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246
18 Jul 2023
Lumin is an offshoot of Pixel Magic Systems Ltd of Hong Kong, a privately-held electronics equipment manufacturer founded in 2003 to create home theatre and home audio products. Lumin was created in 2013 to design and manufacture network players, network transports, network amplifiers and network music servers. It has been quite prolific and has launched many products that, without fail, have been accepted very quickly by audio enthusiasts around the world. People talk of Lumin whenever they talk of high-end music servers/players. The product in focus this time is the brand new Lumin U2 Networ..
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130
11 Jul 2023
In making Omega XC, Shunyata Research’s Caelin Gabriel set himself a challenge. “Create a power cord for Shunyata Research power conditioners that allows the conditioner to achieve its absolute maximum performance. Remove any and all constraints regarding construction time and difficulty and ignore cost limitations to produce the ultimate power cord.” So, no biggie!
Three yearsThe Omega XC is the result of a research project that spanned more than three years, involving hundreds of tests, designs and construction solutions. The Omega XC features Shunyata Research’s VTX-Ag conductors in a hefty..
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197
04 Jul 2023
Carbon Special is the latest addition to the line and a good size beast it is, too. Standing 18 inches high and equipped with a 12-inch driver, it is, however, described by REL as a ‘modest size’ unit. Therefore, I am clearly out of the loop when it comes to what constitutes ‘big’ these days. Its shiny black cabinet ismade of 65mm thick MDF and features REL’s so-called BlackWidow carbon fibre drive unit (so, whatever you do, don’t mate with it), the material selected for its combination of stiffness and self-damping properties. It has a big roll surround to allow for a massive 100mm throw, wit..
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226
27 Jun 2023
V5 ELEKTRAThe V5 Elektra brings IsoTek’s legendary multiple and individual power cleaning networks dedicated for each outlet to a new lower price class. V5 Elektra therefore has to be the most cost-effective power cleaning upgrade money could buy. The new V5 model has instant on tap power, direct current resistance is close to the ideal of zero Ohms. The protection rating is four times the minimum requirement, raised to 67’500A instantaneous. This six-way mains power-cleaning is essentially six power cleaning systems in one box!
EVO3 INITIUMEVO3 Initium is IsoTek’s new entry level power cable ..
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132
20 Jun 2023
Some years ago we had to discontinue our highly capable Mohican CD player because key components were no longer being produced. Since then, we have been working on a replacement that would be even better. Improving on perfection is not easy, but we did it, and we are proud to introduce Viking. The best CD player we have ever made.Viking loads CDs via a slot (and not the Mohican’s in-out tray) behind which sit a brand new laser-and-CD drive mechanism and a resampling/upsampling-free AKM 4493SEQ-based D/A converter, both of which are directly controlled by a thoroughly revised Master clock syste..
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124
13 Jun 2023
The 7000A still has virtually everything one expects from a modern integrated amplifier – a built-in Sabre ES9038 DAC, USB B input, Bluetooth aptX/aptX LL, full MQA decoder, Roon capability, dedicated headphone amp, and an MM phono stage and HDMI ARC input.
THE VERDICTAlthough perhaps not the most viscerally exciting performer, the new 7000A is always believably authentic and truthful. It is wholly natural, comfortable to listen to, and therefore easy to forget – you just hear the music. Yet it's also capable of snappy attack and crisp dynamics too. This company has always made quality amplifi..
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175
06 Jun 2023
"As digital audio technologies evolved, the viewing and listening styles as well as the media have diversified. With the emergence and easy availability of high-quality sound (high-resolution) that surpass CD standards, an increasing number of users are seeking high-quality sound. This product has been developed to achieve music reproduction at the world's highest level with a high-quality design. In response to market expectations for the release of a grand class speaker system based on the concepts of point sound source and linear phase, we decided to adopt this newly developed 2-way coaxial..
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101
30 May 2023
“I’ve been singing the praises of the Aesthetix Mimas ever since its debut a few years ago,” writes The Absolute Sound’s Neil Gader. “Twice awarded a Golden Ear by me, it is one of the top integrated amps on the market today and remains absurdly good value, to boot.” Now, the Aesthetix team has added a modular dual-input MM/MC phono board and DAC card.
“In terms of sonics, [the] Mimas DAC module couldn’t have been more satisfying,” writes Gader. “This DAC nails instrumental texture and timbre with a realism that touches the romantic heart and the clinical ear in equal measures. Fingernails fan..