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The inexpensive but versatile Eversolo Play CD Edition integrated amplifier ($799) that Rogier van Bakel reviewed in the January 2026 issue has optical and coaxial digital inputs, line and phono analog inputs, can play CDs, and can stream audio over its network connection, all for just $799! Although RvB doesn't have an LP player and was therefore unable to audition the Play's phono stage, I performed a complete set of measurements on the phono input with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. As usual when I am measuring a phono stage, I connected the ground terminal on the amplifier's rear…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Modular class-AB, dual-mono integrated amplifier with remote control, optional MC phono and DAC streamer modules, the latter Roon Ready and equipped with internet radio. Analog inputs: two balanced (XLR). Digital inputs: two USB 2.0, Type A, one USB-C, microSD (SD1), HDMI ARC, S/PDIF (RCA), TosLink, AES3. Analog outputs: XLR pre-out (one fixed, one variable), 6.3mm headphone jack, multiway loudspeaker binding posts. Digital outputs: S/PDIF (RCA), TosLink. Power output: 95Wpc into 8 ohms (19.8dBW); 155Wpc into 4 ohms (18.9dBW; both rated at ~230V AC,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Varèse music system; Innuos Nazaré Music Server and PhoenixNET network switch; Small Green Computer Sonore opticalModule Deluxe (2); Broadcom/Avago AFBR-5718PZ 1GB SX-SFP, Gen 5 Fiber Optic modules (2); Nordost QSource linear power supply (2); Sonore Audiophile Linear Power Supply; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS with Ferrum Hypsos linear/switching hybrid power supply; ASUS AX6000 and RT-AX88U Pro mesh routers and Netgear Nighthawk modem; Apple 2023 iPad Pro and 2025 MacBook Air.
Power amplifiers: Dan D'Agostino Momentum M400 MxV…
It was hard to find focus in Victor Kung's room. Between the nearly invisible AER BD3B/650mm full-range open-baffle speakers ($9800/pair) and the various amps on static display—Sun Valley SV-1616D 300B integrated amp ($2450), or the Elekit TU-8900 ($3050) or Elekit TU-8850 ($1850) power amps—my palms felt sweaty, my head, dizzy. Is this SET-amp lover’s heaven?
Victor’s active setup included a VPI 40th Anniversary HW-40 Direct turntable ($22,000) with the fantastic Hana Umami Blue MC cartridge ($2000) allied to a Sun Valley EQ161D phono stage ($1585), Pre161D preamplifier ($1550),…
There's something inherently suspicious about most all-in-one solutions. They promise convenience but whisper compromise. It's a bit like those Swiss Army knives with 14 attachments: The corkscrew is barely adequate, and the other tools are terrible at everything. And it isn't just quality. The audiophile brain, trained over decades of mix-and-match rituals, recoils instinctively. Where's the fun in a speaker that arrives with amplification baked in? Where's the journey of pairing, the thrill of synergy discovered at 2am after your sixth cable swap?
And yet. Sometimes the all-in-one…
I own a lot of records. Way too many if we're being honest. It's hard for me to come up with an accurate count, and I'm not even remotely organized enough to have a formal inventory, but if I had to make a guesstimate based on linear feet I figure I must have around 10,000. About 10 years ago, I started to recognize that I owned far more records than I could ever hope to listen to, even once, in my remaining time on the planet, and since that realization my record purchasing rate has slowed to a trickle.
These days, my worst weakness kicks in when I'm visiting my friend of over 45 years,…
Sidebar 4: Measurements
I performed a complete set of measurements on a Dynaudio Confidence 20 Active Space standmount loudspeaker, serial number 10177473, with the analog output of my DRA Labs' MLSSA system connected to the XLR jack on the back of the integral stand. (The speaker was set to Left/ Primary.) I then repeated some of the measurements with the MLSSA output digitized with my Ayre QA-9 A/D converter and fed to the loudspeaker's AES3 digital input. This input locked to data with a sample rate up to 192kHz. I used a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone with an Earthworks microphone…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
As Jim Austin primarily auditioned the CH Precision L1 using its direct-coupled balanced inputs and outputs with the gain adjust set to "0dB," the input impedance set to High, and with the preamplifier powered by the auxiliary X1 supply, I performed a complete set of measurements in that condition. (The manual says not to stack the L1 and X1; the supplied umbilical cable was long enough for me to place the X1 on the floor, well away from the L1.) I then repeated some of the tests using the unbalanced inputs and outputs, then performed the balanced input's…
Sidebar 1: Pascal's Wager: Betting on Class-D Pro Audio
Twenty years ago, the Danish amplifier specialists at Pascal Audio hand-built their first prototypes in a small lakeside cabin near Copenhagen. From the start, the firm specialized in electronics for self-powered loudspeakers and amplifier systems. It now partners with audio brands in more than 70 countries.
If you're not familiar with Pascal amplification, you're not alone; it's probably the least well-known of the class-D amplification companies. It positioned itself as a behind-the-scenes supplier to PA loudspeaker…
You’re going to need to indulge me a bit, because, due to some communication difficulties, I’m not totally confident of some prices and components in this room. If I understood correctly, the handmade-in-Japan, 1-bit Sparkler Audio S503 CD Player/Transport costs $1650, and the build-it-yourself EleKit TU-8600R integrated amplifier, also from Japan, goes for $1785. The loudspeaker system appears to be custom, from AER, including that company's BD2 driver (3000 each, according to the AER website) in an acrylic stand that looks like AER's Custom (€5500/pair) but with the addition of the larger…