Category: Power Amps
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Rocky Mountain Audio Fest Report Part 5: The Show In Pictures-Room Highlights!
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So this is the wrap-up of my Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2019 coverage, and basically, I wanted to post some pics of the rooms I dug but haven’t posted yet. Zu Audio’s room was pretty cool with the Druid 6 and Omen Dirty Weekend paired with Pass Labs/Holo Audio gear, the newly launched Sonus Faber Olympica…
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Rocky Mountain Audio Fest Report Part 3: Affordable Hi Fi Roundup, Including A Sneak Peek At The New Elac Debut Reference!
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in Budget, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, MQA, Music, News, Power Amps, Preamps, Reviews, Shows, Speakers, Streaming, WirelessHifitrends.com is all about low-cost, high-performance audio gear, so it was great to see so much affordable hi-fi at the show! First of all, RMAF 2019 had three rooms dedicated to “entry-level” gear, and while that designation irks me (maybe I’ll write a post on that someday), I love the idea behind it. Rooms were divided…
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Rocky Mountain Audio Fest Report: Cambridge Audio Intros New CX Series Integrated Amps
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in Budget, DACs, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Music, News, Power Amps, Preamps, ShowsI always make it a point to stop at the Cambridge Audio room when I hit a show and even more so this time because I hoped to hear both the relatively new AX Series budget amps and the brand new CX Series 2 Integrated Amps. Dubbed the CXA81 ($1299) and CXA61 ($999), they offer…
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Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier Review: Class-Leading Sound And Construction
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As I said in my first impressions/unboxing post, Audiolab shook things up 35 years ago with their 8000A Integrated Amp, a product still revered today for its bulletproof build quality and high-end sound. The $950 6000A Integrated Amplifier I’m looking at today is the cornerstone of the UK company’s new and more affordable 6000 series,…
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Emotiva TA-100 Integrated Amplifier Review: A Pleasure To Use
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Emotiva is a cool U.S. company based in Tennessee, which engineers the heck out of their audio products and then sells them directly to the consumer (they only sell on their website or Amazon) for meager prices. This commendable business model has allowed them to create their high-value, high-performance Bas-X line, which I’ve been admiring for…
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10 Father’s Day Gifts For The Audiophile Dad
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Is your Dad a music lover? Is he still listening to his tunes on a beat up old hifi stereo system or headphones purchased before you were born? Well, Fathers’ Day is the perfect time to help him upgrade his rig! Below is a list of affordable audiophile speakers, headphones, amps, and DACs that will make…
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PS Audio Sprout100 Integrated Amplifier Review: Simple And Elegant Hi Fi
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PS Audio is known as much for its personable co-founder and CEO Paul McGowan as it is for its relatively value priced high-end audio separates. But a few years ago, Paul’s son Scott decided they needed to create a compact integrated amplifier that fit the needs of younger and most likely space deprived audiophiles. He…
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NAD Electronics D 3045 HybridDigital DAC Amplifier Review: Flexible And Affordable
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At one point in time, other than being known as one of the best stereo amplifier brands, NAD was known for nondescript grey audio components that sounded great and didn’t cost a lot of money. Features and fluff were kept to a minimum, with the bulk of the budget put into high-current amplification. That way…
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Audiolab 6000A In The House: A Truly Versatile Integrated Amplifier
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35 years ago, Audiolab shook things up with their 8000A Integrated Amp, a product still revered today for its bulletproof build quality and high-end sound. Now they have distilled the essence of the 8000 series down (along with adding digital capabilities!) into the more affordable 6000 series, and the $899 6000A Integrated Amplifier is the cornerstone.…
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Atlantic Technology FS-252 Powered Bookshelf Speakers In The House!
