THE REVIEWS
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AUDIO MIRROR TUBADOUR IV - REVIEW
If one were to assume I have a bias about digital–to–analog converter architectures, which I do, it would speciously point to non–oversampling DACs as my preference. Of late, I have reviewed the Merason frerot, MUSICIAN’s Pegasus and Mojo Audio’s Mystique X SE. All of these are firmly in the non–oversampling (NOS) camp. As pop burnout Britney once sang, “Oops!... I Did It Again”.
CAMBRIDGE AUDIO MXN10+DACM200 - REVIEW
The DacMagic line stretches back to 1995, almost two decades ago, when most of what we take for granted in consumer digital audio these days, such as streamers and USB DACs, did not exist. Since then, the DacMagic’s price has doubled while still being affordable, and the skill set offered has remained almost the same.
DENAFRIPS TERMINATOR II DAC - REVIEW
The DENAFRIPS Terminator II checks all of the required music lover and audiophile boxes easily and well and is a prodigious talent, especially when its price is taken into account. DACs within its ‘ambient’ pricing circle should take pause and perhaps never agree to a side by side comparison, lest they suffer a humiliating defeat.
GESHELLI LABS E2/J2 - REVIEW
Disinterested in ostentation, Geshelli Labs believes in real world pricing with high fidelity performance. Their JNOG2 plus ERISH2 are a petite and potent bargain. With just enough character to put flesh on bone, the classy little twosome sets your music free without excessive color or dispensable features.
AUDIONET DNP/EPX -REVIEW
The Audionet EPX merged with the DNP in ways both commanding and rather spectacular that I would never have imagined. The pairing carried its weight and then some, in every system in which it was employed, with none of the earlier concerns. In fact, they had all become reversals—complete opposites of what they had been with just Audionet DNP. Meaning?
DENAFRIPS PONTUS II -REVIEW
The Pontus II is a champion of resolution and detail, a champion of dynamics, transient speed, and staging, and a champion of a realism and musicality that is so engaging, so texturally and tonally rich, as to present a rather mystifying conundrum.
BORDER PATROL SE-i DAC -REVIEW
The simplest thing to say about the Border Patrol SE-i DAC is that it never disappointed or failed to amaze. However, to carry on about SE-i DAC is to speak to its whole-cloth coherency, its top to bottom frequency reach (dependent on system configuration/synergy), its natural and wholly transparent rendering of the music, and its beguiling, analog ease across the entirely of the frequency range.