Category: First Impressions
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Ifi Audio’s Stunning New NEO Stream Brings Tons Of Crisp Digital Tunes To Your System!
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in DACs, First Impressions, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, Software, Streaming, Videos, WirelessA little while back, we reviewed iFi Audio’s ZEN Stream, a simple yet powerful streaming transport that let audiophiles bring a pristine digital music signal into their systems without a lot of fuss. While we love that device (especially as a raspberry pi alternative), some folks are looking for more of a “complete” solution, basically…
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The Hottest Budget Audiophile Gear Right Now: New Stuff From Elac, Meze Audio, Buchardt Audio, And More!
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Now that we’re moving into the fourth quarter of the year, and simultaneously sliding into the holiday season, the new product announcements are coming in hot and heavy! Today, we have a list detailing some of the hottest new budget audiophile gear we’ve seen this week, including a value priced set of powered bookshelf speakers…
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The Best Budget Audiophile Gear Of 2022 (Fall Edition): Speakers, Headphones, Etc.
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If you’re putting together an audio system on a budget, it’s an excellent time to be alive. Affordable hi-fi gear has never sounded better, so getting more system for your money is easy if you know where to look! We here at Hifitrends.com eat, sleep, and breathe affordable hi-fi, so we have both studied and…
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HiBy Goes Back To The Future With New R2R Digital Audio Player
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With Delta-Sigma DAC chipsets becoming so ubiquitous in our globalized markets, R2R-based DACs are coming back in a big way. Once considered an outdated technology, many audio manufacturers are selling them as a contrast (in sound) to chip-based (ESS, Burr-Brown, AKM) devices. To that end, HiBy has a new R2R Dac-equipped digital audio player called…
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Pangea Debuts Beautiful Hardwood Version Of Their Popular Vulcan Audio Rack
Today, Pangea Audio announced the arrival of the Vulcan Parawood Four-Shelf Rack, a new version of their highly sought-after Vulcan audio rack. The new design features shelves of sustainable tropical hardwood with a clear semi-gloss finish, providing elegance and sturdiness. The wood they use is called Parawood, which Pangea touts as sustainable since the trees…
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Pre-Orders For The Z REVIEWS x LETSHUOER Z12 X HiFiGo Planar IEM Begin Today
This year, LETSHUOER made a massive splash in the IEM market with the S12 Planar Magnetic Driver IEMs (review coming soon), which provide remarkably balanced and detailed performance for a very affordable price. Now in collaboration with Zeos of Z Reviews, a popular review channel, they have come out with a limited edition version of…
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Audiolab Omnia Integrated Amp In The House: First Impressions And Unboxing Pics!
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in Analog, Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, First Impressions, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, MQA, News, Reviews, Speakers, Videos, WirelessIt seems like every high-end hi-fi company has an all-in-one amplifier at this point. That said, there aren’t too many with a built-in CD player. As a matter of fact, I can only think of one. That would be the $2299 Audiolab Omnia, a do-it-all integrated that builds off their 6000A Play streaming amplifier. In…
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The Best Budget Audiophile Gear Of 2022 (So Far): Speakers, Headphones, Etc.
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If you’re putting together an audio system on a budget, it’s an excellent time to be alive. Affordable hi-fi gear has never been better made or better sounding, so you get more system for your money. The first six months of 2022 have produced some innovative products, like iFi Audio’s Go Bar, an ultra-portable DAC…
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Ifi Audio’s New GO Bar Ultraportable DAC Features Detachable Cables, Balanced Output, And Full MQA Decoding
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in Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, Deals, First Impressions, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, News, ShowsThis weekend, at the High End Audio Show in Munich, Ifi Audio is unveiling its latest DAC/Amp combo, the ultraportable Go Bar. This new compact DAC/Amp will provide much of the functionality of its larger siblings like the iFi hip-dac 2 and xDSD Gryphon while being a fraction of the size (65x22x13mm). It’s said to…
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Watch: Klipsch’s Next-Gen Reference Premiere Speakers Are Here!
Unless you’ve been under a rock, you know the Klipsch RP-600M Reference Premiere Bookshelf Speakers (our review here) is one of the most successful affordable speakers ever made. That said, as audiophiles, we also know there’s always room for improvement, especially at the lower price points. To that end, Klipsch has released the 2nd gen…
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AXPONA 2022: Coolest Stuff From Day One At The Biggest Hi-Fi Show!
