Tag: best headphone amplifier
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Luxury Listening: Are $1000+ High-End Headphones Worth it?
Have you ever eyed those sleek, meticulously crafted high-end headphones with price tags that resemble a down payment on a car? The world of high-end audio beckons with promises of exquisite sound and the pride of owning an audiophile status symbol. But the lingering question for anyone flirting with such a significant investment is always…
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iFi Audio GO blu Review: This Elegant $200 Bluetooth Headphone Amplifier Is Powerful & Compact!
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Intro Ifi Audio is known for making remarkable yet affordable DAC/Headphone Amps, but today we’re looking at their first Portable Bluetooth DAC/Amp, the $199 iFi GO blu. Unlike many portable Bluetooth DACs, the GO blu has separate Amp, DAC, and Bluetooth circuits which enable it to provide double the output power of competitors. iFi also…
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Audio-Technica Announces Availability Of High-End AT-BHA100 Tube Hybrid Headphone Amp & Matching AT-DAC100 DAC
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in DACs, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Home Audio, Music, News, Streaming, Uncategorized, WirelessAudio-Technica is now shipping the AT-BHA100 Tube Hybrid Balanced Headphone Amp & AT-DAC100 DAC for $999 and $699 respectively…details are below: The following Press Release is courtesy of Audio-Technica– Audio-Technica Now Offers Its High-End AT-BHA100Balanced Headphone Amplifier and AT-DAC100 Digital to Analog Converter STOW, OH, November 10, 2021 — Audio-Technica is now shipping its AT-BHA100 balanced headphone amplifier and AT-DAC100 digital to…
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Audeze Euclid Closed-Back Planar IEM Review: Astonishing Planar Magnetic Headphones That Fit In Your Pocket!
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TL;DR Audeze’s first closed-back planar magnetic earphones aren’t cheap, but they do an excellent job of distilling the exciting performance from their full-sized headphones into a much smaller and lighter form factor. Overview Back in 2016, Audeze released the iSine 10 and 20, the first planar magnetic in-ear headphones, and while they were exciting, no…
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SMSL HO200 Headphone Amplifier Review: The Best For Astonishing Power And Detail!
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in Best Buys, Budget, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, News, Preamps, ReviewsFor the last year or so, if you were looking for a powerful, yet affordable headphone amp for your desktop, the $499 Topping A90 is the one most people would recommend. The A90 is fully balanced with XLR input/output, a 4.4mm jack, a pre-out, a 3 step gain setting, plus a smooth volume control knob…
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Audirect Atom2 Lightning MQA Dac Amp Combo Review: Don’t Listen To Apple Music Lossless Without It!
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in Best Buys, Budget, DACs, Deals, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, Portable Audio, Reviews, Streaming, VideosThe Low Down The Audirect Atom2 Lightning is a lightweight DAC/Amp combo with a lightning connector for iPhones. It connects directly to the bottom of the phone so you can avoid floppy dongles, and it has decent power for driving full-sized headphones. For a $79 DAC/Amp the sound is extraordinarily smooth, detailed and expansive. If…
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Campfire Audio Drops Two Tantalizing Reference IEMs, The $649 Holocene And $549 Mammoth
This week, Campfire Audio continued the sustained growth of its burgeoning product line with two new models, the Holocene and Mammoth IEMs. Both are constructed of Campfire’s iconic aluminum housings and stainless steel spouts accented with glow in the dark elements for more visual appeal. The glow in the dark motif is also carried over…
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Kinera Unveils Imperial Skuld, Their Latest Handpainted IEM Masterpiece!
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Kinera has been on a roll. Over the last couple of years, the company has put out a constant stream of beautifully handpainted earphones, and each one has an interesting theme based on Norse mythology. Their latest creation is called the Kinera Imperial Skuld. It’s named after Skuld, one of the mythological “Sisters of Fate,”…
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Lightning DACs and Camera Adapters: How To Get The Best Sound From Apple Music Lossless
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Last week Apple rolled out thousands of Lossless Audio and Hi-Res Lossless audio tracks on their Apple Music platform, bringing with them the promise of Audiophile-Quality playback. Here’s how Apple explains it: Apple has developed its own lossless audio compression technology called Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC). In addition to AAC, the entire Apple Music…
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iFi iDSD Diablo Review: The Best Portable Dac/Amp Combo?
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in DACs, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, Portable Audio, Power Amps, Preamps, Reviews, VideosIFi’s Latest Portable Dac/Amp Combo Has Unrivaled Power And Refinement At Its Price! It’s no secret that I have a bit of a soft spot for iFi products. Their combination of innovative design, thoughtful features, and build quality is unmatched at their price points. They always seem to give you more for your money. The…
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Now That’s A Good Question…What’s A Good DAC/Amp For The Hifiman Sundara?
