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Melco S100 Audiophile Data Switch Review

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I have been using network switches for quite some time and especially in my audio systems when streaming and listening to high resolution audio files. Having a dedicated switch for my audio never even crossed my mind until recently when I started seeing companies introduce them but Melco Audio have such good history in the computer industry being part of the Buffalo and networking giant. Noise is the biggest problem for audio systems and isolating the components that cause or create noise in your network is key and Melco Audio have crafted this beautiful S100 into the perfect addition to its line of digital library streamers and in fact any audio device that requires a network connection.  Features and build quality Like the N100 that I just reviewed the S100 is the same width and depth but this unit finished in brushed silver, it looks and feels so well built with added vabration dampening and shielding, it came with Melco Audio’s own network cable which has gold plated connectors. Th
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New English Electric 16Switch Doubles the Capability of the Original

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New English Electric   16Switch   doubles the capability of the multi-award-winning 8Switch   16Switch offers twice the practicality of the original, advanced power supplies and low-noise circuitry 30th  April 2021, Wiltshire, Great Britain: English Electric (a Chord Company brand) has launched the  16Switch  data switch, building on the multi-award-winning 8Switch, the British company ’ s debut product which was launched in May 2020.  The 16Switch is a  two-zone, dual power supply,  16-port Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) device which has been optimised for music and video streaming. The 16Switch brings the proven benefits of the 8Switch to larger networks and features 2x  independent  rows of eight high-quality Gigabit Ethernet ports, which can be used as two independent eight-way switches or connected and used as one 16-way device. The 16Switch has been designed to offer high noise-isolation and low electrical noise. It uses two highly accurate customised TCXOs (Temperature Compensation Crys
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McIntosh and Sonus faber 'CI-fi' Ranges Come to the UK and Ireland

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McIntosh and Sonus faber sound quality for home installations as FSUK adds ‘CI-fi’ ranges to portfolio   McIntosh and Sonus faber sound quality is no longer the preserve of two-channel, as FSUK expands with CI ranges 28th April 2021, Glenrothes, Scotland:  Fine Sounds UK, the country’s McIntosh and Sonus faber distributor, has expanded its music and movie portfolio to bring the benefits of McIntosh and Sonus faber sound quality to a new group of home entertainment fans. FSUK is now offering music lovers a comprehensive range of hi-fi-quality installation products, including McIntosh electronics and Sonus faber loudspeakers, which will be available through a carefully selected, expanding retailer base. In addition to the growing portfolio,  Fine Sounds UK has joined CEDIA as a trade supplier member , bringing McIntosh and Sonus faber’s high-performance CI offerings to the organisation’s integrator members (and their customers), for the first time.  Crucially, McIntosh and Sonus faber so
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Chord Company Offers Free DIN Guide for Naim Users

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Chord Company offers free DIN guide for Naim users Chord Company helps thousands of Naim owners with a FREE six-page PDF connections guide 20th April 2021, Wiltshire, England:  With thousands of Naim Audio devices in circulation around the world, Chord Company has produced an invaluable in-depth guide to DIN connectivity, to help Naim users get the best out of their investment. Chord Company’s free downloadable PDF,  Chord Company DIN Connections , provides helpful information on all aspects of DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung) cabling, including a DIN model breakdown for all budgets, plus a guide to DIN history and upgrading. The free six-page PDF also includes a comprehensive DIN ‘cable combinations’ chart, plus a comprehensive compatibility table, matching Naim equipment to a wide variety of Chord Company cable solutions and accessories. Users of legacy Quad equipment can benefit, too. The free guide also includes details of further upgrades for Naim users, including Chord Compan
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Melco Audio N100 Review

