Articles, Reviews and Measurements of Audio Products

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Bluesound Powernode Edge streaming DAC and amplifier review. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $649.

The unit has lots the elegant look of the regular Bluesound Powernode which I just reviewed. Yes it is still white but I am not a fan of the angles and such. Anyway, it doesn't take away from the functionality of the device which like its larger brother, includes such things as HDMI ARC audio support and dolby digital decoding:


I was again happy to see the device easily discovered by their app and controlled.

One thing I don't...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Bluesound Powernode wifi and ethernet streaming amplifier with digital input. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $949.

The design is apple-like and gorgeous as usual. Alas, I miss some kind of informative display on what it is doing instead of using the app. The blinking colored LED gets kind of old.

The core of the unit is a hypex UcD class D amplifier module. Here is the back panel:



There is a subwoofer output with programmable crossover frequencies (for both mains and this output). Whether it was pilot error or not, I could not get proper output from the sub out even after I enabled it. Notice the dual combo Toslink and line in.

The control app on my Samsung S23...

Hi folks,

This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X5 audio interface (DAC, ADC, Mic input) plus DSP and headphone amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and sells direct for US $270.

As you see, the X5 is a good sized box allowing for a large volume control which I appreciated. Overall look is very nice with a number of hard buttons and switches with positive action. Alas, the package is plastic so doesn't weigh like it should. A bit of lead on the bottom would have helped. Back panel is kind of bare:



As you see, the device is powered through its UBC-port (a cable from that to USB-A is provided). Being consumer oriented, there is no balanced input or...

I have posted before about a small nested line-array speaker that I designed and built, which I call the Skylarks. These speakers are typically listened to vertically, where they have wide horizontal dispersion, but limited vertical dispersion. However, they are sufficiently small that they can be turned on their side as well. In the sideways orientation, they produce wide vertical dispersion and limited horizontal dispersion. I have done sighted listening tests where I have rotated the speakers back and forth. This isolates for a lot of variables since it's the same speakers in the same place in the same room, with the same frequency response, the same crossover parts, the same dynamic range and distortion profiles. Everything is the same except the dispersion pattern. I have repeated this test for a very limited number of people.

I have also been working on a microphone array using 5 cardioid mics arranged equally around a circle. It's my intention to couple that design...

This is a review, listening tests, equalization and detailed measurements of the Martin Logan B10 bookshelf speaker. It was kindly sent to me by a member and also loaned one by the company. It costs US $600 each.


The B10 has a gorgeous glossy piano black finish. That is complimented by the best treatment of an AMT tweeter I have seen, giving the front a nice black finish. The impression is quite positive giving the feeling of a luxury in a small package. Back panel sports custom binding posts which I wish were color coded:

The measurements you are about to see are performed on Klippel Near-field Scanner (NFS). It produces anechoic measurements at far field per CEA/CTA-2034 standard. If you are new to my tests, please watch this...

Welcome to Cuckoo Studio review. I'm Anzol. The following content is presented from the perspective of a mixing engineer.

Measurement Conditions Explanation And Chart Interpretation Of Cuckoo Studio Review​

We have received the VINCI headphones sent by Qingmiao. We appreciate his support for the channel. This is a pair of headphones that caught my attention back in 2017. The reviews from popular YouTubers like UnboxTherapy certainly generated a lot of interest. However, after six years, the manufacturing company is now Unknown whereabouts, It is said that they closed down in 2018. The headphones have also gone from being $199 to a budget option available in second hand markets for $10
（On Kickstarter, a total of 4,885 supporters pledged $987,384!!）

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This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL A300 stereo class D amplifier. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $196.


The A300 is slick looking with flush volume control and switches. Alas, I am not a fan of the blue LED display from aesthetic point of view. It is nice and large though.



I really like the heavy duty binding posts. And for those of you needing subwoofer support, the filtered sub out and mains. It also includes Bluetooth functionality in addition to reading from a USB stick. With two inputs and a remote control, you are set for the modern audio systems of today.

If you are new to these measurements, please watch my video on understanding amplifier measurements.

SMSL A300 Amplifier Measurements...

This is a review, listening test, EQ and detailed measurements of the Panasonic RP-HT16. It is on kind loan from a member and goes for US $8 to $10 on auction sites.


I am told this is the headphone that was bundled with likes of discman in the olden days when those products were popular. The RP-HT16 naturally weighs very little and was very comfortable to wear during my testing.

Fitment of the on-ear headphones on a measurement fixture is tricky as there is no clear guidelines for where it should land on the artificial ear. Lack of a sealed enclosure means bass response is not going to be there (same is true for listening). So accept the following measurements as grossly accurate but not in the micro detail.

If you are new to my headphone measurements, please watch this video first.

Panasonic RP-HT16 Headphone Measurements
As usual, let's...

This is an updated review of the Cambridge Audio Duo phono preamplifier. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $349.

The Duo has a solid build and is attractive to boot for its price. Back panel shows independent sets of inputs for moving magnet and coil cartridges:



I like the inclusion of balance control and built-in power supply.

The original version was tested very early on when I had gotten into phono stage testing. My protocols have evolved since then making it hard to compare those measurements to current phono stage reviews.

Cambridge Audio Duo Measurements
It was challenging to reduce ground loops in both channels. After some messing around, I got close to optimal on both channels:

This lands the Duo essentially at the top of the class:



We still have that odd spikes around 19 kHz. Moving coil input...