Articles, Reviews and Measurements of Audio Products

This is a review and detailed measurements of the AUDIOPHONICS MPA-S250NC stereo Ncore class D amplifier. It is on kind loan from a member and costs 415,83 € tax excl. (US $444).

The enclosure is absolutely adorable! While it is fair bit deep, the other two dimensions are quite small. Combined with the low weight of the unit, you feel like buying a dozen to spread around the house and two to take on the road with you! The power button feels quite nice. The rear terminals exude quality and would rival and beat what you find on many expensive amplifiers:

Nice to see trigger input as well.

Inside a Hypex NC252MP amplifier module with integrated switching power supply. In use the bottom front got somewhat warm but nothing of concern. Protection...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Emotiva XPA HC-1 Monoblock amplifier. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $879.

As the name indicates, this is a single channel power amplifier. I have a soft spot for monoblocks and the HC-1 hits it. I especially like the power button which has buttery action and nice orange color when you hit it. Alas, then it switches to the cold, trademark blue color of Emotiva. Wish they would switch to that orange!

Note that the amplifier is *very* deep, probably three times as deep as it is high. Back panel shows nice inclusion of XLR input which is what I used for testing:


The design of the amplifier is Class AB with dual power supply rails in order to keep power consumption low at lower powers. It did that as the amplifier...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Cocktail Audio X45 streamer, balanced DAC, CD player/ripper, file server and analog preamplifier. It is on kind loan from a member. It costs US $2995 but seems to have recently been discontinued.

The large LCD screen is striking. Alas, the graphics seem outdated and processor too slow to even keep up with volume control adjustment. The feel of the rotary control switch (when pushed in) is superb but the responsiveness of the control needs a bit of work. I could not quite figure out some of the options. When playing Menu for example, it would just give me an error. I thought it would give me settings for the built-in DAC. The back panel shows the myriad of inputs, outputs and functionality of the unit:

[ATTACH type="full" alt="Cocktail Audio X45 DAC Streamer balanced Ethernet USB CD ripper preamplifier...

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​

If you prefer video version:
We received LAN sent by MOONDROP, and we will take a comprehensive look at its performance. Similarly to other MOONDROP products, the LAN’s packaging features an anime-style design, with a minimalist silver and white color scheme for both the packaging and the product itself. However, upon taking the LAN out of the packaging, it becomes apparent that its appearance is akin to that of monitoring IEMs, with its one-piece, matte silver...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Pyxi Phono Stage by SOTA. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $300.

Well.... the design is not going to win any awards with LED, power and MM/MC selector not being aligned. Operationally it is fine and I appreciate the loading dip switches being in the back rather than buried inside or underneath:

The AC transformer is rated at 14 volt/500 ma and as these tend to do, it gets a bit warm.

I like the large grounding screw. Measurements you are about to see are my best attempt at lowering the mains hum. Your setup may vary.

I like that the company provides detailed specifications in the manual. Here are the MM measurements and conditions:
...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL D1se2 stereo balanced DAC. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $720.

I like the smooth font used and the highly responsive rotary control. VMV is the high-end brand of SMSL and it shows in inclusion of a nice metal remote:

I wish SMSL would add trigger in/out and color code the RCA connectors. Otherwise, the unit is easy to use and configure.

VMV D1se2 Measurements
Let's start with our balanced output dashboard with volume set to 0 dB (goes to +2 dB):

This is excellent performance and easily lands the D1se in our top 20 best DACs measured as far as SINAD (noise+distortion):
[ATTACH type="full" alt="best...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Schiit Loki Mini+ analog four band equalizer. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $149/$159 (Black/Silver).

We have the usual Schiit enclosure which is fine for this application. Its stamped steel enclosure helps here by making it heavy enough to not get dragged by its dual set of RCA cables. I was happy to see a tone defeat switch on the right. Sadly there is no power switch in front (you have to reach in the back):


We have the usual Schiit AC adapter which wastes some power given the heat it generates. Surprisingly, the box itself also got a bit warm. Didn't expect this in a line level type of gear.

I got a kick out of the "no user serviceable parts inside." Does anyone in this day and age expect such...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Schiit Modius E balanced USB DAC. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $229.

The "E" edition swaps the AKM DAC chip for ESS ES9028. See my review of the normal Schiit Modius here. This is a stripped down DAC with no display or remote. It doesn't even have a power button! Speaking of power, you can either self-power it through USB or using a supplied, external 5 volt adapter:


For some reason, the USB class for Schiit DACs confuses ASIO emulator I use so most of the tests you are about to see use coax S/PDIF input. This should not impact operation of the unit unless you use ASIO.

Schiit Modius E...

This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of Truthear x Crinacle Zero:RED IEM. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $55.

I was relieved that they are more mahogany/darker red than what the name implies. Compared to the previous Zero version, they are supposed to have slightly different frequency response and lower distortion. We will test both. Different silicone tips are included. Here are the sets I used for testing:

Measurement set was recommended by the company and are the same ones that I used for original Truthear Crinacle Zero IEM review.

If you are new to my testing, please watch this video on headphone...