But they listened in show conditions, which in my experience makes it impossible to draw any meaningful conclusions on things like amp/headphone pairings. Shows are great to get a really baseline idea of what a headphone generally sounds like. Especially closed back headphones and IEMs. Beyond...

I don't currently have Apple Music to test, but I do recall a big talking point of both the XSPDIF 3 and the Element S is that they can be used with tablets or phones. Whether or not you get bit perfect output/hi-res output is more dependent upon your device and software though... but I can say...

Keep in mind Violectric initially made some 24/192 boards with a newer Tenor chip, so those do exist along with the older Tenos 24/96 and also the XMOS version. I do think the XMOS is probably "better" than the Tenor solutions, just in terms of general compatibility or future proofing. But...

I guess you could go back through this thread and scour the pics, see if anything stands out in terms of the physical USB B port and maybe what color it is or some other tiny detail. It does seem like a very long shot though - who says they didn't change part over the years, unrelated to the...

I don't think there will be any way to tell from an external view. After all, a USB B port is a USB B port, and I don't recall there being any sort of labelling which said "24/192" or whatever. The seller would be able to check using various methods though. If they are using a driver, that...

I spent a bit of time on the HA-300 as well.

Wow that's very strange! I wonder what could have caused it? Seems like a display failure (I've had vertical lines on big flat panel TVs before so I assume there is a similarity). But I don't get how it would appear based on just moving the device like you described. I would definitely reach...

Wow looks like a beast!

Thanks for those impressions, very useful data point. I agree the TA-20 Plus is really enjoyable even on stock tubes, and the volume control is quite well done.

Interesting! Care to share any impressions? Obviously two very different amps with different topologies and prices, but still.

Can't wait to see more of this thing. I'm a huge fan of the HA-300 (original and mk2), HA-6A, and HA-1A mk2. So I am reasonably confident this thing will be great as well.

Sorry I don't know that one. Looks like a full tube design rather than a hybrid, and it's single ended, with less power, and a lower price. Could be interesting for sure but I have no experience with it.

It will stay at 256 if that's what you set the option to. Or, you can use a higher setting and it will upsample to that amount. You'd want to play with it and decide which way sounds best to you.

No that is Audio Art, a completely different company which I have used many times and can happily recommend. You won't find better service anywhere. Unfortunately they don't have umbilical power cables listed, but you can always ask.

How long ago was this? I think it's well established that the company did some great work at one point. The question now is will they reliably continue to do so. We've had quite a few reports of them going silent, not answering any calls/emails, and not delivering on promised/paid for work. If...

Regarding the points above, my thoughts are: 1) I agree, the Superclock should be much closer to the Deluxe compared to the base model. But there is more to a digital system than just the clock itself, so there's still room for the Deluxe to outperform the Superclock based on various other...

I know it's nice to see they already have options listed for umbilical cables, which is not a common thing among cable companies. But if a company doesn't answer your emails, that seems like a red flag that should immediately halt any purchases. Imagine if you have a problem with your order -...

Waiting (im)patiently here as well. Last I heard they were hoping for a Q2 release but I don't know where it stands at this point. Hopefully sooner than later! Thank you for that. Unfortunately that is probably the same answer for the base model as well... difficult to make a value judgement...

Not sure how we define "relevant" but it's still an enjoyable DAC and not necessarily blown away by newer models. That said, Cayin has since moved on to the updated iDAC-6 mk2 and now the iDAC-8 which should both offer at least some meaningful improvements. At this point the original iDAC-6...

I have heard from only one person using the base model, and he really likes it. Upgraded from an original AMR DP-777 which I think sold for around $5k back in the day. But he's an "upgrade my DAC every decade or so" kind of audiophile so I'm not sure how meaningful his assessment is. As for it...

Finally had time to get my review of the TA-20 Plus posted, if anyone is interested. Very enjoyable amp that hits a nice balance of technicality and emotion. And of course the upgrade path offered by tube rolling is welcome. But even in stock form it's a fun little amp.