SoundStage! Solo | SoundStageSolo.com

Details: Written by: Killain Jones; Created: 15 April 2024

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Much like with stock picking, key to selecting an audio component is researching the company behind it. Among my selection criteria are brand reputation and the length of time the company has been in business. Equally important, of course, is researching the component itself. When selecting a headphone amplifier, I try to find out its true power ratings, design goals, sound signature (I like my amplification slightly on the warm side of neutral), and the likelihood it could soon be supplanted by a newer model. What complicates matters is the sheer variety of designs, shapes, and sizes of headphone amplifiers and their abstruse specification sheets, which confound even seasoned audiophiles at times.

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 15 February 2024

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Reviewers' Choice The hunt continues for some great, affordable headphone amps. A few weeks ago I checked out the Aiyima T8, a “no name” Amazon special, and I found it to be surprisingly decent for $120 (all prices USD). This week we go up in price slightly, to the Schiit Audio Magni. Base price is the same as the T8, but if you include a built-in USB DAC, the price goes up to $189. Those prices are for the black finish—add $10 for the brushed-aluminum silver version.

Details: Written by: Geoffrey Morrison; Created: 01 February 2024

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I don’t know what it is, but once the weather gets cold and there’s sunlight for 30 minutes a day, I crave some warm colors and a cozy glow. Tube amps, in other words. You might be thinking, “But, Geoff, you live in Los Angeles. Surely there’s no winter?” And I would say, “Winter is a state of mind, friend.” While the irony of complaining about winter from Southern California while writing for an outlet based in Ottawa, Canada, is not lost on me, I would like to say that I had to put on a sweatshirt to go outside today, and that is unacceptable.

Details: Written by: Mark Phillips; Created: 01 April 2021

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Value: 1/2
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Unlike many Western audio companies, Kinki Studio makes no effort to obscure the origins of their products, which are not only manufactured but designed in China—emblazoned on the rear panel of everything they make is the proud statement “We Come From China.” Their Vision THR-1 headphone amplifier costs $1198 including shipping (all prices USD), and, outside China and Hong Kong, is warranted for three years when purchased through an authorized distributor, who will handle any warranty service. For those without a local distributor, Kinki’s website is also an online store, based in Singapore.

Details: Written by: Mark Phillips; Created: 01 February 2021

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Since 2012, when AudioQuest introduced their DragonFly portable USB DAC and, in the process, created a new type of audio product, everyone else has been playing catch-up. Even Monoprice, purveyor of high-value, no-frills audio gear, has gotten in the game. Now another well-regarded cable company, Clarus Cable, is directly challenging AudioQuest’s current flagship DAC, the DragonFly Cobalt. Clarus introduced the Coda in December 2020, and proclaim it as the finest portable USB DAC now available.

Details: Written by: Brent Butterworth; Created: 20 December 2020

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With headphone amps available in so many configurations these days, it’s refreshing to find one as simple as the Topping A50s ($199.99, all prices USD). Simple amps are an increasingly good idea, because our ways of accessing music have been changing so fast. I remember about six years ago rolling my eyes while sharing a radio show with music industry guru Ted Cohen, who insisted that streaming would be the future of music distribution. Now I can’t remember the last time I listened to anything other than a streaming service. So while I can’t say how we’ll be listening to music in five years, I’m pretty sure that simple amps like the A50s will continue to work with any new source devices and technologies that might come along.