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Equipment Reviews

Ultra Audio's site platform was changed in August 2010. For equipment reviews previous to that, use this link to transfer to the old site.

Aqua - Acoustic Quality La Voce S2 Digital-to-Analog Converter

Written by: Michael Wright
Created: 15 September 2015

When a SoundStage! reviewer asks editor-in-chief Jeff Fritz if he has anything interesting he’d like reviewed, that reviewer never knows what Jeff will say. Jeff said that there was an opportunity to review La Voce S2, a digital-to-analog converter from Aqua - Acoustic Quality (AAQ). I’d never heard of Aqua - Acoustic Quality, and didn’t know if I’d enjoy or regret reviewing their new DAC. But I thought it might be an interesting adventure.

Read more …

Magico Q7 Mk II Loudspeakers

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Created: 01 September 2015

Reviewers' ChoiceI started turning away from the whole notion of declaring something “the best” about the time I shut down my column, “The World’s Best Audio System.” Don’t get me wrong: The writings and events that made up the TWBAS series were enlightening -- I was able to learn from lots of talented industry folks, and assembled several state-of-the-art audio systems in my listening room, the Music Vault. In terms of establishing a personal audio reference, this was invaluable, and no doubt made me a better reviewer. But there’s a futility in searching for the universal “best” -- at least, in high-end audio. It’s an argument that’s never settled, by me or by anyone else.

Read more …

Highend-AudioPC AudiophileOptimizer Computer Audio Software

Written by: Howard Kneller
Created: 15 August 2015

Audiophiles looking for a music server can use a home computer, a music server made by a traditional audiophile component manufacturer, or do it themselves. Typically, the DIY approach is for the very computer savvy, and some custom-designed servers are very good indeed. They can include specially made or modified audiophile parts -- USB cards, clock modules, solid-state drives, SATA cables -- and can even be on the technological cutting edge.

But if you lack the knowledge, time, or inclination to build a custom server, there’s a fourth way: go to a company that will design and build one for you. One such company is England’s Hifidelit, whose server I used to test the software that is the subject of this review.

Read more …

Soulution 711 Stereo Amplifier

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Created: 01 August 2015

Reviewers' ChoiceThere are some things I don’t like about the Soulution 711 stereo power amplifier, and the first is the astronomical price: $65,000 USD. That’s far beyond what any normal person could ever afford. You could certainly make the case that something like the Benchmark Media Systems AHB2, at $2995, is far more relevant to the vast majority of audiophiles.

I have come to admire the 711’s understated appearance. It’s certainly built well, with close tolerances, excellent fit’n’finish, and tasteful appearance. It is not, however, the audio equivalent of a Rolex watch -- it lacks enough visual bling. I think the Dan D’Agostino products are the polar opposite -- they demand attention with their gleaming copper and watch-face meters -- but even Boulder Amplifiers, and certainly Gryphon Audio Designs, bring more defining exterior design elements to the fore. The latter are more distinctive.

Read more …

Rogue Audio RP-5 Preamplifier

Written by: Erich Wetzel
Created: 15 July 2015

As a native son of Pennsylvania, I was thrilled when I learned that I would be reviewing Rogue Audio’s new RP-5 tubed preamplifier ($3500 USD), as soon as a sample was available. Rogue is based in Brodheadsville, 90 miles north of Philadelphia and about an hour from where I live. As sports fans, Philadelphians are typically long-suffering but devoted. With that as my background, it would be easy to be a fan of a local audio company. However, Philadelphians’ familiarity with recurring heartbreak has taught us to view everything with a critical eye. I anticipated the arrival of a new audio component, full of hope that it would live up to the fine reputation of Rogue’s other US-made products. What arrived surprised me in several ways.

Read more …

Moon by Simaudio Evolution 760A Stereo Amplifier

Written by: Aron Garrecht
Created: 01 July 2015

Reviewers' ChoiceJust over a decade ago, Simaudio introduced their Moon Evolution series: a no-holds-barred line of products representing the pinnacle of what this highly regarded Canadian company has to offer. Within the year, Jeff Fritz had reviewed three Moon Evolution models -- the P8 preamplifier, the Andromeda CD player, and the W8 stereo amplifier -- and awarded each what was then Ultra Audio’s Select Component status (now Reviewers’ Choice). And he kept the P8 as his reference preamp. Shortly thereafter, our founder, Doug Schneider, reviewed the Moon SuperNova CD player, gave it a Reviewers’ Choice award, and made it his disc spinner of choice.

Read more …

AudioQuest Cinnamon Ethernet Cable

Written by: Aron Garrecht
Created: 15 June 2015

When Steve Silberman, AudioQuest’s vice president of development, approached me a few months ago to review their Cinnamon Ethernet cable, I was a bit hesitant to respond. Despite having witnessed notable improvements from using other analog and digital AudioQuest products, I didn’t believe that the cable making an Ethernet connection could make an audible difference. Silberman told me that he was so confident I would hear an improvement that he’d send me both AQ’s Cinnamon and Vodka Ethernet and AES/EBU cables.

