ESI Juli@ Soundcard
$199
This modestly priced soundcard was the clear winner of our eight-way soundcard shootout in Issue 209. The oddly named Juli@ features a reversible plugin board that is fitted with RCA jacks on one side and balanced TRS jacks on the other. The Juli@ illuminated the music with unprecedented clarity, focus, and resolution. Complex timbres were rendered effortlessly, with an unsurpassed ability to convey the dynamic and harmonic growth and decay of each note over time.
Logitech Squeezebox Touch
$299
If you haven’t dipped your toes into wireless and computer audio, the Logitech Squeezebox Touch would be an excellent craft for your maiden voyage. For less than the cost of a one-meter pair of interconnects, you can enjoy your digital music files, even 24/96 files, anywhere in your home. Let’s face it: Early adopters aren’t usually thought of as thrifty types, but, considering its price and capabilities, a Squeezebox Touch may be one of the most cost-effective buys they’ll ever make.
Logitech Squeezebox Duet
$399
The Duet is the radio king. Through it you can listen to almost any FM radio station in the world. Its full-color remote can leap through tall buildings with a single bound and it even doubles as a nice digital clock. The sound quality and ergonomics of the Logitech Squeezebox Duet make it worthy of installation in even the most exalted high-end system. It also doesn’t hurt that it is ridiculously inexpensive.
Slim Devices Transporter
$1999
The Transporter is a versatile product whose flexibility may be its best and worst trait. It can be used as a music server, DAC, or stand-alone digital preamp, so many users employ it in all three ways, preventing it from sounding its best. If you are thinking of buying any $2000+ DAC, you absolutely must consider it. It’s simply that good.
Music Vault II
MusicVault II 500, $1485; MusicVault II, $1725; MusicVault II, 1500, $1920; MusicVault II 2000, $2265
If you peruse the Internet you will discover that NAS hard drives can be had for as little as $100. If you buy the right one and have the skills, you can conceivably cobble together a device that has nearly all the capabilities of a Music Vault II. But your home-brew unit will not have the same customer service and ergonomics as the Music Vault II.
Bryston BDP-1 Digital Player
$2195
The astonishing new BDP-1 Digital Player is a technological tour de force that bridges generational divides: between the Old World CD player and the New World of highresolution files and musiclibrary management. The BDP-1 performs the same function as a CD transport, but plays data files from removable USB storage media at their native resolution and in a multiplicity of file formats. As with dedicated CD transports, the BDP-1 offers only digital output, in both S/PDIF and AES/EBU formats, for connection to an external DAC. The Bryston BDP-1 doesn’t merely “sound better,” the experience of hearing music through it is qualitatively different. It plays music with unprecedented purity.
PS Audio PerfectWave DAC II, PerfectWave Memory Player, Network Bridge, and eLyric Music Player
$3995/$3995/$799
This suite of products, collectively called the PerfectWave Music Group, comprises the PerfectWave Memory Player, PerfectWave DAC II, PerfectWave Network Bridge (a slide-in card for the DAC that turns the system into a networkconnected music server), and eLyric server software. The system offers outstanding sound quality across the board, but is particularly adept at removing any trace of hardness and glare from older CDs. With high-res material, it reproduces the full majesty of an orchestra from a mid-hall perspective.
Linn Majik DSM
$4750
The Linn Majik DS-I was designed to be a one-box integrated solution for music lovers who want a component that can play virtually any music file in any room of their home. It also does all the things you’ve come to expect sonically from a Linn component. It’s tuneful, with excellent pace and musical delivery. On the practical side it’s painless to set up (thanks to your local Linn dealer), and simple to use.
Olive 6HD
$4999 (2TB model)
The Olive 6HD is a turnkey music server that offers very high sound quality, a simple way of storing large amounts of music, and ergonomics which may take a day or so of getting used to, but are straightforward and functional. The integral DAC is excellent for the price, but the 6HD also offers digital output on S/PDIF, AES/ EBU, and USB. If you want a very-high-quality unit that does not involve fighting your way through a computer, this is an excellent choice.
Meridian Digital Media System
$7500
The updated Meridian Digital Media system combines the brilliant Meridian Digital Media System touchscreen user interface with Meridian Audio’s considerable expertise. The result is the easiest to use music server available today. When the Meridian Digital Media System is connected to Meridian’s 808.3 CD player/DAC via Ethernet, sonic performance is outstanding. And then there’s the incomparable user interface that presents your music collection as album art on a 17″ touchscreen display.
Behold Gentle G192 Media Player
$15,500 (as reviewed; price varies with configuration)
The Gentle G192 from Behold is an all-purpose digital source—a music server and multichannel amplifier, with preamplifier functions such as source-switching and volume control, high-res analog-to-digital conversion, and DSP room correction. The G192’s on-board amplification include two 40W and two 80W amplifiers. Initial setup can be performed with a PC via a USB input. Sonically the G192 has a quick, tight, and detailed sound. Musical transients are exceptionally well-defined, but with a bit of emphasis on the leading edges. Nonetheless, the G192 lacks any trace of digital hardness in the midrange or upper octaves.
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By TAS Staff
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