HiFi News
Twittering Machines Favorite DACs [update]
Notice I didn’t say “Best DACs.” There’s a big difference between a favorite and a best, as big a difference as there is between night and day.
Month: June 2021
HiFi Reviews
Review: The THX Onyx Portable DAC’s Got Game
Portable dongle DACs are experiencing a renaissance for the first time.
#NewMusicFriday
#NewMusicFriday: June 25, 2021
Each Friday, Stephen Mejias, AudioQuest’s Director of Communications and former Stereophile and Audiostream columnist, will browse through the many exciting albums released that day and select 15 worth a closer listen.
Album of the Week
Album of the Week: Senyawa | Alkisah
Seek, and ye shall find (just be careful what you look for).
HiFi News
iFi’s New Zen Stream Wi-Fi Audio Transport Does Ethernet Too!
There’s a relative dearth of affordable streamers that offer USB out. iFi’s new Zen Stream Wi-Fi Audio Transport does USB and S/PDIF out, and in between the WiFi and wired inputs there’s a host of iFi tech meant to improve the sound of your digital […]
HiFi News
Questyle Joins the Dongle DAC Party With The M12 Mobile Headphone Amp & DAC
“What the world needs now is love, sweet love” according to Hal David and Burt Bacharach. They forgot to mention — and another dongle DAC.
HiFi Reviews
Thrax Ares: the Sum of Its Parts
High end also refers to the impressive artistry of interplay. So why not house all the equipment involved under one roof?
HiFi News
Meet Naim’s First Turntable: The Solstice Special Edition
Naim Audio was officially incorporated in 1973 and their Aro tonearm is the stuff of audiophile legend. But that’s about as far as the Salisbury, England based company ever went in terms of playing records. Until now.
TM News
The Barn Reference System Gets an O/grade: the DeVore Fidelity O/96
It was bound to happen. Like the changing tide or sunshine.
#NewMusicFriday
#NewMusicFriday: June 18, 2021
Each Friday, Stephen Mejias, AudioQuest’s Director of Communications and former Stereophile and Audiostream columnist, will browse through the many exciting albums released that day and select 15 worth a closer listen.
Album of the Week
Album of the Week: Home Is Where | I Became Birds
“I want to pet every puppy I see.”
HiFi Reviews
Review: GoldenEar Triton Reference Towers – Big, Bold, and Beautiful
Full range. There are an abundance of words and phrases used to describe aspects of the reproduction of music, but few are as meaningful and without controversy as full range. In an ideal world, who wouldn’t want full range?
HiFi Thoughts
Ten Inconvenient Facts About Digital
Facts can act like anchors in a sea of loose words. Here are ten inconvenient facts about digital to hopefully help silence some of the endless prattle.
Music News
Aldous Harding Returns With “Old Peel”
It feels like an eternity has passed between Aldous Harding’s last full length, Designer, from 2019. In some ways, an eternity has passed if we consider confinement a form of it.
HiFi News
Primare Readies A New Prisma NP5 MK2 Network Player
The AKM factory fire that occurred on October 20, 2020 at the company’s semiconductor plant in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan, has sent many an audio manufacturer back to the drawing board.
HiFi News
Darko.Audio podcast #24 – Apple Music’s lossless hi-res & Spatial Audio (and more)
I (re)joined John Darko of Darko.Audio for some podcast time, this time around we shoot the breeze about Apple Music’s lossy, lossless, and hi-res lossless, CDs, dinner at Le Bernardin, and more.
#NewMusicFriday
#NewMusicFriday: June 11, 2021
Each Friday, Stephen Mejias, AudioQuest’s Director of Communications and former Stereophile and Audiostream columnist, will browse through the many exciting albums released that day and select 15 worth a closer listen.
Album of the Week
Album of the Week: Lowell Davidson | Rediscovered Session of 1988
There’s easy music, difficult music, and the stuff in between. And then there’s uncomfortable music.
HiFi Reviews
Review: Roon Nucleus Plus or Why Roon Is An Audiophile Essential
If you are looking for a plug and play Roon server solution that’s nicely made, good looking, and price falls in line after these considerations, a Roon Nucleus is for you.
Music News
Apple Music’s Big Bet: Sound Effects!
Just when you thought things were getting better, Apple comes clean with their hopes for the future of music. And it’s all about sound effects. Ugh.
Music News
Apple Music in High-Resolution Has Arrived!
My daily iPhone Apple Music hi-res check finally turned up gold this very morning. Apple Music Hi-Res streaming has (finally) arrived!
Music News
Apple Claims Lossy and Lossless Are “Virtually Indistinguishable” (Boo)
Apple, who recently announced the immanent release of lossless hi-res streaming through Apple Music, doesn’t think very much of it.
Classic Albums
Classic Albums: Lowell Davidson Trio (Vinyl Reissue)
I feel like I’ve written about Lowell Davidson and his sole record, Lowell Davidson Trio released on ESP-Disk’ in 1965, way too often. Turns out, I’m wrong.
#NewMusicFriday
#NewMusicFriday: June 4, 2021
Each Friday, Stephen Mejias, AudioQuest’s Director of Communications and former Stereophile and Audiostream columnist, will browse through the many exciting albums released that day and select 15 worth a closer listen.
Album of the Week
Album of the Week: Spivak | Rare Backwards
Sometimes I like to move slow. Real slow.
HiFi Reviews
Review: Denafrips IRIS USB Digital To Digital Converter
All USB audio sources are not created equal, and all USB DACs are not created equal. This makes making any kind of sweeping generalizations about the effectiveness of things that sit between point A, the USB audio source, e.g. a Raspberry Pi, and Point B, […]
HiFi News
Getting The Most From Apple Music’s New Lossless Service: iOS v OSX
Want to know how do get all of that high-resolution goodness from Apple Music into your hifi of choice with no fuss, no muss? Read on.