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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.

Soulution 560 Digital-to-Analog Converter

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Created: 01 April 2016

In high-end audio, price is always relevant -- except when it isn’t. I’ve waffled so often on this subject that sometimes I’m no longer sure where I stand. A case in point: the Soulution 560 digital-to-analog converter, which retails for $35,000 USD.

On one hand, no DAC should cost $35,000. Taking into account any reasonable ratio of manufacturing cost to retail price, I have a hard time understanding how any DAC maker can justify that sort of price. A super-high-end DAC is maybe 50 pounds’ worth of parts, including a nicely machined and finished case. For that kind of money, you can buy a couple of 200-plus-pound high-tech speakers -- 400 pounds of stuff should cost more than 50 pounds of stuff. After all, both represent high-end stuff. Besides, there are a number of terrific DACs available for less than five grand, and with much of the functionality of the Soulution 560. Wadia Digital’s di322 is a great DAC for $3500 -- precisely one-tenth the Soulution 560’s price.

Read more …

Synergistic Research Atmosphere Level 4 Speaker Cables and Interconnects, Atmosphere Level 3 Power Cords, Grounding Block and HD Ground Cables

Written by: Howard Kneller
Created: 15 March 2016

Reviewers' ChoiceOver the last 18 years, Synergistic Research has introduced five generations of its Active Shielded signal cables, interconnects, and power cords. The company claims that applying a 30V DC bias to the cables’ shield isolates the signal from the dielectric, thus reducing phase and time distortions and improving sound quality.

More recently, Synergistic has applied this active technology to other audio products, including its PowerCell power conditioners, Tranquility Base component platforms, and Atmosphere and Frequency Equalizer (FEQ) room wave generators. In fact, Synergistic is now best known for its ever-broadening implementation of its Active Shielding technology.

Read more …

Merging NADAC ST-2 Digital-to-Analog Converter

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Created: 01 March 2016

The NADAC ST-2 is Swiss-company Merging Technologies’ first foray into consumer electronics. However, Merging Technologies is hardly a newbie -- their reputation in professional audio is that of legend.

Merging Technologies was founded 25 years ago by Claude Cellier, who’d previously worked with electronics maker Nagra, another Swiss company with a rich history in pro audio -- namely in various types of recorders -- that then ventured into high-end home audio. Though probably best known for their Pyramix professional audio workstation, Merging has recently ventured far into networked audio interfaces with their Horus and Hapi products. It was the experience gained in designing the Horus and Hapi models that convinced Merging to launch the two-channel Networked Attached Digital-to-Analog Converter (NADAC) ST-2; an eight-channel version, the NADAC MC-8, is also available.

Read more …

Zanden Audio Systems AT-1 Acoustic Tubes and AP-1 Acoustic Panels

Written by: Garrett Hongo
Created: 15 February 2016

Last summer, I got a call from Eric Pheils, North American distributor for Zanden Audio Systems. He proposed driving up from San Francisco, where he was staying, to my place in Oregon. “Great!” I said. “What electronics are you going to bring?” He hedged. Turned out he didn’t have an amp or preamp with him this time, but was eager to show me some new sound treatments -- acoustic tubes and panels -- developed by Kazutoshi Yamada, president of Zanden.

Read more …

Rockport Technologies Cygnus Loudspeakers

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Created: 01 February 2016

Reviewers' ChoiceBetween Rockport Technologies’ Avior ($37,500 USD/pair) and Altair II ($103,500/pair) loudspeakers was a gap precisely $66,000 wide. To faithfully serve his Maine-based company’s eager market -- a market that wanted more than the Avior could offer, but that couldn’t afford the Altair II -- president and resident speaker guru Andy Payor knew he had to come up with something different. His huge challenge: what?

Arguably, in the last few years the most competitive segment of the ultra-high-end speaker market has been models retailing for $50,000 to $70,000/pair. This price range includes such prominent models as Wilson Audio Specialties’ Alexia ($52,000/pair), Magico’s S7 ($58,000/pair), and Vivid Audio’s Giya G1 ($68,000/pair), to name just a few. In short, there are lots of tough competitors.

Read more …

Esoteric K-07X SACD/CD Player/DAC

Written by: Tom Mathew
Created: 15 January 2016

Reviewers' ChoiceI’ve been reading a compelling self-improvement bestseller by Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Kondo makes a simple but powerful claim: a dramatic reorganization of your outer world can result in correspondingly profound changes in your inner world. Declutter your life and you’ll feel better, she promises. The path to reorganization, however, involves a ruthlessly deliberate shedding of some of our things. Kondo encourages us to keep only what brings us joy, and to get rid of everything that doesn’t.

Read more …

Moon by Simaudio Evolution 850P Preamplifier

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Created: 01 January 2016

Reviewers' ChoiceI’ve had a love/hate relationship with the analog preamplifier. For audiophiles like me, with all-digital systems, the allure of going preampless is strong. There are many digital-to-analog converters on the market, at all different price points, that offer remote switching of digital sources and have quite transparent volume controls. These DACs, in effect, have become the digital preamp -- perfect for those who don’t need analog switching. Bridging the gap between these full-featured DACs and the all-analog preamplifier are analog preamps with digital input sections -- essentially, a preamp with a built-in DAC. With such components, you have the choice of analog or digital inputs, which offers tremendous flexibility that can accommodate almost any system configuration. The downside is that upgrading your DAC also means replacing your analog preamp.