Read more …

Spatial Audio Hologram M1 Turbo Loudspeakers

Written by: Sid Vootla
Created: 01 June 2015

My first experience with open-baffle speakers was a few years ago, in Bangalore, India, in the showroom of ARN Systems, which then distributed the speakers made by Emerald Physics. I recall the sound of Emerald’s CS2.3 speakers as being exceptionally dynamic, nearing concert-level realism with a humongous soundstage that filled the large room. The Emerald CS2.3 was designed by Clayton Shaw, who has since moved on and now is the principal of Spatial Audio, based in Park City, Utah. (ARN is Spatial’s Indian distributor.)

Read more …

Audio Research Reference 10 Preamplifier

Written by: Peter Roth
Created: 15 May 2015

Reviewers' ChoiceAspiration. Audiophiles and reviewers have it in spades. We aspire to extract ever more from our audio systems: higher levels of performance, greater realism, more emotional connection with the music. Audiophiles are derided (often with justification) for the upgrade merry-go-round that can result from an unchecked conviction that the sound can always be improved; but if we keep system synergies and overall balance in mind, the thoughtful incorporation of new components can indeed give us more of what we aspire to.

Read more …

Bryston Middle T Loudspeakers

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Created: 01 May 2015

In 2012, when Bryston launched their first loudspeaker, the Model T, I raised an eyebrow. I wasn’t sure what to expect -- a one-off product that would end up as a back-catalog offering? Or the start of something larger for the Canadian electronics company? Three years later, the answer is clear: Bryston now offers 16 loudspeaker models, including subwoofers, center-channels, surrounds, on- and in-walls, and, of course, floorstanding and stand-mount designs. This wide array of speakers -- it would be impressive for a company that made only speakers -- comprises two lines, T and A. The T models have 8” bass drivers, the A speakers 6.5” woofers. In model-for-model comparisons, the Ts are larger, play louder and lower in the bass, and cost a bit more. I chose to review the second model from the top of the T line, the Middle T ($5400 USD per pair).

