THE REVIEWS
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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.
ifi NEO IDSD - REVIEW
The Neo iDSD is different than its siblings in the ways outline above, but it was still a lot of fun, a joy to listen to, and hard to believe what it gives for its price points ($699)—three-in-one functionality, fully balanced, MQA (full decoding), DSD515, 384bit/768kHz, bluetooth-everything(!), and quite good musicality, transparency, and engagement. Hazzah!
MOLA MOLA TAMBAQUI -REVIEW
It is a strange thing to encounter, completely, that which you thought was a nearly unobtainable goal or, perhaps, that which seemed an unbalanced equation. How could it be possible, in a digital product, to experience analog musicality, not analog-like, and a transparency associated with the best-of-the-best digital processors?
FIIO Q3 REVIEW
The FiiO Q3 ($149) represents the second product of a similar voice from FiiO and it is equally impressive in form factor, aesthetic, and technical abilities. But, how does it sound? Yes, there is a family resemblance in the voices of these two products—an IEM and a DAC/Amp—in terms of musicality, transparency, engagement. And value per dollar spent continues to be truly impressive. But, really how does it sound?