Darko.Audio

T+A R 2500 R video review

John Darko — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 15:33:37 +0000

🎥 Camera: John Darko / Olaf von Voss 🎬 Editor: John Darko 🌈 Colour: Olaf von Voss 🕺🏻 Motion GFX: John Darko 💰 Ad segment: John Darko 🎵 Song IDs? Playlists of all music heard in this video – and other videos – can be found on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/johndarko Further […]

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Hi-fi snobbery is a two-way street

John Darko — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 11:35:39 +0000

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Gold Note announces CD-5 CD player

John Darko — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 09:10:35 +0000

Compact disc sales might be down but 1) the silver discs still outnumber vinyl and 2) new CD players continue to come thick and fast. Fresh from Gold Note this week comes news of the CD-5, the latest entry in the Italian company’s 5 Series of half-width components: 20cm wide […]

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Focal’s Diva Utopia is Future-Fi for cashed-up listeners

John Darko — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 17:58:43 +0000

Got a large, acoustically-treated listening room but don’t wish to line one wall with hi-fi racks full of electronics to feed a pair of passive loudspeakers? Focal wants to pull on your coat about the Diva Utopia — a pair of exceedingly expensive streaming active loudspeakers. And it isn’t the […]

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DALI introduces EPIKORE 3, 7 and 9 loudspeakers

John Darko — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 08:40:17 +0000

DALI has added three new models to its EPIKORE series. The EPIKORE 3 standmount and the EPIKORE 7 and 9 floorstanders join the already announced EPIKORE 11 floorstander. Common to all four models – and borrowed from the flagship KORE – is the Danish company’s EVO-K™ Hybrid ‘two-fer’ Tweeter module: […]

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Podcast: What’s going on inside an €18,000 streaming DAC?

John Darko — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 08:03:28 +0000

€18,000? For a streaming DAC? That only does Roon? That’s an über-reductive way to look at the MU2 ‘Music Player’ from Grimm Audio. The MU2 is also a line-level pre-amplifier with balanced analogue ins and outs. it has a CD-sized control wheel inset into its inwardly-curving top plate for volume […]

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In Berlin for review: KEF’s Q Concerto Meta

John Darko — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 09:12:19 +0000

Newly arrived in Berlin, KEF’s all-new Q Concerto Meta (US$1299 or €1198/pair) starts with a 0.75″ aluminium tweeter, concentrically and coincidentally aligned with a 4″ aluminium midrange driver. This is what KEF calls Uni-Q, presented here in its 12th Generation design, complete with a metamaterial MAT™ disc placed behind the […]

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Luxman’s L-505Z integrated amplifier looks the business

John Darko — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 08:21:35 +0000

Just ahead of its 100th anniversary, Luxman has announced the final member of its Z Series of integrated amplifiers. The L-505Z replaces the L-505uXII to feature an improved MM/MC phono stage, a better-sounding volume control, headphone outputs that now include a balanced 4.4mm Pentaconn socket and – the star of […]

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Cambridge Audio MXN10 video review

John Darko — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 17:30:09 +0000

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KEF adds Metamaterials (and more) to its entry-level Q Series

John Darko — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 22:01:26 +0000

KEF has announced the first revamping of its entry-level Q Series since 2017. The incoming Q Series Meta comprises two 3-way floorstanders (Q7 Meta & Q 11 Meta), two 2-way standmounts (Q1 Meta & Q3 Meta), a 3-way standmount (Q Concerto Meta), a 3-way centre channel (Q6 Meta), a 2-way […]

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What’s Best? (Part 2) 🤔

John Darko — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 10:50:59 +0000

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What’s Best? (Part 1) 🧐

John Darko — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 09:52:16 +0000

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FiiO’s KA15 is a $109 ‘cassette tape’ dongle DAC

John Darko — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 07:34:09 +0000

New from FiiO, a fully-reworked KA15 — a dongle DAC that’s unlike other dongle DACs. USB in, analogue out. A pair of Cirrus Logic CS43198 chips takes care of the D/A conversion for PCM support up to 32bit/768kHz and DSD up to DSD256. The dual op-amps that power wired headphones […]

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Rotel introduces Michi Q5 CD player, CD transport & DAC

John Darko — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 06:14:22 +0000

Rotel is expanding its line-up of Michi-branded high-end electronics. The incoming Q5 is a large CD player/transport and DAC whose disc mechanism is spring-mounted. But it isn’t a slot-loader or a drawer. It’s a top-loader. From the press release: “The bespoke, top-loading CD mechanism is constructed with precision optical laser […]

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In Berlin for review: the Grimm MU2

John Darko — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 10:01:30 +0000

Is the Grimm MU2 Music Player the most expensive product I’ve ever had in for review? At a cool €18,000, I think it might be. The internal 8TB SSD storage fitted to my unit is a €600 upcharge. “Music Player” is a euphemism for a streaming-centric preamplifier that includes a […]

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GoldenEar T66 video review

John Darko — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 13:18:17 +0000

The post GoldenEar T66 video review first appeared on Darko.Audio.---------------------- No part of this RSS feed to be reproduced, recycled or re-purposed without permission. For private use only. Copyright 2010-2024 · Darko.Audio · All Rights Reserved