Tag: Hi-Fi
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iFi’s New $399 ZEN Stream Is An Affordable Music Streamer That Lets You Bring Your Own DAC
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in Best Buys, Budget, DACs, Deals, Downloads, First Impressions, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, News, Streaming, Videos, WirelessiFi Audio’s ZEN devices have been excellent options for those looking to get into desktop hi-fi at an affordable price point, and their latest ZEN addition looks to continue that trend. Called the ZEN Stream, it’s what iFi calls a “Wi-Fi audio transport”, which is basically a network music streamer without a built-in DAC. Music…
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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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Amazon Prime Day 2021 Is Here!-The Best Home Audio and Headphone Deals (Updated)
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Amazon Prime Day (or Prime Days? June 21 & 22) is here! This annual sale for Amazon Prime members (get a free trial membership here) usually has a lot of junk for sale, but there are some gems too. Finding them is the hard part! If you’re looking for hi-fi and audio deals, speakers, headphones, or electronics…
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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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It’s All About That Bass! Andover Audio’s New $299 SpinSub Subwoofer Rounds Out Their Award-Winning Compact Hi-fi System!
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Andover Audio has unveiled a new $299 subwoofer called SpinSub. It’s equipped with Dual 6.5-inch Woofers in a compact vented enclosure, and the drivers are mated to a 100W (Peak) Class D Amplifier. This sub is designed to connect to their award-winning SpinBase turntable speaker and provide some additional low-end extension. It’s available for pre-order…
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IFi Audio Zen DAC V2 Review: A Remarkable Dac Amp Combo Gets Even Better!
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in Best Buys, Budget, DACs, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, Reviews, Streaming, Videos, WirelessWhen I reviewed iFi Audio’s original Zen DAC back in 2019, I couldn’t believe the massive value provided by the $130 desktop DAC Headphone Amp combo. It was compatible with all digital audio formats, including high-resolution formats like MQA and Native DSD, plus it had decent power, especially via the balanced output. Most importantly, it…
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Cambridge Audio EVO 150 First Look Review: This All-In-One Integrated Amplifier and Music Streamer Is A Knockout!
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Cambridge Audio has manufactured class-leading streamers and integrated amps for some time now, so it was only a matter of time before they put both in one box. That time is now. I just got my hands on one of their latest creations, the $3000 Cambridge Audio Evo 150 Integrated Amplifier with Wi-Fi Streaming, Bluetooth,…
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ZEN Blue V2: iFi Gives A Boost To Their Spectacular Bluetooth Receiver!
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in Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, Deals, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, Music, News, Streaming, Uncategorized, Videos, WirelessFollowing the release of ZEN DAC V2, iFi Audio has unveiled yet another upgrade to their affordable ZEN hi-fi line with the ZEN Blue V2. The V2 release of the ZEN Blue Bluetooth receiver now has an upgraded antenna for up to 70-80% better Bluetooth range and an upgraded low-jitter crystal clock that provides lower…
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Grado Upgrades Their Legendary Prestige Headphones To Fourth Generation “X” Series
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When you think of Grado Headphones, you’re most likely thinking about their cornerstone Prestige line that begins with the venerated SR60 model and ends with their highly-rated SR325 metal headphone. It’s a series that’s been updated a few times since it first came about in the 1950s, and now Grado has released their Fourth Generation,…
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Amazon Music HD Now Offers Hi Res Audio Streaming For As Low As $7.99!
