iFi Micro are about to add another unit to their already excellent Micro range. This time it’s a USB-S/PDIF converter called the iLink. According to the press release they “analysed the complete transmission/conversion process.”  Two new (trademarked) technologies – Super Digital Output® and Jitter Elimination Technology JET® have been deployed within the iLink recipe in order to best combat jitter.

It’s amazing to think that I’ve owned an iPod in some form or other for over ten years now. I was one of the first to jump for the Windows version when it launched in late 2002. (Remember when iPods came in Mac and Windows versions?). I also recall bundling a Belkin firewire card into the bargain. My PC’s motherboard

I wanted to call this article: What’s wrong with USB? The problem? 1. Resolution. Yes, sample rate compatibility has nearly always lagged behind the steadfast 24/192 of most S/PDIF inputs. Even two years ago many a DAC’s USB input would only decode up to 48kHz sample rates. This is slowly improving.  Some examples?  Sure!  The now ubiquitous XMOS chipset has

I like backing small-time players, particularly when they pull on a sense of patriotism. South Australia’s Peter Graves has introduced a ‘special edition’ digital interconnect; only available as a limited run due to supply material constraints. I’ve already snagged one. The core is solid 23AWG silver-plated copper (made in the USA) and Teflon insulated.  A 2% silver solder is applied

What must the digital audiophile bat away at source?  Two long-time adversaries: 1) jitter and 2) electrical noise both emanate from your computer transport or streaming device.  2) feeds back into 1).  These insidious twin menaces must be tamed for optimal sound reproduction. Case in point:  the Squeezebox Touch’s jitter measurements are more than respectable so why does it sound relatively

I’ve not seen much written about this so I thought I’d give it a nudge. PS Audio have expanded their PerfectWave line of DAC and Player to include something quite unusual: the PerfectWave PowerBase is both isolation platform and power conditioner combined in one rather sleek-looking unit. It’s hand-made right there in Boulder, Colorado. The video found on the PowerBase’s

Private audio heads have gone gaga for iRiver’s Astell & Kern AK100 portable audio player since its release in October. The specifications alone tell you why: 32GB of internal memory dual MicroSDHC port capable to expand the total amount of internal memory of the Astell & Kern AK100 up to 96GB. Compatible with 24bit/192kHZ FLAC & WAV, APE/MP3/WMA/OGG Wolfson WM8740

I get a lot of ‘Dear John’ emails. Readers want to know more, more, MORE about what I uncover during review playtime.  Time then to turn it on its head…. Dear John I’ve just bought a Metrum Octave DAC. I’m still very much a beginner at all of this digital audio stuff. Should I connect the Metrum to my Mac

i Stands for interactive, Fi for fidelity. These are the fruits of a joint venture between iFi Micro and Abbingdon Music Research (AMR).  The iFi Micro products feature Reagan-esque ‘trickle-down’ from AMR’s higher-end technology. The iFi iDAC (AU$349) seems interesting enough. There’s an ESS Sabre chipset (presumably 9023?) in a small-ish case with both line and headphone outputs. The USB

Having given this chewing gum unit a run with the outgoing Squeezebox Touch, it is now time to report on how the second iteration of M2Tech’s Hiface fares with the incoming Mac Mini and MacBook Air digital playback systems. My review of M2Tech’s Hiface Two can be found on P148 of Issue 49 of TONEAudio. It’s got Iron Maiden on

Remember earlier in the year when Neil Young spoke about how he had in been in talks with Apple and the late Steve Jobs about a new hi-res audio format? It seems that Young is pushing ahead with his dream to get better sound quality into the hands of more people. His Pono hi-res music download service will launch soon

I shall look back on this week as the time of the great file migration: the conversion of 4000+ albums from FLAC into Apple Lossless. I’m moving to an iTunes-fronted playback system. Bye-bye Squeezeboxen.  It’s a big decision, one that wasn’t taken lightly.  See - I’ve been a Squeezebox user since 2004.  Back then it was developed by Sean Adams and