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in Budget, DACs, Deals, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, Portable Audio, Power Amps, Reviews, Streaming, Videos, WirelessChoosing a DAC Amp for the Best Value Headphone under $500! A Reader Writes: I’m wondering if you can give me your recommendation for pairing up a DAC for the Hifiman Sundara headphones. I have not purchased either item but I’d like to do so as soon as today. I’ve been unable to confirm what…
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Khadas Tone 2 Pro Review: This Revolutionary DAC Amp Will Make Your Headphones Sing!
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in Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, MQA, Music, Portable Audio, Preamps, Reviews, Videos, WirelessI’ve reviewed quite a few dongle style DAC/Headphone Amps over the last year or so, and I must say I dig them. Their compact size coupled with their affordability makes them an ideal way to upgrade a smartphone or laptop’s sound while on the go. Recently, I was really wowed by the $99 HELM Audio…
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Now That’s A Good Question…Bluetooth vs. Wi-Fi Music Streaming?
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in Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Integrated Amps, Music, News, Power Amps, Preamps, Software, Streaming, Videos, WirelessA reader writes: Would a music streamer, like Andover’s Audio Songbird Music Streamer, be necessary for a system with a PS Audio Sprout since the Sprout has Bluetooth? Thanks M.B. Hello M.B, Not necessarily. If you’re happy with the sound from Bluetooth, then you may not need a Wi-Fi streamer like the Songbird. However,…
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Wow! Check Out The Euclid, Audeze’s Extraordinary New In-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphone
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Today, Audeze revealed the $1299 Euclid, their first closed-back in-ear Planar Magnetic earphone. It’s a beautiful design composed of aluminum and carbon fiber. Inside the housings are 18mm ultra-thin planar magnetic drivers which utilize scaled-down versions of Audeze patented technologies like Fluxor magnets for efficiency and Fazor waveguides for a cleaner sound. They also come with…
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Shanling BA1 Desktop Hi-Fi Bluetooth Receiver Review: Exquisite Bluetooth DAC For Headphones And Speakers!
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Remarkable Wireless Sound For The Money! It wasn’t long ago, the phrase “Hi-Fi Bluetooth Receiver” would’ve been considered something of an oxymoron. Even a couple of years back, the sound quality of Bluetooth was pretty poor, and most audiophiles would’ve scoffed at the idea of “Hi-Fi Bluetooth.” But in the last year or so, new…
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Check Out Cambridge Audio’s First MQA DAC/Headphone Amp, The Remarkable DacMagic 200M!
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Cambridge Audio’s First MQA DAC Amp Has Some Serious Specs! Today, venerated British hi-fi brand Cambridge Audio announced their first MQA compatible product, the top of the line DacMagic 200M DAC/Headphone Amp. This will be their new flagship standalone DAC (a step above the current DacMagic Plus), boasting dual ESS Sabre DACs (one per channel…
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Red Hot! Take A Look At iFi’s Dazzling New iDSD Diablo DAC/Amp!
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This Pocket-Sized DAC/AMP Promises Reference-Quality Sound! iFi Audio is starting the new year off right with an impressive-looking new DAC/Headphone Amp. Called the iDSD Diablo, it’s positioned at the top of iFi’s considerable transportable DAC lineup and designed to provide reference quality sound for headphones and stereo systems. This new battery-powered product comes in a sexy…
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HELM Audio BOLT DAC/Amp Review: A Brilliant Headphone Amp/Accessory For Your Phone or Laptop!
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Helm Audio has been on a tear lately, producing an uninterrupted run of innovative portable audio gear for the last two years. They constantly seem to get the features/performance/price mix of their products right, making them attractive. A couple of months back, I took a look at their $199 HELM Audio DB12 AAAMP Mobile Headphone…
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ICYMI: The Khadas Tone Pro 2 Is The Stunning Ultra-Slim Desktop Headphone DAC Amp You Need To See!
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in Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, Deals, First Impressions, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, MQA, Music, News, Portable Audio, Power Amps, Preamps, Reviews, Streaming, Videos, WirelessThis Week Hifigo.com announced pre-order availability of the Tone 2 Pro from Khadas, a super-slim desktop DAC/Headphone Amp that packs a lot into a small package. Made from Aircraft-Grade Aluminum, the Tone 2 Pro incorporates a high-end 32-bit ES9038Q2M DAC chip which allows processing of PCM audio files up to 32/384, DSD files up to…
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iFi NEO iDSD Review: A Headphone Amp/DAC Combo With Captivating Sound!
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in Bluetooth, DACs, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, Preamps, Reviews, Software, Streaming, Videos, WirelessThe NEO iDSD is iFi’s latest DAC/Amp Combo, and as usual, they have come up with a well-built, well-designed piece of gear. It combines a fully-balanced headphone amp section with a USB and S/PDIF DAC that handles all the hi-res formats (PCM768, DSD512, Full MQA Unfold). BTW, it also acts as a high-quality Bluetooth receiver,…