With digital converters as with other products, I don't need to know their price or technology before I listen. It might be better not to know. But usually I do know. This review is unusual in that when I first started listening with the HiFi Rose RD160 DAC…
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Lord knows I try to keep an open mind, but those good-measuring delta-sigma chip DACs rub me the wrong way. Their processing complexity vexes my mind, and there's never been a reconstruction or upsampling filter that I've been a fan of. Nevertheless, I believe that every audio component must be judged by how it sounds and feels in use.
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used my Audio Precision SYS2722 system to examine the HiFi Rose RD160's behavior on the test bench. I used AES3 and optical S/PDIF data for the testing as well as USB data sourced from my MacBook Pro. The RD160 offers a choice of six reconstruction filters, three oversampling modes and three without oversampling; a choice of several fixed output levels or a variable output; and both balanced and single-ended outputs. I performed a complete set of tests using the balanced outputs with the variable output level option, the oversampling bypassed, and the default "…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Delta-sigma DAC with optional upsampling, utilizing the AKM AK4191 DSP chip and AKM AK4499EXEQ DAC chip with three transformers, separate power supplies for digital circuits, L and R output stages, and volume control. Aluminum/rust-proof steel chassis with side-mounted heatsinks and "hidden" AMOLED display. AK4191EQ delta-sigma modulator receives digital audio, handles filters, noise shaping, and oversampling. AK4499EXEQ chip handles D/A conversion. OCXO clock. MUSES 8920A JFET input dual operational amplifier for I/V conversion. Technologies…
In the above video interview on our YouTube channel, Ken Micallef speaks with Essentia Technology co-founder Leoni Alexander-Tomas, and later with Jonathan Nye and John Rowland of Michell, about the British company's turntables they were repping at the show.
As Montreal Audiofest 2026 was winding down, I didn't have enough time to survey the three Essentia Technology systems in the Montreal M2 room. Luckily, I had a chance to speak with Essentia Technology co-founder Leoni Alexander-Tomas, and later with Jonathan Nye and John Rowland of Michell, all of whom gave me the…
To me, no particular trends stood out at this year's Montreal Audiofest, though I did notice one product category that could represent a trend or the luck of the draw: bookshelf speakers that sound meatier and bigger than they have in the past.
Case in point: the Triangle Duetto 40th Anniversary speakers in the Zebrano finish ($8999/pair), which I heard in the room hosted by Quebec-based electronics retailer Centre Hi-Fi, whose products from its own Absolu collection were being demonstrated.
Upstream components included a Technics SL-1300GPK turntable ($4499) with a…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Lina DAC with Master Clock; LAiV Harmony µDAC, HoloAudio Spring3 KTE and Denafrips Terminator Plus DACs; TEAC VRDS-701T, Shanling ET3, and Sparkler Audio S515t CD transports.
Preamplifier: HoloAudio Serene.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo A21+, First Watt SIT-4, LAiV GaNM, Pass Labs XA-25.
Loudspeakers: Voxativ Hagen2, GoldenEar BRX, Falcon "Gold Badge" LS3/5a.
Cables: Speaker: Cardas Clear Beyond. Interconnects: AudioQuest Black Beauty, AudioQuest Mackenzie. Digital: AudioQuest Cinnamon (USB and coax). AC: AudioQuest…
Phono Cartridges:
A:
Aidas AG-CU series Malachite Silver: $7025
Aidas CU-series Durawood: $5700
These hand-built, low-output moving coil cartridges from Lithuania use the same basic generator, boron cantilever, AlNiCo5 magnet, and nude MicroLine stylus, but differ in the wire used to wind the coils and the material used for the cartridge body. The Durawood uses copper wire and a body made from multilayered wood; the Malachite uses silver-plated copper wire and a heavier, green, Tru-Stone body. The first thing that struck MT about the Durawood was how quietly this…