Displaying items by tag: hybrid - StereoLife Magazine

Building a serious headphone collection can get complicated remarkably quickly. A pair of sensitive in-ear monitors might work beautifully with a small portable DAC, but plug them into a powerful desktop amplifier and suddenly there's audible hiss in the background. Planar magnetic headphones present a different challenge, often demanding considerably more current than their size would suggest. And if you decide to explore electrostatic headphones, you're entering another world altogether, complete with specialized amplification and high-voltage requirements. Before long, what started as a relatively simple listening setup can turn into a collection of amplifiers, power supplies, and cables, each serving a slightly different purpose. iFi Audio believes there's a better way. Its new iCAN Phantom 1.5 is an updated version of the company's flagship analog headphone amplifier and preamplifier, designed to accommodate practically every type of headphone from a single chassis. The original iCAN Phantom arrived in 2023 as the successor to the Pro iCAN Signature, bringing together several technologies that would normally require separate components. The 1.5 edition doesn't reinvent that concept, but introduces a series of refinements aimed at making this exceptionally versatile amplifier easier to configure, operate, and live with.

Unison Research has always been associated with vacuum tubes, elegant Italian craftsmanship, and a certain old-school approach to music reproduction. Yet the company has never been particularly interested in treating tradition and technological progress as opposing forces. Its latest creation, the Unico DS, is perhaps the clearest expression of that philosophy to date. This flagship digital source combines a network streamer, CD transport, and sophisticated DAC with a fully balanced, Class A tube output stage. At its heart are an ESS SABRE ES9038Q2M converter, advanced digital signal processing, and a proprietary technology called F.D.F. (Frequency-Dependent Feedback). Rather than producing yet another streamer whose main selling point is a slick smartphone app, Unison Research has set out to build a serious source component for high-end stereo systems. The idea is to bring together the precision, transparency, and dynamic capabilities of modern digital audio with the natural presentation and tonal richness that have long defined the company's tube amplifiers.

Vincent has introduced the SA-32 AE, a limited-production anniversary version of its hybrid stereo preamplifier created to mark 30 years of the company's Powerline series. Restricted to just 200 units worldwide, the new model builds on the long-running architecture that began with the SA-31 in 1996 and continued through later revisions culminating in the SA-32 released in 2017. The anniversary edition preserves the familiar hybrid tube-and-solid-state concept while expanding connectivity and revising key sections of the internal circuitry.

Advance Paris has introduced the Nova series, a new flagship platform of hybrid integrated amplifiers designed to function as complete control centers for modern stereo systems while preserving the company's established tube-assisted analog architecture. Positioned above the Classic and Apex ranges in the manufacturer's lineup, the Nova platform represents Advance Paris's most ambitious integrated amplifier concept to date. The series includes two amplifiers - the A-i130 and A-i190 - together with optional streaming and Bluetooth expansion modules and a dedicated rotary remote controller. First previewed at High End Munich 2025, the lineup is scheduled to make its North American debut at AXPONA 2026, with global availability expected from May 2026.

In our reviews we often describe the latest products of well-known brands, and so they are eye-catching devices, regardless of their functionality and price range. This time we decided to test something very rare - a tube headphone amplifier made in Greece. Although Lab12 is quite successful and presents its products at international exhibitions, the company is pretty much unknown in the audiophile world. On the web there were just a few coverages, and one review written by Matej Isak from the Mono and Stereo magazine with whom we collaborate. The company is situated in Athens, and beyond the home market its products are distributed in four European countries. They are Hungary, Norway, Switzerland and Poland. In the catalogue we find a power cord and five boxes for different uses - preamplifier, DAC, power amplifier, headphone amplifier and a passive preamp with source selector. All combine classic design and valves - even the DAC output stage is built around the tubes.