Read more …

  1. Vienna Acoustics Imperial Liszt Loudspeakers
  2. Exogal Comet Digital-to-Analog Converter
  3. NAD Masters Series M22 Stereo Amplifier and M12 Preamplifier-DAC
  4. Ascendo C6 Loudspeakers
  5. Hegel Music Systems HD12 Digital-to-Analog Converter
  6. Esoteric Grandioso P1 SACD/CD Transport, Grandioso D1 Mono Digital-to-Analog Converters, and G-01 Master Clock Generator
  7. Blue Circle Audio BC60X1 Power Conditioner
  8. Octave Audio V 110 Integrated Amplifier
  9. JL Audio CR-1 Active Subwoofer Crossover
  10. fo.Q Damping Products and AB-4045 Audio Board Isolation Platform
  11. Devialet 400 Mono Integrated Amplifier-DACs
  12. Audio Research VSi75 Integrated Amplifier
  13. Triangle Magellan Cello Loudspeakers
  14. Audience Au24 SE powerChords, Interconnects, and Speaker Cables
  15. Zanden Audio Systems 120 Phono Stage
  16. Grimm Audio LS1 Loudspeakers and LS1s Subwoofers
  17. Aurender W20 Music Server
  18. Transfiguration Phoenix S Phono Cartridge
  19. M2Tech Young DSD Digital-to-Analog Converter
  20. Audio Research SP20 Preamplifier
  21. Magico S3 Loudspeakers
  22. Synergistic Research High Frequency Transducer (HFT) and Frequency Equalizer (FEQ) Room Treatments and XOT Crossover Transducer
  23. Ayre Acoustics KX-R Twenty Preamplifier
  24. Resonessence Labs Invicta Mirus Digital-to-Analog Converter
  25. Vivid Audio Giya G4 Loudspeakers
  26. Aurender X100L Music Server
  27. Sonus Faber Olympica I Loudspeakers
  28. Clarity Cable Organic Speaker Cables, Interconnects, Digital Interconnect, and Vortex Power Cord
  29. EgglestonWorks Nine Signature Loudspeakers
  30. Light Harmonic LightSpeed USB Cable
  31. David Berning Company ZH-230 Stereo Amplifier
  32. Esoteric Master Sound Works C-02 Preamplifier
  33. Vivid Audio Oval V1.5 Loudspeakers
  34. Daedalus Audio Argos v.2 Loudspeakers
  35. Octave Audio V 70 SE Integrated Amplifier
  36. KR Audio VA910 Mono Amplifiers
  37. T+A Criterion TCD 110 S Loudspeakers
  38. Birch Acoustics Raven Loudspeakers
  39. Monitor Audio Platinum PL200 Loudspeakers
  40. Essential Sound Products Essence Reference-II Power Cords and Reference-II Power Distributor
  41. JE Audio Dyad S400 Stereo Amplifier
  42. Dynamique Audio Celestial Speaker Cables, Zenith Interconnects, Firelight USB, and Infinite Power Cables
  43. Music Culture Elegance MC 501A CD Player-DAC
  44. KR Audio VA340 Mk.II Integrated Amplifier
  45. PMC IB2i Loudspeakers
  46. Cabasse Pacific 3 Loudspeakers
  47. Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 Loudspeakers
  48. Hegel Music Systems HD25 Digital-to-Analog Converter
  49. EMM Labs DAC2X Digital-to-Analog Converter
  50. Esoteric P-02 SACD/CD Transport and D-02 Digital-to-Analog Converter
  51. Vivid Audio Giya G3 Loudspeakers
  52. PBN Audio Scan-Speak B741 Loudspeakers
  53. Blue Circle Audio BC109 Preamplifier
  54. Dynaudio Confidence C2 Signature Loudspeakers
  55. First Watt J2 Stereo Amplifier
  56. Simaudio Moon Evolution 810LP Phono Stage
  57. Boulder Amplifiers 1060 Stereo Amplifier
  58. SMc Audio VRE-1C Reference Preamplifier
  59. Blue Circle Audio NSL Stereo Amplifier
  60. Audio Research Reference 250 Mono Amplifiers
  61. Von Schweikert Audio VR-35 Export Deluxe Loudspeakers
  62. Vitus Audio Signature SM-010 Mono Amplifiers
  63. YG Acoustics Kipod II Signature Loudspeakers
  64. Vandersteen Audio Treo Loudspeakers
  65. Magico Q1 Loudspeakers
  66. Hemingway Audio Prime Reference Mk.II Speaker Cables, Interconnects, and Power Cords
  67. Synergistic Research Element Copper, Tungsten, and Copper-Tungsten-Silver Interconnects and Speaker Cables
  68. Crystal Cable Arabesque Mini Loudspeakers
  69. EgglestonWorks Fontaine Signature Loudspeakers
  70. AudioQuest Diamond and Carbon FireWire 800 Cables
  71. Artos Audio Sunrise Loudspeakers
  72. Esoteric I-03 Integrated Amplifier
  73. NuForce DAC-9 Digital-to-Analog Converter
  74. Audience adeptResponse aR6-TS Power Conditioner
  75. EAR MC 4 Step-Up Transformer
  76. PBN Audio Montana InnerChoic Liberty Loudspeakers
  77. Simple Design Sonore Music Server
  78. Herron Audio VTSP-3A Preamplifier
  79. Copland CDA825 CD Player
  80. TW-Acustic Raven 10.5 Tonearm
  81. Artisan Silver MC Phono Stage
  82. MSB Technology Universal Media Transport
  83. Well Tempered Lab Amadeus Turntable
  84. Purity Audio Design Purity Reference Preamplifier
  85. Silverline Audio Sonatina Mk.IV Loudspeakers
  86. Ayre Acoustics DX-5 Universal A/V Engine
  87. Coda Technologies 15.0 Stereo Amplifier
  88. LessLoss Firewall Power Conditioner and DFPC Signature Power Cable
  89. Miyajima Laboratory Premium BE Mono Cartridge
  90. Magnum Dynalab MD 309 Integrated Amplifier
  91. Audio Research Reference 5 Preamplifier
  92. VAC Phi 200 Stereo Amplifier
  93. Ortofon Cadenza Mono Phono Cartridge
  94. Ultrasone Edition 8 Headphones
  95. YG Acoustics Carmel Loudspeakers
  96. Atma-Sphere Music Amplifier M-60 Mk.3.1 Mono Amplifiers
  97. AudioPrism Ground Control Grounding Cables
  98. Nordost Norse Frey Interconnects and Speaker Cables
  99. Ayre Acoustics KX-R Preamplifier and MX-R Mono Amplifiers
  100. Raysonic SP-300 Integrated Amplifier
  101. Synergistic Research Galileo Universal Interconnect and Speaker Cells, and Mini Power Couplers
  102. VAC Renaissance Mk.3 Preamplifier
  103. Accustic Arts Reference Tube-DAC II SE DAC and Reference Drive II CD Transport
  104. Silent Running Audio VR fp isoBASE Equipment Platforms
  105. EAR 890 Stereo Amplifier

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210x600 T+A Solitaire P SE (20230726)
Gryphon Audio Essence
Simaudio
PMC Fenestria
Vitus Audio
Vitus Audio

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