Is this the lowest-priced native DSD-capable DAC to drop thus far*? The X-SABRE from Matrix Audio marries an XMOS USB DSP to the well-established ESS Sabre 9018 Reference decoding chip for DXD (24bit/352.8kHZ) and DSD (1bit/2.8224MHz or 5.6448MHz) joy. Playback resolution is indicated by a series of front panel LEDs. The USB input can also decode PCM streams of up

Melbourne’s Burson Audio are about to launch the next generation of their very popular HA-160D. Like its predecessor, The Conductor is a headphone amplifier, DAC and pre-amplifier. Dimensions and casework remain unchanged but inside you’ll find an ESS Sabre32 9018 chip. The USB implementation has seen some love – it’s now an 24/192 asynchronous Tenor TE8802 (drivers for OS X

One of the most cliched concluding lines of the (lazy?) hi-fi reviewer is “product X competes with items three or four times the price…“.  Luckily for the high(er) end, rarely are names named.  However, such phrasing underscores the importance of context.  If the Anedio D1 DAC (US$1270) were to be reviewed in isolation, claims that its sound were ‘sweet’ or

In the world of hifi, the seven degrees of separation could easily be hacked down to four…perhaps even three. Rick Cullen of Cullen Circuits used to be the primary builder for PS Audio. EJ Sarmento – who worked at Cullen Circuits with Rick – formed Wyred 4 Sound and made an immediate splash with his Ice-powered amplifiers. Operating out of