Solid State

9.2Our Score

Xi Audio Formula S Review

July 15, 2018

Disclaimer: The Xi Audio Formula S sent to us for the purposes of this review is a sample and does not have to be returned. Thank you to Xi Audio for giving us this opportunity. The birth of the Formula S so...

8.7Our Score

Burson Play Review – Ready Player One?

Marcus

June 3, 2018

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

Disclaimer: The Burson Play was sent to us in exchange for our honest opinion in this review. Burson Audio is not an affiliate or advertiser on Headfonics and the unit does not have to be returned. Many thanks ...

8.1Our Score

Tempotec Serenade iDSD Review

Marcus

May 6, 2018

$101-200, DAC's, Solid State

Disclaimer: The Tempotec Serenade iDSD sent to us for the purposes of this review is a sample and does not have to be returned. Thank you to Tempotec for giving us this opportunity. It is very unlikely you hav...

7.7Our Score

Aune X1S 10th Anniversary Edition Review

Michael

March 9, 2018

$301-400, Amplifiers, DAC's, Solid State

Disclaimer: The Aune X1s sent to us for the purpose of this review is a sample and does not have to be returned to Aune. Thank you for giving us this opportunity. The Asian market has given us a lot of goodies...

8.8Our Score

The QH4 By Samson

Donunus

September 29, 2017

Amplifiers, Solid State, Up To $100

I have always seen Samson products all over the place especially in pro audio/ musical instrument stores but have never given any serious thought of buying anything with this brand name due to either being so m...

8.7Our Score

The iDAC-6 & iHA-6 By Cayin

Marcus

August 6, 2017

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

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 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 ...

8.2Our Score

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...

9Our Score

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, Solid State, Sources

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...

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...

8.7Our Score

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...

7.8Our Score

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 Ruby By Stoner Acoustics

Marcus

January 17, 2016

Portable Amps, Solid State, Up To $100

Cracking name, Larry Miller would be proud, "Yeah but I don't know anyone called Ruby" - yeah you do now and it is the size of a postage stamp with a knob on the end of it. Few amps come in this size, perhaps t...

8.4Our Score

The Heron 5 by Airist Audio

Michael

December 16, 2015

$1000+, Amplifiers, Search By Price, Solid State

A new player has entered the battle field and I’ve almost no information to share about Airist Audio apart from the fact they are a small team of smart people from the likes of MIT, Harvard to name but a few co...

8Our Score

Objective2 USB DAC & Amplifier Rev.B by Mayflower

Michael

November 4, 2015

$201-300, Amplifiers, DAC's, Gear Reviews, Solid State, Sources

Oh, come on! Are you kidding, Mayflower? Pssh. Just take my $1000 deposit for the next few renditions of the O2 now, if you don’t mind. If you are an audio enthusiast, you should know that the O2 Amp/DAC is ...

8.7Our Score

The Magni 2U & Modi 2U By Schiit

Smit Patel

October 14, 2015

$101-200, Amplifiers, DAC's, Gear Reviews, Solid State, Sources

The crudely named audio company has been in the game for quite some time now having released a myriad of audio solutions for virtually every price point. Built exclusively in the US, Schiit abides by a simply p...

6.4Our Score

The Phonitor Mini by SPL

Michael

July 26, 2015

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

SPL’s products have always been exclusive to me, I never knew anyone who owned a Phonitor…but I sure as hell wanted one despite that. It came to a bit of a shock to me that the company fashioned a mini version...

8.3Our Score

The Conductor Virtuoso by Burson

Donunus

April 15, 2015

$1000+, Amplifiers, DAC's, Gear Reviews, Solid State, Sources

What do we have for review today? It is Burson's burly Conductor Virtuoso. Is this the all around headphone amp that we have all been waiting for? Will it drive anything with ease while staying refined and quie...

The Bushmaster MKII DAC by Beresford

Chris Luckett

September 21, 2014

DAC's, Gear Reviews, Solid State

Before launching into a review of equipment, I feel it's important to know what the company that makes it is about and what they bring to the table that other manufacturers do not. I think this is especially im...