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What electronic audio products you want tested most

What electronics audio product you like to see tested more

  • Power and Integrated Amplifiers

    Votes: 633 55.1%
  • Headphone Amplifiers

    Votes: 182 15.9%
  • Home Theater AVRs

    Votes: 307 26.7%
  • Home Theater Processors

    Votes: 199 17.3%
  • DACs

    Votes: 350 30.5%
  • Streamers

    Votes: 262 22.8%
  • Combo DAC and Headphone Amplifiers

    Votes: 237 20.6%
  • Phono preamp

    Votes: 106 9.2%
  • DSP (digital signal processors)

    Votes: 379 33.0%
  • Vintage audio products

    Votes: 270 23.5%

  • Total voters
    1,148

Ralph_Cramden

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The WiiM Mini streamer, which has recently been updated to support bit-perfect output on the optical port, at up to 24/192. $89, with built-in support for most major streaming providers. How does it measure?
 

FriedChicken

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I voted for everything, because I understand others have needs as well as I do.

That said, I feel testing widely available vintage equipment would help the most people, since most normal people cannot afford to drop thousands on audio equipment, but the industry loves pushing that.
 

Helicopter

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I voted for everything, because I understand others have needs as well as I do.

That said, I feel testing widely available vintage equipment would help the most people, since most normal people cannot afford to drop thousands on audio equipment, but the industry loves pushing that.
Think longer term. What should the people who buy new stuff demand? That is always what determines what can be had used later on.
 
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amirm

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The WiiM Mini streamer, which has recently been updated to support bit-perfect output on the optical port, at up to 24/192. $89, with built-in support for most major streaming providers. How does it measure?
That was recently sent it for testing....
 
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amirm

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That said, I feel testing widely available vintage equipment would help the most people, since most normal people cannot afford to drop thousands on audio equipment, but the industry loves pushing that.
While I will continue to test Vintage gear from time to time, fair amount of hassle always comes with its testing. "Oh you did not have it serviced recently so none of this matters." Well, if none of it matters, then it doesn't make sense for me to test them.
 

EJ3

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While I will continue to test Vintage gear from time to time, fair amount of hassle always comes with its testing. "Oh you did not have it serviced recently so none of this matters." Well, if none of it matters, then it doesn't make sense for me to test them.
And that is why I only send in Vintage gear that has recently been serviced (for me, I PM [or have it PMed] somewhere between every 5 to 10 years, whether there is something obviously wrong or not). I admit that the gear has usually had updates to the components (more modern capacitor styles, perhaps more capacitance available, etc.) and brought to the last known factory updated specs or DYI updates (and updates from pros) that are thought to work. But no things are done that would change the circuit design.
The point of this is to show how good (or bad) the original design was if the choice of components available today had been used. (or if some of the updates are actually downgrades in performance.) In other words, would this piece of vintage gear be able to be used in a main system today or should it be relegated to the "man-cave" or a lesser bedroom system (or perhaps a system that is less than CD [16 bit] quality). I also believe that it is a large part of the reason I have had above average success with getting Amirm to test my vintage gear. (Thank you so much Amirm!). So please make sure that anything that you send to Amirm for testing (vintage or otherwise [if it is not coming as a direct drop ship to Amirm]) is in the best possible condition and well packed when it leaves your hands to get to Amirm.
Amirm graciously donates his time to us and we should do everything that we can to make sure Amirm's donating of that time goes as easy as possible.
 
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Sal1950

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Keep the AVR - multich focused gear coming please. ;)
 

phoenixdogfan

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I'd like to see something done with DSP software. A shootout test among Audiolense, Dirac Live 3 with DLBC (when it becomes available), and aCCourate.

Also a test of BACCH, specifically what it does, how well it does it, whether what it does is a good idea in the first place, and whether there might be more economical ways to accomplish the same thing.
 
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I'd love to see how the quite highly praised Audiolab 6000a integrated amp with ESS 9018K2M DAC would perform measurement-wise.
Pity that it does not have USB input.

Besides that specific one, more integrated and power amps of ClassAB.
 
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Sal1950

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I'd like to see something done with DSP software. A shootout test among Audiolense, Dirac Live 3 with DLBC (when it becomes available), and aCCourate.
I don't disagree with you but have given this some consideration as of late.
I do wonder how such a shootout could be carried out? How do you compare the results of different DRC systems when the main goals today have moved away from the wizard-automagic type, to providing as wide as possible user control-tweakablility style.
Amir's gonna have to put on his thinking cap for sure.
 
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amirm

amirm

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I'd like to see something done with DSP software. A shootout test among Audiolense, Dirac Live 3 with DLBC (when it becomes available), and aCCourate.
I plan to do this at some point. But the place I would do it, my own theater, has been under 3 inches of water half a dozen times! I am still trying to dry out the carpet due to last flood. If I succeed, then I say later in spring I could attack the task. It is a rectangular room so much closer to other rooms people may have as opposed to my 2-channel system that is in open area (and doesn't have a sub).
 

Madjalapeno

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I plan to do this at some point. But the place I would do it, my own theater, has been under 3 inches of water half a dozen times! I am still trying to dry out the carpet due to last flood. If I succeed, then I say later in spring I could attack the task. It is a rectangular room so much closer to other rooms people may have as opposed to my 2-channel system that is in open area (and doesn't have a sub).
Eugh - sorry to hear you're still having problems.
 

flz

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The AudioEngine B-Fi has already been reviewed on ASR, but how about a review of the AudioEngine B1 (bluetooth)?
 

Sal1950

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I plan to do this at some point. But the place I would do it, my own theater, has been under 3 inches of water half a dozen times! I am still trying to dry out the carpet due to last flood. If I succeed, then I say later in spring I could attack the task. It is a rectangular room so much closer to other rooms people may have as opposed to my 2-channel system that is in open area (and doesn't have a sub).
UGGH. Give up and turn the basement into a swimming pool.
Then add another room ground level to build your HT
You know better than most anyone that things always work out better when purpose designed from scratch.
Hey, I know a guy that's in the business. LOL
 
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