Read more …

Stanford Research Systems PERF10 Rubidium Audio Clock

Written by: Howard Kneller
Created: 15 December 2015

Reviewers' ChoiceIn audio, a clock determines the times at which digital audio samples are converted into analog. Messing up this timing condemns the music to digital hell, where jitter causes distortion and harshness in music. Thomas Hobbes said that “Hell is truth seen too late.” For audio purposes, I suggest that hell is truth seen too early or too late.

Think back to the days of hand-cranked film viewers. Because it was extremely difficult to achieve a constant playback speed, the films looked jerky, unnatural, jittery. A similar phenomenon occurs when the conversion of a digital to an analog signal is imperfectly timed.

Read more …

Wadia di322 Digital-to-Analog Converter

Written by: Jeff Fritz
Created: 01 December 2015

Reviewers' ChoiceThese days, to sell their products, makers of high-end audio gear must have a hook: something that makes the consumer choose their widget over competing widgets. Maybe that hook is a famous designer, or a company history long established and revered by audiophiles, or performance and/or build quality that far exceed what might be expected for the price -- or just clever marketing. But whatever the hook, it won’t work if it’s a secret. Companies have to get the word out.

Read more …

Reference 3A Nefes Loudspeakers

Written by: Jason Thorpe
Created: 15 November 2015

It’s got to be the best gig in the world, or the worst.

In my 15 years of reviewing I’ve dealt with companies large and small. The big guys -- Audio Research, MartinLogan, Monitor Audio -- can afford a significant level of detachment from their products. They have marketing guys, shipping guys, and manufacturing departments. Each step in the production of one of their products is insulated from the next, and by the time a component arrives in my listening room it’s been manhandled by a dozen people -- maybe more.

