Articles, Reviews and Measurements of Audio Products
Audiophonics DA-S250NC DAC & Power Amp Review
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Audiophonics DA-S250NC class D amplifier (hypex NC252MP) and stereo DAC/Bluetooth. It was requested by a member and supplied by the company. It costs 582,50 € (tax excluded) (US$641).
I really like the front panel display. It has large font and super responsive rotary encoder that is a delight to use. The power switch and input selections feel good as well. Back panel shows the fact that only digital inputs are provided:
In use the unit was robust in operation and recovered automatically from overloads.
Audiophonics DA-S250NC DAC Measurements
Using pre-out, I measured the performance of the DAC. Let's start with our dashboard:
[ATTACH...
I really like the front panel display. It has large font and super responsive rotary encoder that is a delight to use. The power switch and input selections feel good as well. Back panel shows the fact that only digital inputs are provided:
In use the unit was robust in operation and recovered automatically from overloads.
Audiophonics DA-S250NC DAC Measurements
Using pre-out, I measured the performance of the DAC. Let's start with our dashboard:
[ATTACH...
KEF Ci200RR-THX In-ceiling/In-Wall Speaker Review
This is a review and detailed measurements of the KEF Ci200RR-THX in-ceiling/in-wall speaker. It was kindly sent to me by a member and costs US $999.99.
Speaker has a luxurious feeling rubberized paint outside of the driver. Alas, as you see, it is a dust magnet. Fortunately you would cover the whole thing with a grill anyway. The design is coaxial with tweeter in the middle as you would expect from KEF. Unlike many in-ceiling speakers we have tested the drivers are not angled and hence the reason company says you could even use them for side and surround channels in home theater environment.
There is good bit of weight to the unit although not the heaviest I have tested. Here are the specs:
Here is the back side:
And a peak at the crossover:
Speaker was measured using a special mode of Klippel Near-field Scanner where you mount the...
Speaker has a luxurious feeling rubberized paint outside of the driver. Alas, as you see, it is a dust magnet. Fortunately you would cover the whole thing with a grill anyway. The design is coaxial with tweeter in the middle as you would expect from KEF. Unlike many in-ceiling speakers we have tested the drivers are not angled and hence the reason company says you could even use them for side and surround channels in home theater environment.
There is good bit of weight to the unit although not the heaviest I have tested. Here are the specs:
Here is the back side:
And a peak at the crossover:
Speaker was measured using a special mode of Klippel Near-field Scanner where you mount the...
Atoll DAC200 Signature - Review & Measurements (DAC)
Atoll DAC200 Signature - Review & Measurements
Hey folks,
Planned for a while, finally comes my first review about an Atoll product, and the first extensive measurements of any Atoll DAC to date. For those who are not familiar with the name, Atoll Electronique, while not widespread worldwide, is an extremely popular manufacturer here in France. They initially started to design amplifiers by the end of the 90's, then the brand extended their offering with CD Players, DACs and Streamers.
So, why the interest? Being not that old, I hear about Atoll since the beginning of my Hi-Fi journey. Based on my own observations of the market, I personally feel that it remains somewhat a polarizing brand, along with both faithful customers and haters (I am neither). The first category seems to always point their purchase...
Planned for a while, finally comes my first review about an Atoll product, and the first extensive measurements of any Atoll DAC to date. For those who are not familiar with the name, Atoll Electronique, while not widespread worldwide, is an extremely popular manufacturer here in France. They initially started to design amplifiers by the end of the 90's, then the brand extended their offering with CD Players, DACs and Streamers.
So, why the interest? Being not that old, I hear about Atoll since the beginning of my Hi-Fi journey. Based on my own observations of the market, I personally feel that it remains somewhat a polarizing brand, along with both faithful customers and haters (I am neither). The first category seems to always point their purchase...
Klipsch RPC1080 LCR Review
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Klipsch PRO-180RPC LCR in-ceiling home theater speaker. It was kindly sent to me by a member and costs US $450 (MSRP $670).
I installed the speaker in the plywood panel for special "baffle" measurement using Klippel Near-field Scanner. Please note that this is the "LCR" version of this speaker which angles the drivers 45 degrees. The normal one I think just has them pointing straight out. The 180RPC is rather light speaker as you can tell from rather small magnet on the woofer (which is also angled):
Crossover is second order:
The angled driver makes measurement challenging as the baffle system in NFS assumes zero degree radiation. I work around it in the measurements but that means eliminating fair number of graphs which no longer make sense.
Klipsch PRO-180RPC LCR Measurements
As a reference point if we go with...
I installed the speaker in the plywood panel for special "baffle" measurement using Klippel Near-field Scanner. Please note that this is the "LCR" version of this speaker which angles the drivers 45 degrees. The normal one I think just has them pointing straight out. The 180RPC is rather light speaker as you can tell from rather small magnet on the woofer (which is also angled):
Crossover is second order:
The angled driver makes measurement challenging as the baffle system in NFS assumes zero degree radiation. I work around it in the measurements but that means eliminating fair number of graphs which no longer make sense.
