The AudioQuest Niagara 1200 is the type of product I can get into. It does exactly what it purports to do. It reduces the deleterious effects of untreated power and it does so at a reasonable price. I like what it does for the sound of my system, clearing away electronic schmutz I didn’t know was there to allow more of the original signal to be transmitted cleanly. If you’re contemplating adding or upgrading power delivery equipment, but some of the more extravagantly priced offerings are giving you cold feet, this could be your ticket. The Niagara 1200 is a well-engineered, high performance, and high-value power conditioner that’s worth checking out. You could spend a hell of a lot more money, but you may not want to bother. It’s that good.READ MORE

January 5, 2021

NUPRIME AUDIO IDA-8 > Integrated amplifier of the year by TAS

Sonically and functionally, there’s plenty to love about the IDA-8. Essentially, it’s a sleek-looking, small-footprint hybrid Class A/Class D integrated amplifier/DAC—that combines Class A warmth and resolution with Class D speed, power, and efficiency, and delivers both with remarkably low noise, thanks in part to ultra-low-noise JFETs in its input stage. Its DAC supports USB 384kHz/32-bit and DSD256, and is also capable of decoding DoP (DSD over PCM) via coaxial and optical inputs. NuPrime’s SRC (sampling rate conversion) IC chip provides FPGA processing with ultra-low jitter and distortion.

December 29, 2020

ATC MULTICHANNEL CONCEPT 7 by J. Gordon Holt | Oct 29, 2000

Founded in England in 1974 by Aussie Billy Woodman (who is still its prez and chief designer), Acoustic Transducer Company, best known by their initials, ATC, started out making custom loudspeaker drivers for recording studios. They made their first complete speaker system in 1978, introduced a compact consumer monitor in 1990, and in 1996 launched a proprietary “super-linear” magnet design to minimize the adverse effects of hysteresis (see sidebar, “Hysteresis”). Today, ATC is the best-known and most respected pro speaker company in Europe, where their clients include every major audio name.
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December 22, 2020

REL S/812 > Best High End Subwoofer 2020

The REL S/812 forms part of the pretentiously titled Serie S range of subwoofers, but never a company to do things by half, the latest additions are a total transformation of REL’s mid-sized class of subs. As a result, unlike the previously released 212/SE, the new S/812 represents a complete revision of the line-up that adds new upgrades and design features.

For a start, the cabinet has been revised, and the feet replaced with rails. The NextGen5 amplifier has also been upgraded to deliver more power, and the ultra-lightweight ContinuousCast alloy cone redesigned to handle the increase in slam. Improved filters tailor the LFE channel to deliver twice the output between 19 and 35Hz, while the high-level and low-level inputs use a new PerfectFilter. Finally, these redesigned subwoofers can also be stacked up to three units high.

The REL S/812 has a completely redesigned cabinet that is lower, wider and deeper, using dimensions based on the company’s Reference Series. The build quality is superb, and despite essentially being a cube, the S/812 is unusually attractive for a subwoofer. This is the kind of sub you wouldn’t mind having on display, rather than hidden away in a dedicated home cinema.
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December 16, 2020

WHARFEDALE LINTON

STEREOPHILE Summary >
Wharfedale Lintons združuje rafiniran, elegantno podroben zvok v celotnem frekvenčnem obsegu zaradi katerega sem želel predvajati plošče. Zaradi njih sem poslušal dlje in bolje raumel predvajano glasbo.

Zaradi navedenih očitnih prednosti in dejstva, da so zvočne omarice Linton ponašajo s prestižnim videzom, jih zelo priporočam.
– Herb Reichert, Stereophile

December 15, 2020

GOLD NOTE IS-1000 DELUXE > review in HI-FI+

What’s changed is almost everything.

A quick recap on the IS-1000 Deluxe is in order. The Gold Note IS-1000 Deluxe is essentially what happens if you let Gold Note’s P-1000 preamplifier and PA-1175 power amplifier meet on a hot date. Well, almost. OK, so the IS-1000 Deluxe doesn’t bristle with the same number of RCA and XLR inputs, and sports a built-in DAC and phonostage, while the PA-1175 is four and a half times more powerful than the IS-1000 Deluxe , but the similarity in circuit design makes the integrated model a very close blood relative to the pre and power.
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December 8, 2020

COPLAND CSA-100 integrated amplifier > EAR-NET review

The Scandinavian countries have between them produced some iconic audio brands – I bet if you put your mind to it you could name at least half a dozen without hesitation. Copland would certainly be on my list if I was to do the same thing, and yet this is the first time that I have had the pleasure of hosting one of their devices in my system.READ MORE

December 1, 2020

ATC SCM150ASLT LIMITED EDITION 2020

Tehnologija zvočnikov ATC s ponosom oznanja razpoložljivost SCM150ASLT, razkošne poroke vrhunskih pretvornikov in elektronskega oblikovalskega inženiringa, zasnovane za zagotavljanje izredne jasnosti, nevtralnosti, prehodnega odziva in brez napora.

November 24, 2020

GOLD NOTE CD1000 MkII CD player/DAC by Tone Audio

Even though there is a wealth of streaming options available to music lovers, the CD is quietly making a bit of a comeback. Not everyone wants to be an IT person, and some really enjoy the simplicity of putting a disc in and pushing play. Not to mention, there are some great deals to be had in the used CD bins.

November 17, 2020

NUPRIME AUDIO STA-9 > Reviews

The NuPrime STA-9 power amplifier are characterized by …

– an exceptionally clean, grain-free, clear sound image, which not least promotes a very pleasant, organic-looking tone color representation.
– tonal neutrality. Depending on the loudspeakers connected, it tends to be a bit livelier, fresher in high frequencies in stereo mode, and a bit more relaxed / confident in mono mode. Either way, the sound is absolutely consistent and coherent.

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NOVO > AUDIOQUEST NIAGARA 1200