On the same day Apple announced their $9.99 Hi-Res Audio streaming Tier for Apple Music, Amazon made their own blockbuster announcement regarding their High-Resolution Music streaming Service. Starting today, Amazon Music HD, which features millions of songs in CD-Quality (16/44.1), Better than CD-Quality (up to 24/192), as well as 3D audio (Dolby Atmos & Sony…
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Apple Announces New Lossless High-Resolution And Dolby Atmos Spatial Content For Apple Music
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Today, media and hardware giant Apple announced some big changes coming to their Apple Music streaming service. According to the company, starting in June, they will make their catalog of 75 million songs available in Lossless Audio, meaning subscribers will stream in either CD-Quality (16/44.1) or Better than CD-Quality (24/48). That tier will stream natively…
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Bluesound Tweaks A Winning Formula With New NODE and POWERNODE Music Streamers
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in Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, First Impressions, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, News, Power Amps, Preamps, Software, Speakers, Streaming, Videos, WirelessDespite already having two of the best High-Res audiophile music streamers on the market, Bluesound has revealed new and improved versions of their best-selling NODE and POWERNODE devices. Both models now get upgraded (read: faster) processors, new “audiophile-grade” DAC sections, and new touch panel controls with music presets. As far as the POWERNODE streaming amplifier…
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The Best Speaker, Headphone, And Electronics Sales We’ve Found This Week: Definitive Technology, KLH, Klipsch, Meze Audio
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Check Out Our List for the Best Buys in Audio & Hi-Fi! Looking for the best values in Audio and Hi-Fi? Then look no further. We’ve rounded up the best audio and hi-fi from around the internet! There are great buys on excellent speakers, amps, and turntables, along with some amazing specials on headphones! Don’t…
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Periodic Audio Rhodium DAC Amp Review: Best Budget Dac Amp Combo?
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Summary Yes, the Dongle DAC/Amp market is super crowded right now, but that hasn’t stopped Periodic Audio from dropping their own branded dongle DAC at a reasonable price of $49. It’s called the Periodic Audio Rhodium DAC, and it has 32bit/384kHz high-res PCM decoding, along with 30 mW of power to boost their earphones. Periodic…
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PS Audio Stellar Strata Integrated Amplifier Review: An Astounding Powerhouse!
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Summary The PS Audio Stellar Strata Integrated Amplifier ($2999) is the “all-in-one” incarnation of their value-priced Stellar line, long known as an affordable entry point to high-end hi-fi separates. It’s their first one-box solution that leverages their well-received DAC, Preamp, and Hybrid Class A/Class D amp technology (with sweet-sounding MOSFET input stage), then layers a…
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The Best Speaker, Headphone, And Electronics Sales We’ve Found This Week: Bluesound, Yamaha, Elac, Klipsch!
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Check Out Our List for the Best Buys in Audio & Hi-Fi! Looking for the best values in Audio and Hi-Fi? Then look no further. We’ve rounded up the best audio and hi-fi from around the internet! There are great buys on excellent speakers, amps, and turntables, along with some amazing specials on headphones! Don’t…
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iFi Audio Unveils New And Improved ZEN DAC V2 DAC Amp, Available In May
Today, via their official Twitter account, iFi Audio unveiled a new version of its super-popular ZEN DAC USB DAC/ Headphone Amp, called the ZEN DAC V2. The new model improves upon the original with a more powerful 16 Core XMOS digital processing chip, transforming the new ZEN DAC Dac Amp into an MQA Decoder instead…
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The Best Speaker, Headphone, And Electronics Sales We’ve Found This Week: Elac, Triangle, Klipsch, Sennheiser & More
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Check Out Our List for the Best Buys in Audio & Hi-Fi! Looking for the best values in Audio and Hi-Fi? Then look no further. We’ve rounded up the best audio and hi-fi from around the internet! There are great buys on excellent speakers, amps, and turntables, along with some amazing specials on headphones! Don’t…
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SIVGA Phoenix Headphone Review: One Of The Best Budget (Under $500) Audiophile Headphones!
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Summary The $255 SIVGA Phoenix is an affordable open-back, over-ear dynamic driver headphone with a beautiful design and crisp, rich sound. The polished zebra wood cups, protein leather, chrome accents, and black lacquer metal frame combine for a luxurious-looking package. They’re lightweight and comfortable so that you can wear them for long listening sessions, but…
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Best Buys: The Best Portable USB DAC Amps Under $500!
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in Best Buys, Bluetooth, Budget, DACs, Deals, Headphone Amps, Headphones, Hi-Fi, Hi-Res Music, Home Audio, MQA, Music, News, Reviews, Software, Streaming, Uncategorized, VideosDAC’s or Digital to Analog converters have become an easy and inexpensive way to improve the sound coming from your laptop or smartphone. The easiest to use and most affordable is the portable DAC, which usually incorporates a headphone amp, hence the name DAC Amp. They also obtain the digital audio signal via a USB…