Richard Varey’s faulty valve sees him discover a goldmine for vintage valves, right here in Auckland.
Audiophile
Meet Mad Scientist Audio And The Heretical USB Interconnect
RICHARD VAREY finds modern day alchemy at Mad Scientist Audio – and the Heretical USB interconnect is not too bad either.
Aural Alchemy And The Brightness Of Sound
RICHARD VAREY auditions Albedo’s innovative Aptica loudspeaker system and finds some sunshine in a box. Yes, really.
Reviewer Declares FiiO’s Q1 MkII Portable DAC Amplifer A Winner
It’s always nice when a product not only lives up to expectations but wildly exceeds them. This is especially true when the product in question is relatively inexpensive. Let’s take the FiiO Q1 MkII portable DAC/headphone amplifier being reviewed here for example. I’ve been shopping for a USB DAC/amp to […]
A Most Absorbing Pair – Metrum’s Revolutionary Preamp/DAC And Power Amp
RICHARD VAREY has been hard at work indulging his inner audiophile. In the first of a two part review of a trio of products, he takes a close look at Metrum’s Adagio Digital Preamp DAC and Forte Power Amplifier. And his verdict?
Temple Of Sound
GARY STEEL auditions two superb new audio products in the perfect venue. He’s so damn lucky.
Listening To Tidal’s MQA Through Bluesound’s Node 2 Streamer
There’s a lot of controversy around Tidal’s premium, ‘better than CD’ MQA formula. GARY STEEL has a good hard listen through an award-winning streamer.
Hot Sounds In (Or Near) The City
There’s one place in Auckland where you can check out a selection of esoteric, and mostly stylishly European, sound gear: Audio Reference. GARY STEEL visits its new Devonport showroom and auditions the magical Magico S3 MkII speakers.
Ever Wanted To Hear A $80K Turntable?
If you live in Auckland you’ll get a rare chance this weekend with the grand opening of the new Audio Reference showroom in Devonport.
Superb New Plinius Amps Inspire Surge Of Patriotism
ANDREW BAKER gets his ears bent by the new top-end preamp and amp from NZ company Plinius, and deems them big, heavy, and capable of extreme delicacy.
Perreaux Announces The Retirement Of A Classic… And Its Replacement
The Eloquence 250i is dead. A moment’s silence, please. And now… here’s its successor, the 255i.
This Non-Oversampling DAC And Headphone Amp Is An Audiophile Blissball
$2150
8/10
ANDREW BAKER gets his PC fired up for some sonic exploration with Metrum’s very tasty Amethyst DAC/headphone amp.