Displaying items by tag: dac - StereoLife Magazine

Some years ago Hegel had to discontinue the highly capable Mohican CD player because key components were no longer being produced. Since then, the company has been working on a replacement that would be even better. The result is Viking - the best CD player Hegel has ever made. In a world full of options for downloading music, sound formats, compression methods, and streaming services, putting on some music can feel overwhelming. What should be easy and enjoyable, suddenly becomes complex and stressful. Playing a CD on the Viking is not. It is only joy. Viking is a true native 16/44.1 CD player developed from the ground up for optimal performance on standard (Redbook) CDs. It is designed to deliver the most faithful sound reproduction possible by optimizing its components to deliver a high-quality output that is true to the original recording.

FiiO launches the K7 - balanced desktop headphone DAC and amplifier featuring dual AK4493S DACs, dual THX AAA 788+ amp technology, USB/Optical/Coax/RCA inputs, and both 6.3mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs. Building upon the success of previous FiiO desktop amplifiers, the K7 utilises a truly balanced six-stage audio circuit consisting of: DAC, Low Pass Filter, Volume Control, Buffer Amplifier, Pre-Amplification, and Headphone Out. Throughout this signal path, audio signals from each channel are processed separately by the K7, thereby reducing crosstalk, and ensuring the best sound quality possible.

FiiO launches the M11S hi-res portable music player. Featuring dual ES9038Q2M DACs, the M11S is able to decode up to 384kHz/DSD256 audio. The versatile M11S builds upon the success of previous award-winning portable audio players from FiiO. Alongside its 3.5mm single-ended and 2.5mm/4.4mm balanced headphone outputs, and dedicated line-out, the M11S also offers LDAC, aptX HD, and LHDC Hi-Res Bluetooth connectivity. Further wireless options are available thanks to the support for AirPlay and DLNA streaming.

Audiolab has enjoyed an enviable reputation for amplifier excellence ever since the original 8000A arrived in 1982, establishing itself as the classic step-up model from the 'budget' integrated hi-fi amps of the time. This reputation has remained constant through successive product generations, right up to the 6000A and 8300A, both of which have delighted music lovers at their respective price points in recent years. As we approach the end of 2022 - 40 years after the launch of the 8000A - it's time to reveal the next generation of Audiolab amplification. The 9000A is the first component in Audiolab's new flagship range, the 9000 Series. It is also the best integrated amplifier Audiolab has ever made. The 9000A introduces a smart new aesthetic, as befits a new flagship range. Built for sonic excellence, the 9000 Series CD transport - the 9000CDT - is the perfect CD-playing companion to Audiolab's flagship 9000A integrated amplifier.

Marantz introduced the CD 60 high-performance CD player, engineered to provide superior sound quality through the application of highly advanced circuitry and premium internal components. The CD 60 features a striking industrial design and exceptional build quality to give warmth, richness, and dimensionality to the music only Marantz brings to digital audio. "With so much attention devoted to the burgeoning vinyl market plus the popularity of streaming content, we sometimes forget that an entire generation of music lovers built sizable collections of beloved compact discs. Marantz was present at the dawn of CD technology with our original player, the CD 63. Now, the CD 60 reminds us why we fell in love with the format 40 years ago - delivering more warmth, musicality, and detail than any player in its class." - said Joel Sietsema, Marantz brand president.

Rotel announces the RA-6000 Integrated Amplifier and DT-6000 DAC Transport to celebrate 60 years as a Japanese family-owned and operated audio business. The "Diamond Series" models earn their distinction from the brand's 60-year legacy of unwavering commitment to quality and passion for audio performance, having been established in 1961 in Tokyo, Japan by founder Mr. Tomoki Tachikawa. The Diamond Series models feature industrial design engineered with modern, contemporary styling complimenting Rotel's current offerings while paying tribute to the brand's iconic heritage through generations of legacy models. The RA-6000 Integrated Amplifier delivers 350 watts of output power into 4-ohm speaker loads leveraging technical and performance designs from the brand's flagship Michi series models.

Astell&Kern debuts the ACRO BE100 wireless speaker. The result of Astell&Kern's advances in audio technology evolved over decades, this speaker delivers superior room-filling, hi-fi calibre stereo sound that belies it compact profile. Boasting a dedicated 32-bit DAC and support for the latest 24-bit hi-res quality wireless streaming codecs, the ACRO BE100 is the Bluetooth speaker of choice for audiophiles and music enthusiasts alike.

I am completely biased when it comes to Hegel gear. I like the brand, I like most of the equipment it offers, I use an H20 power amplifier in my reference system, and I've drunk a lot of beer with the Norwegians, talking about music and hi-fi equipment in general. Most of all, I like the way they think about their work. They're professional but pretty laid back. On the one hand, we are dealing with a company known to everyone in the industry. A company that has dozens of distributors and hundreds of dealers around the world. A company that has won all the most important awards. On the other hand, it's not a corporation with three marketing specialists, two product managers, and four directors per one engineer. It is precisely the opposite. The fact that Hegel's products can compete with the equipment of the big players, often winning this competition when it comes to listening, doesn't mean that it's a cold and calculating machine that only cares about increasing sales numbers. Yes, it does care, but not to the extent that someone sits in spreadsheets at night. Although they have been very successful, the Norwegians remain true to their ideals and manage to maintain a spirit of a small, modest company founded by Bent Holter back when he studied at the Technical University in Trondheim.

Questyle Audio Engineering is proud to commemorate their achievement with the release of their evolution flagship product, the CMA Fifteen. Questyle's patented Current Mode Amplification uses current, instead of voltage, to amplify audio signals, leading to tremendous performance differences when compared to traditional audio amplifiers. The CMA Fifteen takes the already popular CMA Twelve to new heights, becoming the first Questyle headphone amp and DAC to feature the ESS SABER ES9038PRO, the world's highest performance 32-bit DAC available. Featuring unparalleled audio reproduction, brilliantly clear transparency, and massively open sound, the CMA Fifteen chases extreme performance to achieve system-level lossless purity.

The cadence of new Roon Ready certifications has increased tenfold since the start of the pandemic. In 2020, just a handful of new products were certified each month, and in the first half of this year Roon Labs is already announcing over 100 new Roon Ready and Roon Tested devices. Forty new brands have submitted products for certification in that timeframe. This includes key product ranges and new launches from notable audio manufacturers, including Arcam, Astell & Kern, Cambridge Audio, and JBL.