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hifi-advice Next Gen Audio favorites
Listed below are the currently available hifi-advice Next Gen Audio favorites. These devices are picked for their sound quality above all, but maybe also a little for their looks, operability or plain old indefinable love. Price is not taken into consideration. In short: these are the computer audio/streaming audio devices that I liked so much that I would buy them for myself.
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Ayre QB-9 USB DAC
Max 24/192. In: USB. Out:analog cinch,XLR. Brilliant USB-DAC that manages to make the computer sound like real, breathing music. Fluid, effortless, airy, subtle, smooth and with a complete absence of electronic signature. It's only lesser quality is in the bass, which is ever so slightly lightweight. But I've compared it to the Levinson no390S cd player which admittedly has very good bass and overall, I wouldn't see this as a problem, more like a different taste. Surprisingly sounds even better with full size computers than with laptops.
Retail price approx 3200 euro (silver)
M2Tech HiFace EVO USB-audio converter
An evolution over the original HiFace, this converter offers a lot more in the way of connectivity as well as soundquality. There are drivers for Mac and PC and both DirectSound and Kerner streaming. For the first time, I feel that my trusty EMU1212M PCI soundcard is outclassed in its spdif digital output. The EVO provides a wider soundstage while at once being more focused, livelier, more airy and simply more engaging. The EMU only has fuller and more powerful bass. That's it. Otherwise the EVO just beats it. Although the EVO is 4 times as expensive as the original HiFace, it is more than worth it for its added musicality and colour. Highly recommended!
Retail price approx 400 euro
Wadia 171i Transport (for iPod/iPad/iPhone)
The 171i is a so-called transport for getting audio from an i-device in a highend manner. Its digital output is special in that it is real, proper, digital audio, straight from the hard disk or memorychip inside the i-device, be it an iPhone, iPod or iPad. Other cradles only take the analog output but the Wadia deciphered the digital stream, to offer unprecedented audio from an i-device. Amazingly, it really succeeds and, given a state of the art dac, really produces state of the art sound.
Retail price approx 500 euro
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
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PS Audio PWD
Max 24/192. In: 1x toslink, 1x coaxial, 1x AES/EBU, 2x I2S, USB, ethernet. Out: cinch, XLR. Immensely flexible and high performing DAC/network streamer. It isn't the absolute best dac in the world as it lacks some refinement but it is big on dynamics, solidity, articulation, detail and very enjoyable due to its engaging enthusiastic musicality. When used in combination with network audio, this is currently the best solution I have heard, beating every computeraudio solution out there, including my best PC based solution.
Retail price approx 4500 euro (including The Bridge)
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Naim Uniti (with built-in amplifier)
cd player/cd ripper/network player with built-in stereo amplifer. In: Analog 3x cinch, 1x DIN, 3,6mm jack, RJ45 wired/wireless ethernet, FM antenna. Digital 2x cinch, 2x toslink. Out: line cinch, subwoofer cinch, preamp out DIN, stereo speakers. Functions as CD player, FM/DAB/Internet tuner, Streamer, Ipod player, USB player, DAC, integrated 50w amplifier.
Versus UnitiQute: I cannot really decide between the two. The Uniti is more refined and more transparent. The Uniti however has more character, looks cute, costs less and is still emotionally involving.
Retail price 3000 euro
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Naim UnitiQute (with built-in amplifier)
Network player with built-in amplifier. Max 24/96. Higher samplerates are downsampled internally. In: Analog 1x cinch,1x 3,6 jack. Digital 2x coax, 2x toslink, 1x 3,6mm jack. USB 2.0 (ipod compatible). RJ45 Ethernet/Wifi. FM antenna. Out: Analog: preamp out cinch, stereo speakers, Digital: BNC coax. Essentially a Uniti without CD drive, the UnitiQute is a network player with inbuilt 45w stereo amplifier. Formats: MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, Windows Media-formatted content-9 (up to 320kBit/s), FLAC, WAV (up to 24bit/96kHz via UPnp and USB only). Control: supplied IR remote or i-app.
