Category: Streaming
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iFi xCAN Portable Headphone Amp Review
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Powerful Portable Audiophile Amp with Excellent Wireless Sound Judging from my research and general discussion about the xCAN, it seems like people are really confused about what it actually is. I guess part of the confusion is the existence of the xDSD, a portable headphone amp/DAC that is more along the lines of what people…
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#New Music Friday: Theon Cross-Fyah
#New Music Friday is our showcase of a new recording from the current week…this week we feature Theon Cross’ Fyah “Funky Tuba” is not a phrase you hear too often. The Tuba is usually not a featured instrument outside of Brass Bands in New Orleans, but Theon Cross, an anchor of the burgeoning London modern…
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Music Monday: Kassa Overall-Go Get Ice Cream and Listen to Jazz
This is another installment of my weekly musical recommendations for audiophiles… If you follow this blog at all, you know when it comes to music, I like a lot of weird, jazzy, stuff. This weeks music selection falls firmly in that camp. Go Get Ice Cream and Listen to Jazz from Seattle’s Kassa Overall, is…
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Qobuz, Hi-Res Streaming Service, Schedules U.S. Public Launch for Valentine’s Day
For those of us not lucky enough to get in on the private beta running right now, Qobuz, the Hi-Res streaming service from Europe, has announced it will open to the public in the U.S. on Feb 14th, Valentine’s Day. Up until now, Tidal was the only game in town for better than CD quality…
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HiBy R3 Digital Audio Player Review
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in Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, MQA, Music, Portable Audio, Reviews, Streaming, WirelessGreat sound, Build Quality and Tons of Useful Features Makes This Player An Excellent Value. When the HiBy R3 campaign landed on Kickstarter early last year, it was leaps and bounds ahead of any audiophile music player in terms of features at the $200 price point. While they may have overshot the mark a bit,…
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Music Monday: 2019 Jazz Grammy Playlist For Your Streaming Pleasure
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards, otherwise known as “Music’s biggest night”, will be airing this Sunday, Feb. 10th on CBS. Being the Jazz lover I am, I always like to check out the nominees in the Jazz Category and catch up on any albums I may have missed. Here’s a Tidal playlist made up of…
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Get One Month Of Roon Free Courtesy of Qobuz
Last week I covered the release of Roon Labs’ Roon 1.6 update, and a big part of that was the announcement of Qobuz integration into their audiophile music management software. From the Qobuz blog: Roon manages, browses, and searches your local file collection and Qobuz digital download and streaming collections in one app, with the…
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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.…
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Roon 1.6 Is Here with Roon Radio, Qobuz, and New Design
Roon, the audiophile music player, and music management software from Roon Labs, is starting off the new year with a new design, plus a couple new features. The new features, part of the Roon 1.6 update, include Qobuz integration, which will allow users to blend their own personal music libraries with uncompressed Hi-Res music (up…
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Status Audio Introduces BT ONE Headphone, Get Free IEMs With Pre-Order
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Status Audio is a company that shuns the use of flashy models and celebrities to promote their products, instead relying on word of mouth regarding their value pricing and quality products to propel their sales. For example, their $69 CB-1 Studio Monitor Headphones got rave reviews all over the internet for their great sound and…
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Technics Releases Two Premium Headphones with apt-X HD and LDAC Bluetooth
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At CES 2019 in Las Vegas, Technics released two premium over-ear wireless headphones, the EAH-F70N and EAH-F50B. Both models are aiming for audiophile sound quality, incorporating high-resolution Bluetooth codecs (both apt-x HD and LDAC) along with custom 40mm diaphragms. The F70N model adds active Noise Cancelling with an Ambient Awareness feature that will allow you to…
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TIDAL Making MQA Audiophile Format Available To All Android Smartphones
UPDATE: Check out my post on How to get the best sound quality from the TIDAL app and MQA! TIDAL Masters MQA is now available on iOS as well! Check out our post about it here. TIDAL announced today that it will be making TIDAL Masters, their implementation of MQA high-resolution streaming, available to all…
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Optoma NuForce and Massdrop Unveil New Wireless Earphones for Audiophiles
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in Bluetooth, Budget, Deals, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, MQA, Music, News, Portable Audio, Streaming, WirelessThe following is courtesy of Optoma Technology: FREMONT, Calif., Jan. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Optoma NuForce, a world-leading manufacturer of audio products, today unveiled the new Massdrop x NuForce STRIDE Bluetooth® In-ear Monitors (IEMs), the latest product innovation stemming from the company’s collaboration with Massdrop, the popular community-driven commerce platform. The versatile lifestyle earphones mark Massdrop’s entry into the Bluetooth wireless…
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1MORE Receives CES Award For New Flagship Penta Driver In-Ear Headphones
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1MORE just announced a new flagship in-ear headphone at CES for which they have earned the CES 2019 Innovation Honoree Award. The new neckband-style Penta Driver In-Ear Headphones feature 5 balanced armatures per side, and have the option of either wireless listening via Bluetooth or wired via an included adapter. They also support the Apt-X…
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iFi xCAN: Bluetooth Audiophile Headphone Amp In The House!
Thanks again to iFi for sending me another product to review! After checking out their nano iDSD Black Label last year, I was very impressed with the build quality, feature set, sound, and just overall value for the money! Highly recommended, and if you don’t believe me, then check out the million other favorable reviews…
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The Best (Or Basically My Favorite) Jazz Albums of 2018
As far as I’m concerned, 2018 was a very good year for Jazz music, with so many great albums covering so many different styles. While there were many like the Mark Ward Trio and Dr. Lonnie Smith that followed the traditional paths set by the Jazz forefathers, there were others like Tigran Hamasyan or Mammal Hands…
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1MORE Releases New True Wireless, ANC Earphones
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I’m a big fan of 1MORE earphones and headphones, especially the Triple Driver Over Ear headphone, which I use with my LG V40 smartphone on a daily basis. So whenever they release a new product, I get very excited. In this case they have two new products, one being their first true wireless model, the…
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Music You Need To Hear: Nas – “illmatic: Live From The Kennedy Center”
Man, when I first heard this crazy dude named Nasty Nas jump all over the track on Main Source’s “Live At The Barbeque”, I just knew this cat was something special. A few years later, when his debut album “illmatic” hit the streets, my notion was confirmed. The beats, the concepts, the storytelling, were something…
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AXPONA 2018: Some More Cool Stuff From The Show! (Cambridge Audio, Monitor Audio, Schiit, PS Audio)
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One of my missions during this year’s AXPONA was to finally get to hear Cambridge Audio’s new high-end Edge line, so it was the second room I hit once I got there. First was Andrew Jones’ Debut 2.0 demo room which I couldn’t resist since there was such a buzz around it. First thing I…
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AXPONA 2018: Checking Out The Big Show In Chicago (Elac, Hsu Research, Vanatoo)
The Audio Expo North America, better known as AXPONA, kicked off this past weekend in its new digs at the Renaissance Hotel & Convention Center in Schaumburg Illinois. The organizers moved it to a new location this year because it was getting kinda cramped over at the Westin in Rosemont, and the Renaissance with its many…