I find that about 75% of the time, DAC performance tends to correspond with their price. Whether they incorporate a galvanically isolated async USB port or some other kind of noise reduction approach (e.g, powered off battery), you generally get what you pay for. Unlike my previous portable DAC shootout, where I compared DACs at wildly…
Original Chord Hugo vs Chord Hugo 2 Review
Just a quick post about my impressions regarding the new Chord Hugo 2. The original Hugo is my daily driver and it remained the best portable DAC for years. I was able to do a decent amount of A/B at SoCal CanJam 2017. I had my custom JH Audio Angie with me for the face-off….
Chord DAVE Review – Project EvaD (Evaluation DAVE)
Introduction This project was code-named “Project EvaD (Evaluation DAVE)” and was conducted over the course of a few weeks. I aimed to test the validity of some of the claims made about this revolutionary DAC. I plan to keep this a living document and update as I go. This project focuses solely on sound quality….
Best Portable USB Amp/DACs Shootout with the Custom JH Audio Angie IEM
The Challengers Chord Hugo Aurender Flow Chord Mojo LH Labs Geek Out V2 LH Labs Geek Out V1 Meridian Explorer2 DacMagic XS Audioquest Dragonfly V1.2 Equipment used: Audioquest Jitterbug Lenovo T420 JH Audio Angie (CIEM) Figuring out which portable DAC/amp you should get is a daunting and time-consuming task. Instead of going through the buying/selling…
DAC Review: Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2
Chain: Lenovo T420 -> Uptone Regen -> Chord Hugo/Wyred 4 Sound DAC-2 -> Kimber Kable Silver Streak RCA -> Pathos Aurium -> Abyss AB-1266 Notes on the Uptone Regen (Amber): I had my doubts about this seemingly gimmicky device but the W4S DAC-2 sounds completely different with the Regen…in a great way. You get much more…
DAC Battle: LH Labs Geek Out V2 vs. LH Labs Geek Out 100
This a quick comparison between the old Geek Out 100 and the new Geek Out V2. I had a chance to listen to the prototype at CanJam 2015 and was thoroughly impressed. To prevent any biases, I want to disclose that I own both of these DACs. Accessories Off the bat, I noticed the lack…