Arcam rHead: a solid black brick of audio goodness worth building on

Pros: Good power, excellent build quality, compact form factor, pairs well with IEMs all the way to full-size cans, nicely musical Cons: Stage depth not as great as my other amps, some details and natural edges are smoothed over Acknowledgment Thanks Arcam of Cambridge for including me in a UK tour in exchange for my... Continue Reading →

February 17, 2017 2

Aune M1S: one of the most transparent DAPs I have heard, and only $249

Pros: It sounds amazing: black background, excellent dynamics, accurate and spacious stage, brilliant tonal accuracy; good line-out function; 2.5mm balanced out; 3 gain levels; excellent power output; intuitive control scheme; build quality; price Cons: No tag based browsing even though it reads tags, CUE based gapless (annoying), no EQ, no standalone DAC, no USB OTG, buttons... Continue Reading →