The Moonriver 404 (€3000) is an integrated amplifier. Made in Sweden. With a modular design structure that lets us upgrade the modules instead of the entire amp as technology progresses. Modules let us pick the functionality we want instead of cramming superfluous stuff down our throats: why pay for a phono stage if we don’t […]
The Hugo 2 from Chord Electronics needs no introduction or another review. So briefly: it digs out detail with tonal density; it does separation, fluidity, dynamics, coherence. Greatness all around. But it’s not just a DAC. It is also a serious headphone amplifier; it’s battery-powered, so it’s portable; and it’s also a digital preamp that […]
There’s a longer review of the MOON 390 here. Below is a distilled version for those in a hurry: Functionality The MOON 390 by Simaudio is like a Mytek Brooklyn Bridge in steroids. It’s also double the money and eight times the size. What doesn’t this preamp do? Nothing, basically. But let’s start from the […]
When I fired up the MOON 390 (£4950) and 330A (£3700) by Simaudio nothing stood out or drew attention to itself. Except this: density. Sometimes that overt lack of identifying markers is the sign of a supremely controlled and composed component. Two, in this case. Not surprisingly, the MOON 390 preamplifier and the MOON 330A […]
I enjoy Schiit. The last couple of months I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing both the Asgard 3 and two versions of the Gungnir. The Gungnir is a fluid sounding DAC, organic and I hold it in very high regard. The Asgard 3 is a $200 miracle worker. To these ears it performs way beyond […]
How many boxes do we need to get great sound? If you ask NAD, one. Here’s the NAD C368, a super integrated that does it all. I’m auditioning several integrated amplifiers at around €1000-1400 to find a reference point. That’s standard fare for any audiophile: to find the best piece of equipment for one’s system/room/valet/needs. […]
Chord Electronics make some of the best sounding DACs in the world. But digital is not why we’re here today. Below you’ll find our review of the Chord Huei. It sounds as clean as it looks. Listening to the Chord Huei made me think about the cursory way we distinquish between vinyl and digital. Vinyl […]
Under review is the Schiit Asgard 3. This is the least expensive modular headphone/pre-amp from Schiit and it is a doozy. Do you remember when gourmet food was all about foie gras, caviar, and lobster flown in from who knows where? Now, as haute cuisine has become ubiquitous, food is all about how local the […]
This is a review of the Quad Vena II Play. An all-in-one integrated amplifier with a small footprint and big sound. But let me start further back. When I was nine or ten I discovered music. It had something to do with the tactility of the album covers in my dad’s record collection; the photographs […]