A couple of years ago, powered loudspeakers, otherwise known as active speakers, were used primarily in the domain of pro audio. But now it seems like every speaker manufacturer is on a mad dash to put out the best powered speakers for hi-fi use. The model I have today is the $749 FS-252 active bookshelf from…
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Bowers & Wilkins Challenges Sonos With New Formation Powered Speakers Suite
Bowers & Wilkins, a longtime manufacturer of British audiophile monitors, has moved into the active speaker space in a big way with its new Formation Suite. The new system, poised to challenge Sonos for the title of best whole-home powered speakers, incorporates elements of their highly-regarded passive audiophile speakers and promises better sound than any…
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PS Audio Sprout100 Integrated Amplifier In The House!
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Ever since the first version of PS Audio’s Sprout Integrated Amplifier was announced back in 2015, I was intrigued by its promise. PS Audio was a well-respected high-end audio company, with renown driven not only by great sounding gear but also by the personality of its founder Paul McGowan. Before Sprout, all of their gear…
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Watch: AXPONA 2019-Master Designer Andrew Jones Talks About His Newest Audiophile Speakers
I suck at making videos, but Joe N Tell is really, really good at it. Check out this vid from the AXPONA 2019 show where he talks to master speaker designer Andrew Jones of ELAC about his latest passive and powered speakers. His rooms are always amongst the most popular at the show, and in the…
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AXPONA 2019 Show Report: High End Audio In Pictures
Be sure to check out our other AXPONA Posts: Budget/Affordable Audiophile Speakers And Electronics Hands-On With The Best Audiophile Headphones Part 1 Hands-On With The Best Audiophile Headphones Part 2 As with every audio show, there were some great rooms and then there were some duds…but at the end of the day, I heard some…
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AXPONA 2019 Show Report: Budget/Affordable Audiophile Speakers And Electronics
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in Budget, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Integrated Amps, Music, News, Power Amps, Preamps, Speakers, Streaming, WirelessBe sure to check out our other AXPONA Posts: Hands-On With The Best Audiophile Headphones Part 1 Hands-On With The Best Audiophile Headphones Part 2 High End Audio In Pictures Since I usually cover affordable or budget audiophile gear on a daily basis, I tried to keep an eye out for some of the low-cost,…
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AXPONA 2019 Show Report: Hands-On With The Best Audiophile Headphones Part 2
Be sure to check out our other AXPONA Posts: Budget/Affordable Audiophile Speakers And Electronics Hands-On With The Best Audiophile Headphones Part 1 High End Audio In Pictures ZMF Headphones makes some of the most beautiful wood headphones out there, both in looks and sound, and they had a large presence at AXPONA this year. Their…
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EMOTIVA BasX TA-100 Integrated Amplifier/Tuner In The House!
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EMOTIVA is known for making some heavy duty audio gear and selling it at very low prices. Because of this, I have been really wanting to get some of their stuff in for review, and it has finally happened! This is the BasX TA-100 Integrated Amplifier (w/ tuner!) and it does a whole lot for…
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NAD D 3045 Hybrid Digital DAC Integrated Amplifier In The House!
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NAD D3045 Hybrid Digital DAC Amplifier ($699) – I call it a little wonder box…Integrated Power Amp, High-Current Headphone Amp, USB DAC w/ MQA and DSD, not to mention an APT-X HD Bluetooth Reciever. There’s not much this relatively small box can’t do. I can’t wait to put it through its paces! Stay tuned for the review……
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10 Building Blocks for Your Budget/Affordable 2-Channel Audiophile System! (2019)
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(Check out our new post on this topic: How To Build A Mind-Blowing Affordable Hifi System In 5 Steps!) While I spend a lot of time covering headphones, earphones, and headphone DAC/Amps, 2-channel audio systems are my first love. While headphones can create a wonderful listening experience, they can’t re-create the sound of a well-matched…
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Cambridge Audio CXA60 Integrated Amplifier Review
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Class-leading sound in the sub-$1000 price range. I purchased a Cambridge Audio Azur 540a V2 integrated in the early 2000s because I was impressed with its robust design. The thick metal faceplate and big toroidal transformer told me this amp meant business, It also didn’t hurt that it cost less than $500 at the time.…