Tag: Budget
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#NewMusicFriday feat. David Byrne & Dwight Trible
Every Friday, I pick five of the best sounding new albums to wake up your Hi-Fi rig…here are my picks for this week, including an amazing Vocal Jazz project from the incomparable Dwight Trible, and a cool recording from the Talking Heads’ David Byrne…(Click on the album covers for the TIDAL streams) 1. Dwight Trible-Mothership…
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#MusicMonday Playlist feat. The Coathangers and Van Morrison
Here’s a #MusicMonday playlist of some more great sounding songs for your hi-fi rig, including new music from Garage Rock Band The Coathangers…enjoy! P. CashI’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My thirst for great…
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TIDAL Now Supports MQA on iOS App
UPDATE: Check out my post on How to get the best sound quality from the TIDAL app and MQA! As of today, TIDAL supports the MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) Hi-Res audio format on their iOS app, bringing better than CD-Quality streaming to Apple devices like the iPhone. The following is courtesy of TIDAL & MQA:…
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Brainwavz B400 Quad Balanced Armature Earphones Review
Amazing soundstage and imaging put you in your own private concert. My first experience with Brainwavz was a few years back when I read a glowing review about their Delta earbuds, a product considered by some to be the best sounding earphones under $50. The Delta, with its combination of well thought out features and…
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#MusicMonday Playlist feat. Dennis Coffey and Julian Lage
Here’s a #MusicMonday playlist of some great sounding songs I’m playing right now including some new music from soul guitar master Dennis Coffey…enjoy! P. CashI’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My thirst for great sound…
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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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#NewMusicFriday: Feat. Branford Marsalis Quartet and Zara McFarlane
Here are some great-sounding new albums you need to hear this week! Streams Below…happy listening! 1. Branford Marsalis Quartet-The Secret Between The Shadow And The Soul (Jazz) Dennis Coffey-Live At Baker’s (Jazz) Donna Regina-Transient (Electronic) Zara McFarlane-East Of The River Nile (R&B) 2 Chainz-Rap Or Go To The League (Hip-Hop) P. CashI’m an audio writer…
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Shanling Audio Intros M2x DAP With TIDAL Streaming, DLNA, Airplay, & Two-Way Bluetooth (Updated)
Shanling Audio is releasing a new version of their M2 Digital Audio Player, called the M2x, with new wireless capabilities as the hook. This will put it in competition with the HiBy R3 and Fiio M6, which sell for $199 and $149 respectively. There is no word on the M2x price right now, but the…
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#New Music Friday: Feat. Julian Lage & Our Native Daughters
TGIF! Here’s another list of this weeks best sounding new recordings…Just click on the covers for the Tidal stream! Happy Listening! 1. Julian Lage-Love Hurts (Jazz) 2. Alicia Olatuja-Intuition: Songs from the Minds of Women (Soul/R&B) 3. Our Native Daughters-Songs of Our Native Daughters (Folk) 4. Cochemea-All My Relations (Jazz) P. CashI’m an audio writer who…
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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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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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Q Acoustics 3020i Bookshelf Speaker Review
Great building block for your Budget Hi-Fi/Audiophile System! The Q Acoustics 3020i is the new “improved” sequel to the very well regarded 3020 budget bookshelf speaker. The original was known for its natural, warm, presentation which won a lot of fans in the press. However, the budget bookshelf market is cutthroat, and one can’t afford…
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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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Deivvox High Performance In-Ear Earphones Review
Great sounding budget earphones for your everyday carry. If you search for “in-ear headphones” on Amazon, the number of models that pop up are mind boggling. Many of those earphones are from companies that are definitely not household names, hence the reason why customer reviews, accurate or not, hold so much weight when selecting a…
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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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Grado Releases Next Generation Of Their $99 Earbuds, The iGe3
Grado Labs iconic on-ear headphones have made them a household name amongst audiophiles, a legacy jumpstarted by their sub-$100 SR-60 headphones that wowed the writers of Stereophile Magazine back in the 90’s with high-end sound at a very low price. I have owned several pairs of the SR-60’s since they came out and they still…