Category: Preamps
-
Cambridge Audio CXN V2 Audiophile Music Streamer In The House: First Impressions And Unboxing Pics!
DACs, First Impressions, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Music, Preamps, Reviews, Software, Streaming, Videos, WirelessThere are a couple of budget (around $500) Audiophile Music Streamers I recommend. The first is the Audiolab 6000N Play, which I consider to be the best sounding streamer in that price range. The second is the Bluesound Node 2i, which I believe to be a notch below the 6000N in sound quality. Still, it…
Written by
-
Cambridge Audio Adds Spectacular Roon Technology To Their Top Music Streamers
Cambridge Audio’s flagship EDGE NQ and CXN (V2) network audio streamers are now Roon Ready via a new software update. Upon completion of the update, Roon will be able to discover them on your network, optimize audio delivered to the streamer, and allow volume control directly from Roon without a complicated configuration. If you’re not…
Written by
-
World Premiere! The Enchanting Audio By Van Alstine SET 120 Integrated Amplifier-First Impressions And Unboxing
Budget, First Impressions, Headphone Amps, Hi-Fi, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, News, Power Amps, Preamps, Reviews, SpeakersWhile many Audiophiles, including myself, enjoy whiz-bang mass-market Hi-Fi, we should never forget the essence of this hobby lies in gear produced by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. These (usually) small scale manufacturers pour over every detail, not to meet a price point or marketing strategy, but to obtain the best possible sound for the money. One…
Written by
-
Awesome! The Best Integrated Amplifiers Around $1000 (2021)
Best Buys, Bluetooth, DACs, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Music, Power Amps, Preamps, Reviews, Speakers, Streaming, Uncategorized, Videos, WirelessCheck out our latest list: Best Buys: Best Budget Amplifiers For Audiophiles (2022) If you’re looking to build an affordable high-performance hi-fi system, then you should be looking at a quality integrated amp to be the heart of it. The Integrated Amplifier, a combination of pre-amp and amplifier, will play traffic cop for your sources…
Written by
-
The Phenomenal Denon PMA-1600NE Stereo Integrated Amplifier In The House: First Impressions And Unboxing Pics!
DACs, First Impressions, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Music, News, Power Amps, Preamps, Reviews, SpeakersCheck out our full review of the Denon PMA-1600NE Stereo Integrated Amplifier here! As I said in my post about the Polk Audio Legend L100 speakers, I first came across the $1599 Denon PMA-1600NE Stereo Integrated Amplifier at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. It was the amp they used to support the L100 demo, and it…
Written by
-
The Extraordinary Polk Audio LEGEND L100 Premium Bookshelf Speaker In The House: First Impressions And Unboxing Pics!
First Impressions, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Music, Power Amps, Preamps, Reviews, Speakers, Uncategorized, VideosCheck out our full review of the Polk LEGEND L100 and DENON PMA-1600NE! Last Fall, at Rocky Mountain Audio Fest outside of Denver, Colorado, I had the good fortune to be there when Polk Audio unveiled their new flagship speaker line called the Legend Series. The star of the show was their new L800 “True…
Written by
-
The “Best Bookshelf Speaker Of 2019” Is Real Cheap Right Now!
Best Buys, Budget, Deals, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Music, News, Power Amps, Preamps, Speakers, VideosIf you want a low-cost speaker with fantastic definition and air to build a system around, then you need to pick up the Q Acoustics 3020i Bookshelf Speaker, which is marked down to $267.99 ($32 Off!). This deal is good until 12/31 as part of Q Acoustics’ New Year’s Sale. Dubbed “The Best Bookshelf Speaker” by Wirecutter, their…
Written by
-
Buchardt Audio’s Extraordinary A500 Active Bookshelf Speaker Now Available For Pre-Order!
Buchardt Audio is back! This time around, they have a pair of active bookshelf speakers, which, according to the company, is three years in the making. The new model is called the A500, and it’s based on the super-popular S400 speaker we reviewed last year. They have a similar design to that much sought-after model,…
Written by
-
CES 2020: All The Spectacular Audio Gear We’ve Seen So Far!
Bluetooth, First Impressions, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, MQA, Music, News, Noise Cancelling, Portable Audio, Power Amps, Preamps, Shows, Speakers, Streaming, WirelessCES 2020, the annual Consumer Electronics industry show that convenes in Las Vegas every year, officially opened to all ticket holders today (it opened to the media on Sunday). Over the first three days, there have been some sensational new audio releases, including a bunch of new headphones, true wireless earphones, streaming amplifiers, and speakers.…
Written by
-
Product Of The Year 2019-Amps/Preamps: Cambridge Audio’s Jaw-Dropping CXA81 Integrated Stereo Amplifier!
Best Buys, Bluetooth, DACs, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Music, Power Amps, Preamps, Reviews, Streaming, Videos, WirelessThe Hifitrends.com Product Of The Year is an award given to an exceptional product that has passed across our desk– or through our listening room– this past year. It’s not a “Best Of” award, it’s just us giving recognition to gear we found to have extraordinary value and performance within its category. Also, since we…
Written by
-
Product Of The Year 2019-All-In-One Systems: The Wonderful SVS Prime Wireless Powered Speaker System!
Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Music, Power Amps, Preamps, Reviews, Software, Speakers, Streaming, WirelessThe Hifitrends.com Product Of The Year is an award given to an exceptional product that has passed across our desk– or through our listening room– this past year. It’s not a “Best Of” award, it’s just us giving recognition to gear we found to have extraordinary value and performance within its category. Also, since we…
Written by
-
Audiophile Holiday Gift Guide 2019: Super Saturday Shopping/Audio Deals/Last-Minute Christmas Gifts!
Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, Deals, Downloads, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Music, News, Noise Cancelling, Portable Audio, Power Amps, Preamps, Speakers, Streaming, Uncategorized, WirelessHey folks, we’re coming down the home stretch, Christmas is right around the corner, so I thought I would drop another post with the best deals on last-minute Christmas gifts! Most of these deals will disappear after the holidays, so if you’re looking for the lowest prices on some great audio gear, this is the…
Written by
-
Cambridge Audio Strengthens Its Network Music Streamer Lineup With Qobuz
Cambridge Audio’s Network Music Streamers now fully support Qobuz via the Streammagic app. Via a recent update, Cambridge Audio’s Streammagic app now offers full support of Qobuz, a high res music service that provides music streams at up to 24/192 better-than-CD quality. This update adds a third major Music Streaming service to Cambridge Audio’s CXN (V2),…
Written by
-
Schiit’s Powerful Little Headphone Amplifier Is Super Cheap With This Coupon!
Best Buys, Budget, DACs, Deals, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Power Amps, PreampsThe small but powerful Schiit Fulla 2 DAC and Headphone Amplifier is a budget-friendly and simple way to supercharge the audio from your laptop. It will convert the digital audio signal from your computer into a clean, detailed analog output that will improve the sound coming from your full-size audiophile headphones or a pair of powered…
Written by
-
The Best Affordable Audiophile Equipment Tried And Tested! Our New KIT.co Page Is Up!
Best Buys, Budget, DACs, Downloads, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Music, Portable Audio, Power Amps, Preamps, ShowsWe test and review a lot of hi-fi equipment throughout the year, so we wanted to make sure our readers had a central location to check out the stuff we liked. We call it our Recommended Gear. Kit.co seemed like the perfect place to showcase our products– so we just set up a new Kit…
Written by
-
Audiophile Holiday/Christmas Gift Guide 2019: The Best Black Friday/Cyber Monday Audio Deals You Can Still Get Your Hands On! (Updated 12/4)
Best Buys, Budget, DACs, Deals, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, News, Portable Audio, Power Amps, Preamps, Reviews, Speakers, StreamingIf you missed out on the deals from Black Friday, don’t worry! Today we’re breaking down the Best Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2019 Deals You Can Still Get Your Hands On, with a big list of the best deals on Headphones, Speakers, and Electronics…Don’t Sleep! These Are Limited-Time Offers and Can Disappear Any Minute! ELAC-check out the BLACK FRIDAY/CYBER MONDAY specials still up over…
Written by
-
Audiophile Holiday Gift Guide 2019: Best Cyber Monday Audio Deals You Can’t Miss-Hi-Fi Speakers, Headphones, & Electronics!
Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, Deals, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Music, Portable Audio, Power Amps, Preamps, SpeakersIf you missed out on the deals from Black Friday, don’t worry! Today we’re breaking down the Best Cyber Monday 2019 Deals, with a big list of the best deals on Headphones, Speakers, plus a bunch of other hi-fi gear…These are Crazy Limited-Time Offers! Please bookmark this page because we will keep updating it all the way through the…
Written by
-
Parasound NewClassic 200 Integrated Amplifier Review: This Mind-Blowing Amp Will Make Your Speakers Sing!
DACs, Headphone Amps, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Power Amps, Preamps, ReviewsAs I said in my first impressions post, I initially came across the $1195 Parasound NewClassic 200 at this year’s Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. It was part of what happened to be my favorite system that day, running some massive Tekton MOAB speakers that seemed like they took up most of the room. I was…
Written by
-
Hands-On With The Remarkable iFi PowerStation Power Conditioner/Power Strip/Surge Protector!
Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Noise Cancelling, Power Amps, Preamps, Reviews, VideosPutting together a high-quality hi-fi system, especially on a budget, is a daunting proposition. There are so many variables at play, ranging from speakers, amps, sources, cables, not to mention your personal preferences. After you read through all the reviews, get a gauge on what gear works for you, audition stuff, then plunk your hard-earned…
Written by
-
The Astounding Cambridge Audio CXA81 Integrated Amplifier In The House! First Impressions And Unboxing Pics!
First Impressions, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Music, Power Amps, Preamps, Speakers, Streaming, Videos, WirelessOur full review of the CXA81 is up on the site…check it out here. Ever since I had a chance to do a review of the Cambridge Audio CXA60 integrated amp, I’ve been a big fan of their CX Series components. Cambridge Audio always aims to provide huge value for the money and that line…
Written by