Retail price 1950 euro
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Apogee Duet FireWire Audio Interface
24/96 max. In: 2x XLR phantom powered mic preamp, 2x line/Hi-Z inputs (6,3mm jacks). Out: 2x unbalanced 6,3mm jacks, 1x headphone (6,3mm jack). Both AD and DA conversion is done at a very high level but the analogue output is single ended only. Of course it doesn't beat an Audiomeca, Levinson or Wadia dac but the Apogee sounds miles better than most internal or external soundcards. It has a full, smooth sound that is devoid of sharpness or brittleness. Also, its preamps are much better than those in most AD cards or external devices. The Apogee also has a very good user interface. The integration with the operating system is flawless and really intuitive. Only downside: it only works with Mac.
Retail price approx 429 euro
Streaming, USB, Firewire,
Computer Audio
Current and Classic CD players, Cables, Accessories and more
Jeff Rowland Info Database, Cool equipment, Classic CDP's
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KingRex UD384 USB/spdif interface + U Power battery power supply
While the UC192 is a bit extreme in its sound and thus will appeal to people seeking a certain sound, the UD384 is a much more neutral, solid choice that will work much more universally well and it easily performs at the same level as the HiFace EVO, which costs much more. Various listening sessions, both in the main system as in friends' systems show that the UD384 sounds very open and airy and by comparison makes the HiFace EVO sound almost dark and uninspiring by comparison, even if the latter has bigger bass and a more forgiving frequency balance. For the MacIntosh camp, with the Macbook Pro, the choice is easy: the UD384, with battery power supply and using iTunes and Pure Music, is my new reference for Mac replay.
Retail price unknown
This page is continually updated. I will keep adding new components and extensive reviews, also for components already listed, 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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Linn Klimax DS/0
Network player. Max 24/192. In: RJ45 (network). Out: cinch, XLR. Formats: FLAC, WAV, mp3, AIFF. The Klimax only has one network input. No coax, no usb. But with this one input it is said to even beat the famous Linn CD12 cd player. Whether this is true I cannot confirm, as I still haven't succeeded in obtaining an affordable CD12, but I have finally decided to buy a Klimax DS. It turns out that my preconceptions weren't even far off, but the Klimax DS did surprise me in some areas, most notably its smoothness.
Control via supplied IR remote or i-app.
Retail price approx 15.000 euro
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PS Audio PWD with MKII upgrade
Max 24/192. In: 1x toslink, 1x coaxial, 1x AES/EBU, 2x I2S, USB, ethernet. Out: cinch, XLR. Immensely flexible and high performing DAC/network streamer. The MKII upgrade literally transforms the PWD, giving it more smoothness, more fluidity, airier, more refined treble and state of the art soundstaging, pushing its performance so far that it can comfortably play in the premier league, not even being embarrased by the very best CD players I know. It is not entirely as organic as the Wadia S7i or as creamy and velvety as the Levinson 390S. But it has better soundstaging, focus, rhythm, bass solidity and sheer jump-factor than either of them. I rank it just as high as the Linn Klimax DS The PWD. They have very different characters but each has uniquely appealing qualities that make them stick out above the rest.
Retail price approx 4500 euro (including The Bridge)
Meridian Soloos Media Core 200
Integrated server with 500GB storage and built in DAC. All popular formats (WAV, AIFF, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AAC, mp3) are supported up to 24/96. In: Ethernet, restricted USB, Out: analog cinch, digital coaxial, Meridian Speakerlink. The MC200 is not a streamer, nor a server as we know it. Yet it has functionality similar to both. The Meridian Media Core 200 is an elegant, compact and virtually silent Meridian Sooloos Digital Media System that requires only your choice of controller to bring it to life. The controller in question can be a PC running ControlPC software, a Mac running ControlMAC software, an iPad, iPhone or iPod running the CoreControl app, or another Sooloos controller. By substantially lowering the Sooloos entry price, Meridian have entered a market where every music enthusiast can afford to enter the experience. And one heck of an experience it is, setting the benchmark for all others to be judged by.
Retail price approx 2750 euro
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