Interesting news/reviews/deals from the portable audio market
The Sub $1000 Spotlight: required reading for those in the iPod generation who want to take their audio-geekness to the next step. Three carefully selected speaker/amp combos and a few notes that will help you choose wisely and avoid spending much. (If you’re going to read only one audio-related article this week, this should be [...]
First impressions: Stello DA100 USB DAC: comparing this $695 DAC with the $13K Chord Blu to check what it’s really worth, yielded some pleasant results:
For 13 grand, there should be a significant difference. But switching between the Stello and the Chord, it was just amazing just how good the Stello was.
From the “it’s coming sooner or later” department: Why computer audio probably sounds better than CDs: no jitter, to start with.
Diamond Multimedia re-enters the sound card market: the new line will be called “Xtreme Sound”, incorporating Dolby 7.1 channel surround sound, 10-band EQ, a multi-track recording/editing studio. The Xtreme Sound 7.1 model goes for $30 (MSRP), while the the higher-end Xtreme Sound 7.1 Dolby Digital Live goes for $60 (MSRP). [via]
Embracing the hard drive: if you’re seriously interested in letting your computer cater to you audiophile needs, start from here. (And by seriously, I mean having a fat enough wallet.)