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Harman/Kardon GLA-55 powered loudspeakers
Onboard digital amplification, long voice coils and DSP means that these speakers go incredibly loud without distortion. They also produce remarkably deep bass, really negating the use of a subwoofer. The sound is clean, transparent, articulate, well-focused and spacious. They are quite pricey but they really perform way beyond their size and combined with their arresting visual appeal I'd say they're almost worth their asking price. I did buy them and have no regrets at all but have to admit that you could probably match the soundquality for less outlay by going for regular speakers and a decent amp but you'd miss out on this beautiful eye-catching style.
Retail price approx 700 euro
Behringer Ultramatch Pro samplerate converter
(asynchronous upsampler)
Max 24/96. Digital In/Out: AES/coax/toslink, Analog in/out: XLR. The Ultramatch is a very interesting little device. It is no substitue for the dcs Purcell but it definitely has some very appealing qualities, most obvious being its function as a reclocker. It really tightens up the sound and make for a more lively presentation. Apparently not all upsamplers are created equal as the Ultramatch's inherent dry character means that you'll have to use warm or smooth sounding cables to get the best results but there's plenty room for experiments. If you have a PC as source, you might find its attribution addictive! It costs only about 300 euro. So do yourself a favour - set aside your preconceptions and just give it a try.
Retail price approx 250 euro
Meridian Sooloos Control 15
Self-contained touchscreen-controlled Sooloos system with built in optical disk drive and hard disk storage. All popular formats (WAV, AIFF, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AAC, mp3) are supported up to 24/192 but on coax out only play up to 24/96, due to the limitation of the spdif format. In: Ethernet. Out: digital coax, Meridian speakerlink. Works all by itself, or in combination with extra endpoints, extra storage and i-device apps.
Retail price approx 5995 euro
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Best Solutions
for all budgets:
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BitPerfect Mac App review
BitPerfect is a very affordable Mac app that works with iTunes to enable better sound while maintaining the ease of use that iTunes offers. It made for an interesting comparison to PureMusic.
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Find out all about classic and current Jeff Rowland equipment
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Galleries, timelines & interiors of fascinating classic equipment
Previously I maintained a list of all interesting devices, whether I had reviewed them or not. Currently the amount of products on offer is ever increasing and it is becoming fast impossible to maintain a complete list. Therefore I have decided to only list components that I have actually reviewed. However, I never stop adding, so please check back regularly!
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Disclaimer:
I try my best to reflect accurate information but cannot be held responsible for misprint, misquoting prices etc. Specs can and do change sometimes over the coarse of a product's availability. Prices are often approximated from the selling price in the country of origin. Due to taxes and such, prices may vary. If you find any mistakes, don't hestitate to mail me.
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