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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

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dCS Bartók Digital-to-Analog Converter

Details: Written by Hans Wetzel; Category: Full-Length Reviews; Created: 01 August 2020

Reviewers' Choice I like to think I was ahead of the curve when, in mid-2009, I bought a Benchmark Media Systems DAC1 USB (discontinued) off a dude on Audiogon. That was in the infancy of high-end computer audio, and the well-regarded Benchmark was one of the first mainstream DACs with a USB input. My previous source had been a cheap Sony CD changer (don’t judge -- I was 23), and the Benchmark DAC offered a big step up in sound quality: that immaculate, analytical sound that digital sources of the aughts all seemed to possess. And at the DAC1 USB’s modest price of $1295 (all prices USD), that kind of sound made it a steal.

Plinius Reference A-150 Stereo/Mono Amplifier

Details: Written by Jeff Fritz; Category: Full-Length Reviews; Created: 01 August 2020

I’m not a member of the Everything Matters camp. I won’t list here all the things audiophiles do to alter the sound of their systems, but suffice it to say that I don’t spend hour after hour comparing footers or cable elevators in attempts to season the sound of my stereo to suit my palate. But most things, of course, do matter, and that’s where I focus my attention.

Neil Young: "Homegrown"

Details: Written by Joseph Taylor; Category: Recording of the Month; Created: 01 August 2020

Reprise 093624893639
Format: LP

Musical Performance: ***½
Sound Quality: ****½
Overall Enjoyment: ****

When I imagine the vault that holds all of the recordings Neil Young has ever made, I conjure up a Batcave filled with tape boxes. In the last 14 years or so, Young has released a lot of material from his Neil Young Archives. The eight-CD Neil Young Archives Vol.1, 1963–1972 (2009) mixed previously unreleased rarities with things that had been available for a while. Young has also cut loose a series of live albums from performances over the years, and in 2017 issued Hitchhiker, a solo acoustic studio album recorded on a single evening in 1976. He has also released all-analog vinyl editions of much of his catalog.

EMM Labs DV2 DAC-Preamplifier

Details: Written by Aron Garrecht; Category: Full-Length Reviews; Created: 15 July 2020

Reviewers' Choice EMM Labs’ DV2 ($30,000 USD) digital-to-analog converter is the product of a three-way collaboration of Ed Meitner, EMM’s founder and chief designer, responsible for the DV2’s overall design, hardware, and layout; Mariusz Pawlicki, who engineered the DSP and firmware; and Kris Holstein, who designed the case and mechanics. The DV2 is based on the circuitry of EMM’s DA2 DAC ($25,000), but partners it with EMM’s VControl -- an all-new, very-high-resolution (50-bit), digital volume controller.

What in Audio Excites Me?

Details: Written by Jeff Fritz; Category: Opinion; Created: 01 July 2020

Last month I wrote “System Finished: MSB Technology Discrete DAC.” In that article I detailed what went into my selecting this fantastic digital-to-analog converter from California as a permanent part of my audio system. Then I gave a rundown of everything in my new audio rig, which I began assembling in July 2017. As stated in that article’s title, that system is now finished, and I can breathe a sigh of relief.

Wells Audio Commander Level II Preamplifier

Details: Written by Jeff Sirody; Category: Full-Length Reviews; Created: 01 July 2020

Reviewers' Choice My chronic addiction to Audiophilia nervosa has lasted more than 30 years now, and in that time I’ve owned countless components. Family and friends often joke that I should install a loading dock outside my listening room, to ease the swapping of gear in and out. At one time or another I’ve owned products from almost every major maker of high-end audio equipment, and in some cases -- Conrad-Johnson, Magnepan, Mark Levinson, McIntosh Laboratory, etc. -- several of their current and past offerings.

Steve Earle: "Ghosts of West Virginia"

Details: Written by Joseph Taylor; Category: Recording of the Month; Created: 01 July 2020

New West NW5397
Format: LP

Musical Performance: ***½
Sound Quality: ****
Overall Enjoyment: ****

Many musicians have recorded music that is overtly political, but few have done it more often or been more resolutely outspoken than Steve Earle. His albums Jerusalem (2002) and The Revolution Starts Now (2004) were critical of the George W. Bush administration, and Earle’s opposition to the death penalty has led him to write and record several songs about the issue, including “Billy Austin” and “Ellis Unit One,” both featured on the soundtrack of the film Dead Man Walking (1995).

Audience frontRow Interconnects, Speaker Cables, and Power Cords

Details: Written by Garrett Hongo; Category: Full-Length Reviews; Created: 15 June 2020

Reviewers' Choice “Electrons don’t care what kind of wires they’re in,” an electronics engineer once said to me. He was being glib, but I knew him to be a serious man when it came to audio. He builds great tubed and solid-state gear and has good taste in music.