Klipsch PRO-180RPC LCR Measurements
As a reference point if we go with...
Eversolo DMP-A6 Streamer Review
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Eversolo DMP-A6 Streamer and balanced DAC. It was sent to me by the company. I don't have the price but see it on sale for US $850.
The DMP-A6 design is absolutely gorgeous. A large, high contrast LCD allows it to show realistic visualizations like the above VU meter. Navigation is easy to use with extensive configuration options. The OS seems to be Android but custom audio pipeline is provided to provide bit-exact playback.
Support for usual streaming services is provided (pulll method) in addition to support for Roon (pull method).
There is an internal SSD which can be up to 2 Terabytes, allowing large music libraries to be stored locally.
Volume control is very responsive and displays a large circle in the middle while changing volume. I wish that could be configured to stay on screen as otherwise it is hard to see the current...
The DMP-A6 design is absolutely gorgeous. A large, high contrast LCD allows it to show realistic visualizations like the above VU meter. Navigation is easy to use with extensive configuration options. The OS seems to be Android but custom audio pipeline is provided to provide bit-exact playback.
Support for usual streaming services is provided (pulll method) in addition to support for Roon (pull method).
There is an internal SSD which can be up to 2 Terabytes, allowing large music libraries to be stored locally.
Volume control is very responsive and displays a large circle in the middle while changing volume. I wish that could be configured to stay on screen as otherwise it is hard to see the current...
Understanding Speaker Measurements (Video)
Per popular demand, I recorded a long (1 hour) video on how to read speaker measurements but also, the underlying research (and physics) that mandate some of those concepts. Also covered is equalization and listening tests (briefly). As usual, my videos are "one take" directly recorded and uploaded (and in this case, with no reharsal). So please take it easy as far as critiquing it in that regard. 
A personal note: as you all know, I don't allow advertising in my videos, nor do I pester people to subscribe, give likes, etc. in the video. Alas, it seems some out there are keeping score on popularity of my content as proof point of whether their audio videos are more correct than mine. So let's even the playground and subscribe to my channel if you have not before. Click on this link to go to my youtube channel (youtube.com/@audiosciencereview) and do that. Appreciate it in advance.
A personal note: as you all know, I don't allow advertising in my videos, nor do I pester people to subscribe, give likes, etc. in the video. Alas, it seems some out there are keeping score on popularity of my content as proof point of whether their audio videos are more correct than mine. So let's even the playground and subscribe to my channel if you have not before. Click on this link to go to my youtube channel (youtube.com/@audiosciencereview) and do that. Appreciate it in advance.
SMSL SU-1 Stereo DAC Review
This is a review and detailed measurements of the SMSL SU-1 stereo USB DAC. It was arranged to be sent to me by shenzhenaudio from the company and costs US $79.99.
Despite its simplicity, the SU-1 manages to look elegant with nice fonts and LED indicators for different inputs. Back panel has the basically what you want:
My usual minor gripe applies here with right channel RCA not being red although in this case, it is easy to turn the unit around to plug in the cables. A USB-A to USB-C cable is provided. Note that you need to have a USB power supply even if you use non-USB input (it is the only source of power).
SMSL SU-1 Measurements
Let's start with our usual dashboard:
[ATTACH...
Despite its simplicity, the SU-1 manages to look elegant with nice fonts and LED indicators for different inputs. Back panel has the basically what you want:
My usual minor gripe applies here with right channel RCA not being red although in this case, it is easy to turn the unit around to plug in the cables. A USB-A to USB-C cable is provided. Note that you need to have a USB power supply even if you use non-USB input (it is the only source of power).
SMSL SU-1 Measurements
Let's start with our usual dashboard:
[ATTACH...
Record breaker: Raphaelite CS30-MKII tube amplifier review and measurements
Raphaelite CS30-MKII 300B integrated tube amplifier review: A New Performance Record
This is a review and detailed measurements of Raphaelite CS30-MKK 300B single ended tube amplifier. It is available on eBay for $1449 + $310 shipping to California + tax. There are some better deals from retailers direct and it took just over two calendar weeks from ordering to arrival.
Today, we're breaking records.
I’ve never heard of Raphaelite, but a Google/eBay advertising algorithm determined I was curious about 300B tubes and was smart enough to show me this. It worked because I was sold on looks alone.
Specifications
This is a review and detailed measurements of Raphaelite CS30-MKK 300B single ended tube amplifier. It is available on eBay for $1449 + $310 shipping to California + tax. There are some better deals from retailers direct and it took just over two calendar weeks from ordering to arrival.
Today, we're breaking records.
I’ve never heard of Raphaelite, but a Google/eBay advertising algorithm determined I was curious about 300B tubes and was smart enough to show me this. It worked because I was sold on looks alone.
Specifications
- Raphaelite 3.5K30AQ output transformer
The transformers are rated for 30 watts of power. Raphaelite uses the term “fully coupled” in their online marketing and “unity coupled” on the unit itself. The original unity coupled transformer was...