Amplifiers Archives | Page 2 of 7

Amplifier Review

The MZ2 ZOTL Amp By Linear Tube Audio

September 10, 2017

Linear Tube Audio started in 2015 as the first company to successfully manufacture David Berning’s complex amplifier designs. David Berning is considered one of the best amplifier designers today, while being a...

The iDAC-6 & iHA-6 By Cayin

Marcus

August 6, 2017

$501-1000, Amplifiers, DAC's, Solid State

Such has been the hype regarding their well received portable audio products in the last 18 months you would be forgiven for forgetting that Cayin's bread and butter were, and perhaps still is, desktop componen...

The VorzAMPduo II By Vorzuge

Marcus

August 2, 2017

$501-1000, Portable Amps

November 18th, 2013. That was the last time Vorzuge and I collaborated on a review and it was then our product of the year, the Vorzuge VorzAMPduo. Reading back, I was delighted with everything about that amp,...

The Class A NHB Pocket Amp By XRK Audio

Michael

June 3, 2017

$101-200, DIY, Portable Amps

It is possible, even highly probable, that we can eventually stray off the socially accepted path and end up finding random treasures. Such is the case with an Etsy user “xrk971”, who has fashioned one of the ...

The A5 By FiiO

Marcus

March 19, 2017

$101-200, Amplifiers, Portable Amps

FiiO started with amplifiers, that is how they made their name and the $129.99 A5 could be considered the 3rd generation of the original E12 which came out in 2013 and was then an answer to the crazy power outp...

The PB3 Mockingbird By iBasso

Marcus

March 15, 2017

$101-200, Amplifiers, Portable Amps

We had the Toucan, the Pelican and now we have the Mockingbird which is the third in the PB series of portable amps from iBasso with a focus on balanced power. This has always been a well-regarded series of amp...

The Reference Series by Lake People

Klaus

March 4, 2017

$501-1000, Amplifiers, DAC's, Solid State, Sources

Sadly, Lake People is a brand that is not often covered on Headfonics. Depending on your location, maybe you haven't heard of the brand altogether. But I am sure you have heard of Violectric before. Violectric ...

The HA-2SE By Oppo

Marcus

February 19, 2017

$201-300, DAC's, Portable Amps

Oppo Digital nailed it for me in terms of form factor and pricing for the original HA-2 DAC/Amp combo back when we reviewed it in April 2015. Its slim profile was a perfect match for smartphone users to strap ...

The M-03 & KS-H4 Electrostatic System By Kingsound

Marcus

February 12, 2017

$401-500, $501-1000, Amplifiers, Electrostatic, Solid State

It has been just over 3 years since we last reviewed the "process" of electrostatic product development from Hong Kong manufacturers, Kingsound Audio. At the time they had just moved past the initial "prototype...

The Continental V5 By ALO Audio

Marcus

January 15, 2017

$501-1000, Amplifiers, Portable Amps, Tubes

In some ways, the rise of quality DAP has helped bring a bit of focus into the portable amping market. Used to be there was a ton of portable amps in every store and stacking was the way to go with an IC always...

The EMAC 535SE Amplifier by The Audio Guild

Michael

January 11, 2017

$1000+, Amplifiers, Solid State

The EMAC 535SE is the most recent offering from The Audio Guild, a California-based company run by Steve Eddy and Liam Strain, who are two of the nicest guys I've ever spoken to. They were dead set on fashionin...

THE ADI-2 Pro By RME

Klaus

December 12, 2016

$1000+, Amplifiers, DAC's

When I first heard about the ADI-2 Pro some months ago, I was indeed very interested. I read some more news on professional audio sites but some of the jargon I did not understand. I'm sorry, I have to admit, I...

8.8Our Score

The Elise By Feliks Audio

Michael

December 9, 2016

$501-1000, Amplifiers, Tubes

Bargain amplifier hunters, look no further than Feliks Audio. I've tried to get my hands on this Elise for half the year of 2016 and I am saddened that it only arrived at the end of the year for me...when I cou...

8Our Score

The HDACC DAC/Amp By Essence

Marcus

December 4, 2016

Amplifiers, DAC's, Solid State, Sources

Editorial note: This review is split into two parts. The first part will focus on the HDACC main selling points, its features and build quality and how it performs as part of the traditional headphone desktop s...

The Soloist SL MK2 By Burson Audio

Michael

November 2, 2016

$401-500, Amplifiers, Solid State

Kind of hard to say no to Burson, isn't it? At this point, it seems like Burson is a never-fail company that can churn out wins in their sleep. There have been far too many stellar product releases in the ampli...

The Micro iCAN SE & Micro iDAC 2 By iFi Audio

Michael

October 26, 2016

$301-400, Amplifiers, DAC's, Portable Amps

Not too long ago, iFi released some new products in their Micro series that really satisfied my musical backbone. Didn't at all see this one coming, but I am sure glad these two products from iFi made their way...

The K5 By FiiO

Marcus

September 21, 2016

$101-200, Amplifiers, Solid State

This one slipped down the publishing schedule, my bad, but it is rather good timing considering we just published the DK1 Multifunction dock a few weeks back which offers a slither of what the K5 can do with th...

Our Score

The FSM-02 V2 By Lear

Marcus

July 24, 2016

$201-300, Amplifiers, Portable Amps

The FMS-02 V2 portable amp from Lear has been out for quite some time, 3 years to be exact. However, given the MSRP has dropped by over HK$1000 to a very enticing HK$1,998 and Lear has very kindly sent me a sam...

Our Score

The A1 By FiiO

Marcus

April 29, 2016

Portable Amps, Up To $100

The is the second time we reviewed an A1 from FiiO only this time they switched the "A1" tag from a budget class-D speaker amp they launched in 2011 and stuck it on the latest generation of the old E6 micro amp...

Our Score

The Mojo By Chord Electronics

Marcus

April 3, 2016

$501-1000, DAC's, Portable Amps

The vast majority of people who buy music today buy it via streaming, or individual purchases, and then drag and drop the files onto their phone, DAP, or carry it on their laptop. There are now a ton of competi...