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One of the best things about going to an audio show like AXPONA is coming across extraordinary or unconventional stuff. A big part of designing hi-fi is coming up with new ways of doing things, and as a result, you often see some cool stuff. Here’s a list of the coolest stuff I saw on…
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Moondrop Releases Their First Portable DAC/AMP, The $189 Moonriver 2
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Today, Moondrop unveiled their first portable USB DAC/Amp combo, the Moondrop Moonriver 2. On paper, it looks well-equipped, with top-notch audio components like dual Cirrus Logic CS43198 premium DAC chips (supports high-resolution 32-Bit/384kHz PCM and native DSD256 decoding) and fully balanced four-channel amp circuitry. This compact device also has dual Headphone ports (3.5mm SE+4.4mm Bal),…
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iFi Audio’s New ZEN Air Series Offers Enchanting High-Fidelity Audio For Only $99!
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in Analog, Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, First Impressions, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, News, Videos, WirelessWe’ve been fans of iFi Audio’s products for a long time now. They always offer an excellent mix of innovation, value, and, most important, sound quality. Given this, iFi is introducing the ZEN Air Series, a new line of four products that promise quality and performance close to their award-winning ZEN series but at an…
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The $349 ZEN One Signature Is A Noteworthy Pure Digital To Analog Converter With MQA and LDAC Bluetooth!
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in Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, First Impressions, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, News, Streaming, Uncategorized, Videos, WirelessToday, iFi Audio announced the availability of the $349 ZEN One Signature…this new pure Digital to Analog Converter takes the DAC stage from our recent Product of the Year ZEN DAC V2, adds S/PDIF inputs (optical and coaxial), a USB port, plus Bluetooth technology from the new ZEN Blue V2 Bluetooth DAC. Ifi then ups…
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Cambridge Audio Announces Two Slick New Turntables At CES, Alva TT V2 & Alva ST
Further news coming out of CES 2022 in Vegas…Today, British Hi-Fi manufacturer Cambridge Audio unveiled the brand new Alva TT V2 ($1999) & Alva ST ($999) turntables, which are expected to hit retailers in the Spring. The Alva TT V2 is an upgraded version of the Alva TT (the world’s first aptX HD Bluetooth turntable…
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Philips Sound Unveils New Premium True Wireless Earbuds With Dual Hybrid Drivers!
Last night, at CES in Vegas, Philips Sound gave the first demo of their soon-to-be-released T1 True Wireless Earbuds. Marketed under their Fidelio premium audio brand, the T1 is said to have the brand’s signature sound providing a “warm, natural midrange and deep yet accurate bass.” They are also said to have dual hybrid drivers,…
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Technics’ New EAH-A800 Noise Cancelling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones Boast High-Resolution Audio With 50 Hours Of Playback!
Today, Technics unveiled the $349 EAH-A800 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones, a new premium set of Bluetooth earphones that promise industry-leading battery life (up to 50 hours), class-leading active noise canceling, and LDAC Hi-Res wireless audio. Price-wise they’re in direct competition with the current top-selling ANC headphones from Sony, so it will be interesting to see…
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Audiolab’s New Omnia Is A Stunning $2300 Class AB Integrated Amp With Built-In CD Player, Play-Fi Streaming, and USB Input!
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Today, Audiolab released the $2299 Omnia, a classy-looking Roon Tested streaming amplifier with a built-in CD player, Play-Fi streamer, MM phono stage, and asynchronous USB input. The amp stage is Class AB (50w per ch. into 8 ohms) mated to an ESS Sabre-based digital stage (ES9038Q2M chip) which is capable of handling PCM audio up…
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Meze Audio Launches The Enchanting LIRIC, Their First Portable Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Headphone!
Today, Meze Audio released the $2000 LIRIC, their first portable planar magnetic headphone! This new model is a closed-back beauty with a matte black magnesium frame trimmed with leather. Inside the cups are Rinaro’s Isodynamic Hybrid Array Drivers, the same used in Meze’s flagship Elite and Empyrean headphones. In this case, they are scaled-down to…
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NAD Reveals The C 700, A New $1499 “Just Add Speakers” BluOS Streaming Integrated Amplifier
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Today, NAD launched the $1499 NAD C 700 BluOS Streaming Integrated Amplifier, a new affordable counterpart to the well-reviewed Masters Series M10 BluOS Music Streaming Amplifier….has 80W per channel, Full-Color Display, HDMI, 2 Way apt-X Bluetooth, MQA & more…ships late October: The following press release is courtesy of Lenbrook: NAD Launches New C 700…