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Music and the way it is being consumed by the end user has changed and especially over the last decade with so many people now getting their music via online music services and the demand has grown considerably which is driving the demand for products from the High End audio industry, making them adapt in many ways and offer better solutions for us all to enjoy this wonderful hobby. To be honest it is a win win situation as the industry is booming and what we get is a better quality and overall experience with good quality music and cheaper products and that also filters down from the higher end audio companies to us. Melco Audio comes from a computer industry background as it is part of the huge Buffalo HDD and IT solutions company. When you think of computers and HiFi the two generally do not offer the best quality as there is so many variables that can affect the quality of sound from a PC and the transportation of your music files, most notably noise and how it affects the quality
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Chord Cables Epic RCA 1M Interconnects Review

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Chord Cables have been in my HiFi systems for as long as I can remember and for a good reason too in that they are so damn good and amongst the best cables made for this great hobby of HiFi. There is a lot of people who are very sceptical about cables and the improvements that they bring but after nearly 30 years of trying and buying many different ones ranging from a few pounds to many thousands some real and very good benefits can be had from choosing the right cables for your system. It has to be relevant with the electronics that you are using and in my time of listening some of the biggest improvements has been with Chord Company Cables. When I had my previous website I wrote a review of the Chord Sarum T Interconnects and these are and were the best cables I had ever introduced into any system that I had with the biggest sonic improvements that I was hearing, bass, top end, midrange and imaging all improved and the overall listening experience was so much better. When I shut the
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ProAc Response D2R Speakers Review

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This will be my fourth ProAc speakers review and it seems as though this British speaker brand can do no wrong when it comes HiFi. Over the years I have listened to nearly all of the recent designs dating back to the early nineties early noughties and many of them have captured my attention because of their sheer musicality and beautiful music that they are able to create. I always remember walking in to a dealership and listening to the massive but simply sublime D80 Speakers being powered by Meridian electronics, they sounded so good and I really wanted a pair but like most people that just was not possible at the time. I have gone through many brands but always seem to come back to the ProAc family of Speakers and in particular the Response range which IMO are some of the best speakers at any price. Going back to my first pair which was the Response D15's which I loved for many years and then D25's and D28's which I found to be even better, offering more of everything th
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REFERENCE SYSTEM FROM MCINTOSH ® FEATURED IN 2022 GRAND WAGONEER

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FIRST-EVER AUTOMOTIVE REFERENCE SYSTEM FROM MCINTOSH ® FEATURED IN 2022 GRAND WAGONEER  The Legend in Luxury Audio Boosts Wagoneer’s Return to Luxury Vehicles Binghamton, NY (March 11, 2021) - - McIntosh Laboratory is world-famous for its unparalleled luxury home audio systems. Today, McIntosh is proud to announce two extraordinary McIntosh Entertainment Systems—the  MX1375 Reference Entertainment System  and the  MX950 Entertainment System  are going to hit the road in the upcoming 2022 Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer.   Both vehicles will be available in mid-2021 .  The McIntosh MX1375 Reference Entertainment System (RES) has been meticulously designed and engineered to meet exacting standards and bring reference quality sound to the road. Its Adaptive 3D Surround Processing capabilities delivers an immersive acoustic experience that produces sonic imaging and spatial detail that doesn’t just sound sensational but transports you to the performance. The McIntosh MX950 Entertainment System
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Chord Electronics Hugo TT2 & Hugo M Scaler Review

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The Chord Electronics company based in the UK continue to astound with their ever growing library of fantastic designs and having owned and listened to many of their products over the years they never fail to impress me with their quality and attention to detail which are second to none. They are also never one to sit idle as they seem to be continuously working on updating and bringing out new and improved versions of what has made them such a success. In these strange times it’s always nice to see a company from the UK do so well and always strive to be the best in what they do and create. I reviewed the original Hugo TT back in 2016 IIRC and it was a stunning performer back then but this new version has had some major overhauls with every component upgraded, power supplies bolstered and uprated to much higher levels than previously seen and this is where it also improves on its smaller brother the Hugo2 giving more power to the power hungry circuitry and an almost limitless supply t
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