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Category: DAC-AMP

Questyle M15

Questyle M15

Posted on 6 January 20237 January 2023

After a very unfortunate first try (the review unit which was kindfully sent to me by the manufacturer was stolen at my door), I finally got an M15 unit which I quite oddly found for a very good price 2nd hand in Japan. This second package reached me regularly so I can finally assess this…

GO Bar

iFi GO Bar review – feature packed

Posted on 22 September 202221 November 2022

GO Bar is iFi Audio’s first and long awaited take on a battery-less mobile dac-amp (a “dongle”). As I will try to outline, from multiple standpoints GO Bar fully partakes into iFi’s overall general product philosophy both in terms of components and general application. It promises outstanding results, and surely comes with a price tag…

9038SG3 98038D

E1DA 9038SG3 and 9038D – they know what they are doing

Posted on 14 August 202214 August 2022

I took my sweetest time on this, but here I finally am with my first article about E1DA dongles. This one is about the two models called 9038SG3 and 9038D. A subsequent article will cover PowerDAC V2.1. 9038SG3 is E1DA’s latest iteration of the 9038S model, which over time went through 3 generations – this…

Apogee Groove Anniversary Edition

Apogee Groove Anniversary Edition

Posted on 30 April 202230 April 2022

A few of you may know that Apogee released an “Anniversary Edition” of their Groove DAC-AMP dongle in conjunction with the company’s 30th year in business, back in 2015. Originally priced at a substancially higher level compared to the regular version – which still retails for $249,00 – such Anniversary model is now discontinued. Externally…

IfI GO Blu

iFi GO Blu

Posted on 10 April 202210 April 2022

GO Blu is iFi’s entry-level DAC-AMP, primarly focused on Bluetooth connectivity, high miniaturisation and straightforward operation. It retails for just below 200€ and I got a temporary loan unit for review purposes which I analysed for quite an extended time. Here’s my report. At-a-glance Card PROs CONs Outstanding DAC reconstruction quality Unimpressive Single Ended output…

An LMS infrastructure (update)

Posted on 22 February 202222 February 2022

A bit more than a year ago I published a piece describing features and benefits of my home LMS (Logitech Media Server) infrastructure. Over time my setup has evolved a bit and this is an update to the original article. Logitech Media Server is a piece of software and it well described here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logitech_Media_Server The…

hip-dac2

iFi hip-dac2 (and hip-dac)

Posted on 21 February 202221 February 2022

iFi Audio recently sent me an hip-dac2 for review and I’ve been auditioning it for a while with great pleasure. The new version of iFi’s recently discontinued hip-dac, amongst the few low cost mobile dac-amps featured of Audioreviews’ Wall of Excellence, is marketed at a very similar price (€ 189,00) compared to its precedessor. At…

Micro iDSD Signature

iFi Micro iDSD Signature

Posted on 19 August 202114 February 2022

Micro iDSD Signature is the latest evolution of the iDSD series. Its predecessor Micro iDSD Black Label is widely regarded as a great device which contributed to building out on the expectaction regarding its evolution. I did take my sweet time on this one as I’m particularly sensible to the topic. If one thing I…

Apogee Groove

Apogee Groove – Changing the Budget Game for Good (since 2015)

Posted on 28 March 20216 April 2021

A thorough review of the Apogee Groove, a stunningly performant DAC and headphone amplifier. An entry-level step into the professional audio tier.

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Contents

  • At-a-glance Card
  • Miscellaneous good stuff and caveats
    • Good High Gain option
    • Bad Single Ended output
    • Spectacular sound, if not totally uncolored
    • Annoying RFI sensitivity
    • Oddly lacking Direct-DSD support on non-mobile OS
  • Considerations & conclusions
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