostino / Wadax / Antipodes / Telos system at AXPONA. From smaller speakers and lower-level front-end equipment, the impact was different, but the…