Displaying items by tag: dac - StereoLife Magazine

Hegel has announced the launch of the H150 streaming amplifier - an all-in-one hi-fi solution designed to combine versatility, musical refinement and ease of use in a compact, elegantly built chassis. Positioned as the successor to the H120, the H150 bridges the gap between affordability and audiophile performance, offering much of the same technology found in Hegel's flagship models, including the company's advanced streaming platform, app control and patented SoundEngine 2 amplification. Nicknamed 'The Prodigy', the H150 embodies Hegel's philosophy that true excellence should be accessible. While sitting at the entry point of the Norwegian manufacturer's integrated range, it demonstrates the sonic maturity and control more often associated with far costlier components. Delivering 2 x 75 watts into 8 ohms, it is capable of driving demanding loudspeakers with confidence, combining precision, scale and authority that far exceed expectations for its size and price.

Lyngdorf Audio has announced the launch of its latest digital streaming amplifier, the TDAI-2210 - a model that bridges the gap between the compact TDAI-1120 and the flagship TDAI-3400, offering a balance of versatility, performance and refinement. The new amplifier features an elegant colour touchscreen interface, next-generation digital amplification, and the company's acclaimed RoomPerfect room calibration technology. The TDAI-2210 represents Lyngdorf's continuing evolution of digital amplification design. With multiple digital inputs, including USB-C and HDMI 2.1, analogue connections, optional modular expansion, and integrated music streaming, the amplifier is engineered to adapt to any system configuration. Delivering 2 x 210 watts into 4 ohms, it has the power and control to drive even the most demanding loudspeakers with ease.

Denon announced the launch of its new DCD-3000NE, a high-end CD player that continues the company's tradition of precision audio engineering spanning more than a century. Designed for the purest digital playback, the DCD-3000NE combines advanced conversion technology, meticulous mechanical construction and proprietary digital processing to extract every nuance from both standard and high-resolution recordings. At the heart of the DCD-3000NE lies Denon's renowned Ultra AL32 Processing, which employs sophisticated interpolation algorithms to reconstruct digital waveforms with exceptional accuracy. Supporting input signals up to 384kHz/24-bit, this system performs upsampling and data refinement to produce smoother, more natural sound reproduction. The result is a playback character that captures fine detail, dynamic contrast and spatial realism across the entire frequency range.

Unison Research is celebrating with a special edition of our most successful products - Simply Italy, Triode 25 and S6. The Black Edition boasts advanced technical and sonic performance, featuring a new cosmetic design with a piano black wood front panel, black gun metal finish, and updated lettering graphics. Marconi-Osram later known as M&O Valve Company was founded in 1919 by the joining of the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co. and The Edison General Electric Co. (Osram). Since the 1950's, only the very best M&O Valve Company audio valves have been labeled Genalex Gold Lion. To be labeled Genalex Gold Lion, a valve had to endure and pass the toughest testing the industry offered. This insured that all Genalex Gold Lion valves could be relied on for the most demanding audio equipment making them the premier audiophile valves. Today's new production Genalex Gold Lion vacuum valves continues with the same commitment to quality and reliability. Still the first choice for audiophiles, the excellent performance of these new production Genalex Gold Lion valves faithfully pays homage to those M&O Valve Company beginnings. Valve audio never sounded better. Unison selected Genalex Gold Lion ECC83 and ECC82 signal valves for their ability to produce a large, detailed soundstage, which is highly sought after by discerning audiophiles who demand the highest quality sound. These valves are known for their superb linearity, balanced sections, and gold plated pins. 

The H400 replaces the H390 as Hegel's newest high-value proposition for the customer who wants to drive any speaker, connect any source, and stream any way, without compromising on quality. Hegel's goal has been to create an all-in-one solution that doesn't break the bank and still meets our highest aspirations for audio performance and user friendliness. In our maybe not-so-humble opinion, Norwegians believe they have managed just that. With 250 watts of power, a high-end DAC, and a very advanced streaming section, the H400 only needs a good set of speakers to be a complete audiophile system. Oh, and for the first time ever, we have a Hegel Control App.

In Norse mythology, Thor is known as the god of thunder, lightning, marriage, vitality, agriculture, and the home hearth. He was said to be more sympathetic to humans than his father, Odin, though equally violent. He traveled in a chariot harnessed to goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr. Furthermore, he was usually depicted as a mighty man with a red beard and three key attributes - a belt doubling his power, iron gauntlets, and a great battle hammer called Mjolnir (Mjølner). Whenever Thor hurled his hammer, it would unfailingly come back to him, crushing the target of his master's attack ("Mjøl" in modern Norwegian literally means "flour" or "powder," so "Mjølner" can be understood as "a tool for grinding to powder"). The impact of this unusual weapon was to be accompanied by lightning. How valuable this hammer was to Thor can be seen in the song telling the story of what he went to when a giant named Thrym stole Mjolnir, demanding the hand of the goddess Freya for its return. According to this legend, Thor, at the instigation of Heimdall, the guardian of Asgard, was to disguise himself as Freya, shielding himself with a veil. Thinking that the plan had succeeded, Thrym and his companions held a wedding, during which the rightful owner of Mjolnir seems to have forgotten his mission for a while and got carried away by his emotions. He ate eight salmon and an ox, which caused concern among the giants, but Loki explained the phenomenon by saying that the "bride" had not eaten for a week in anticipation of her nuptials with Thrym. At the end of the feast, when, according to tradition, Mjolnir was laid in the bosom of "Freya" to seal the marriage, Thor grabbed his hammer and slaughtered the giants. Not surprisingly, Mjolnir became the most popular symbol used by Scandinavians not only in the Middle Ages but even today, if only in coats of arms and emblems. And what does this have to do with the H600? Let me explain...

Bluesound announced the launch of a special limited-run Anniversary Edition Node X streamer created in celebration of its 10th anniversary. The Node X, in a unique silver finish, takes the brand's iconic Node hi-res player and, yet again, sets a new standard for audio performance and functionality with upgraded componentry. With the venerable ESS 9028Q2M Sabre DAC, a favorite of audiophiles for its amazing musicality, near-zero levels of clock jitter, ultra-low noise, and a wide dynamic range. A truly high-end headphone amplifier is driven by cutting edge THX AAA (Achromatic Audio Amplifier) technology with patented feed-forward error correction resulting in infinitesimally low levels of noise, distortion, and power consumption. Along with the headphone jack, the Node X delivers a no-compromise headphone listening experience.

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.