Read more …

  1. Ayre Acoustics KX-5 Twenty Preamplifier
  2. Nordost Norse 2 Tyr 2 Speaker Cables, Interconnects, and Power Cords
  3. Ayre Acoustics MX-R Twenty Mono Amplifiers
  4. Aqua - Acoustic Quality La Voce S2 Digital-to-Analog Converter
  5. Magico Q7 Mk II Loudspeakers
  6. Highend-AudioPC AudiophileOptimizer Computer Audio Software
  7. Soulution 711 Stereo Amplifier
  8. Rogue Audio RP-5 Preamplifier
  9. Moon by Simaudio Evolution 760A Stereo Amplifier
  10. AudioQuest Cinnamon Ethernet Cable
  11. Spatial Audio Hologram M1 Turbo Loudspeakers
  12. Audio Research Reference 10 Preamplifier
  13. Bryston Middle T Loudspeakers
  14. Vienna Acoustics Imperial Liszt Loudspeakers
  15. Exogal Comet Digital-to-Analog Converter
  16. NAD Masters Series M22 Stereo Amplifier and M12 Preamplifier-DAC
  17. Ascendo C6 Loudspeakers
  18. Hegel Music Systems HD12 Digital-to-Analog Converter
  19. Esoteric Grandioso P1 SACD/CD Transport, Grandioso D1 Mono Digital-to-Analog Converters, and G-01 Master Clock Generator
  20. Blue Circle Audio BC60X1 Power Conditioner
  21. Octave Audio V 110 Integrated Amplifier
  22. JL Audio CR-1 Active Subwoofer Crossover
  23. fo.Q Damping Products and AB-4045 Audio Board Isolation Platform
  24. Devialet 400 Mono Integrated Amplifier-DACs
  25. Audio Research VSi75 Integrated Amplifier
  26. Triangle Magellan Cello Loudspeakers
  27. Audience Au24 SE powerChords, Interconnects, and Speaker Cables
  28. Zanden Audio Systems 120 Phono Stage
  29. Grimm Audio LS1 Loudspeakers and LS1s Subwoofers
  30. Aurender W20 Music Server
  31. Transfiguration Phoenix S Phono Cartridge
  32. M2Tech Young DSD Digital-to-Analog Converter
  33. Audio Research SP20 Preamplifier
  34. Magico S3 Loudspeakers
  35. Synergistic Research High Frequency Transducer (HFT) and Frequency Equalizer (FEQ) Room Treatments and XOT Crossover Transducer
  36. Ayre Acoustics KX-R Twenty Preamplifier
  37. Resonessence Labs Invicta Mirus Digital-to-Analog Converter
  38. Vivid Audio Giya G4 Loudspeakers
  39. Aurender X100L Music Server
  40. Sonus Faber Olympica I Loudspeakers
  41. Clarity Cable Organic Speaker Cables, Interconnects, Digital Interconnect, and Vortex Power Cord
  42. EgglestonWorks Nine Signature Loudspeakers
  43. Light Harmonic LightSpeed USB Cable
  44. David Berning Company ZH-230 Stereo Amplifier
  45. Esoteric Master Sound Works C-02 Preamplifier
  46. Vivid Audio Oval V1.5 Loudspeakers
  47. Daedalus Audio Argos v.2 Loudspeakers
  48. Octave Audio V 70 SE Integrated Amplifier
  49. KR Audio VA910 Mono Amplifiers
  50. T+A Criterion TCD 110 S Loudspeakers
  51. Birch Acoustics Raven Loudspeakers
  52. Monitor Audio Platinum PL200 Loudspeakers
  53. Essential Sound Products Essence Reference-II Power Cords and Reference-II Power Distributor
  54. JE Audio Dyad S400 Stereo Amplifier
  55. Dynamique Audio Celestial Speaker Cables, Zenith Interconnects, Firelight USB, and Infinite Power Cables
  56. Music Culture Elegance MC 501A CD Player-DAC
  57. KR Audio VA340 Mk.II Integrated Amplifier
  58. PMC IB2i Loudspeakers
  59. Cabasse Pacific 3 Loudspeakers
  60. Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 Loudspeakers
  61. Hegel Music Systems HD25 Digital-to-Analog Converter
  62. EMM Labs DAC2X Digital-to-Analog Converter
  63. Esoteric P-02 SACD/CD Transport and D-02 Digital-to-Analog Converter
  64. Vivid Audio Giya G3 Loudspeakers
  65. PBN Audio Scan-Speak B741 Loudspeakers
  66. Blue Circle Audio BC109 Preamplifier
  67. Dynaudio Confidence C2 Signature Loudspeakers
  68. First Watt J2 Stereo Amplifier
  69. Simaudio Moon Evolution 810LP Phono Stage
  70. Boulder Amplifiers 1060 Stereo Amplifier
  71. SMc Audio VRE-1C Reference Preamplifier
  72. Blue Circle Audio NSL Stereo Amplifier
  73. Audio Research Reference 250 Mono Amplifiers
  74. Von Schweikert Audio VR-35 Export Deluxe Loudspeakers
  75. Vitus Audio Signature SM-010 Mono Amplifiers
  76. YG Acoustics Kipod II Signature Loudspeakers
  77. Vandersteen Audio Treo Loudspeakers
  78. Magico Q1 Loudspeakers
  79. Hemingway Audio Prime Reference Mk.II Speaker Cables, Interconnects, and Power Cords
  80. Synergistic Research Element Copper, Tungsten, and Copper-Tungsten-Silver Interconnects and Speaker Cables
  81. Crystal Cable Arabesque Mini Loudspeakers
  82. EgglestonWorks Fontaine Signature Loudspeakers
  83. AudioQuest Diamond and Carbon FireWire 800 Cables
  84. Artos Audio Sunrise Loudspeakers
  85. Esoteric I-03 Integrated Amplifier
  86. NuForce DAC-9 Digital-to-Analog Converter
  87. Audience adeptResponse aR6-TS Power Conditioner
  88. EAR MC 4 Step-Up Transformer
  89. PBN Audio Montana InnerChoic Liberty Loudspeakers
  90. Simple Design Sonore Music Server
  91. Herron Audio VTSP-3A Preamplifier
  92. Copland CDA825 CD Player
  93. TW-Acustic Raven 10.5 Tonearm
  94. Artisan Silver MC Phono Stage
  95. MSB Technology Universal Media Transport
  96. Well Tempered Lab Amadeus Turntable
  97. Purity Audio Design Purity Reference Preamplifier
  98. Silverline Audio Sonatina Mk.IV Loudspeakers
  99. Ayre Acoustics DX-5 Universal A/V Engine
  100. Coda Technologies 15.0 Stereo Amplifier
  101. LessLoss Firewall Power Conditioner and DFPC Signature Power Cable
  102. Miyajima Laboratory Premium BE Mono Cartridge
  103. Magnum Dynalab MD 309 Integrated Amplifier
  104. Audio Research Reference 5 Preamplifier
  105. VAC Phi 200 Stereo Amplifier
  106. Ortofon Cadenza Mono Phono Cartridge
  107. Ultrasone Edition 8 Headphones
  108. YG Acoustics Carmel Loudspeakers
  109. Atma-Sphere Music Amplifier M-60 Mk.3.1 Mono Amplifiers
  110. AudioPrism Ground Control Grounding Cables
  111. Nordost Norse Frey Interconnects and Speaker Cables
  112. Ayre Acoustics KX-R Preamplifier and MX-R Mono Amplifiers
  113. Raysonic SP-300 Integrated Amplifier
  114. Synergistic Research Galileo Universal Interconnect and Speaker Cells, and Mini Power Couplers
  115. VAC Renaissance Mk.3 Preamplifier
  116. Accustic Arts Reference Tube-DAC II SE DAC and Reference Drive II CD Transport
  117. Silent Running Audio VR fp isoBASE Equipment Platforms
  118. EAR 890 Stereo Amplifier

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210x600 T+A R Criterion S (20240601)
Dynaudio Confidence 20A
 Electrocompaniet - AW300M
Gryphon Audio StandArt
Vitus Audio
Vitus Audio

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