Rafe Arnott

Rafe Arnott
Digital Audio in 2019 – Where is it Going in 2020?
Rafe Arnott  |  Dec 26, 2019  |  7 comments
Looking back on 2019, I think it’s safe to say high fidelity as we know it is being forced in a different direction, generationally, as 2020 peeks around the corner.
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Editor's Choice
AudioStream Product Of The Year 2019: Roon Software and Roon Nucleus Network Server
Rafe Arnott  |  Dec 22, 2019  |  0 comments
Choosing a Product of The Year for AudioStream is a balancing act; there’s a lot of pros and cons to weigh when making a decision that is distilling a year’s worth of high-fidelity listening time down to one product that made such a difference that it could qualify earning such a lofty title.
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Editor's Choice
Editor’s Choice Over $2,500 USD – AudioStream 2019
Rafe Arnott  |  Dec 20, 2019  |  4 comments
When you start talking about gear that edges into five-figures, you’re talking less about actual high-fidelity objects and more about emotional stimulation – at least in my opinion.
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Editor's Choice
Editor’s Choice $500 to $2,500 USD – AudioStream 2019
Rafe Arnott, Grover Neville  |  Dec 17, 2019  |  1 comments
The $500 to $2,500 USD range offers some of the best bang-for-buck in the digital-audio realm.
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Editor's Choice
Editor’s Choice Under $500 – AudioStream 2019
Rafe Arnott, Grover Neville  |  Dec 15, 2019  |  1 comments
2019 was a year that saw the further growth of digital audio as it continued to be embraced by streaming platforms for mass-market consumption. There’s plenty of upshot for audiophiles from this, not the least of which is the burgeoning budget DAC and digital-convenience sector crossover boom that the hobby is experiencing.
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News
AudioStream 2019 Holiday Gift List
Rafe Arnott  |  Dec 12, 2019  |  11 comments
How is it two weeks until Christmas? I’ve done no holiday shopping and the side-eye I’m getting from family suggests that I need to get my gift-giving organized ASAP. I sigh, not because I’m hopelessly behind schedule, but because I’m thankful – I don’t have to buy for any audiophiles in my family.
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Rafe Arnott
I Don’t Like Digital Audio
Rafe Arnott  |  Dec 11, 2019  |  11 comments
Oh no, I love it. I love digital audio now, but there was a time when I was hating it. Weeks of my life lost to the mind-numbing process of ripping my CD collection years ago still haunt me.
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News
Devialet Expert 220 Pro arrives at AudioStream
Rafe Arnott  |  Dec 06, 2019  |  3 comments
Devialet has created a box unlike any other, and there’s no hyperbole in saying that the design caused a whirlwind of controversy and awe in the audiophile hobby when it was released almost 10 years ago.
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Cables & Accessory Reviews
AudioQuest Niagara 5000 Low-Z Power/Noise-Dissipation System: Part One – The Power Broker
Rafe Arnott  |  Nov 27, 2019  |  1 comments
Nothing can more quickly separate a spooky-good, digital-source fronted soundsystem from, well, lesser ones, than cavernous, soft velvet blacker-black backgrounds. The biggest difference? Almost always AC/EMI/RFI noise.
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News
Roon 1.7 Introduces Válence: The 900-pound Software Gorilla with Cloud Database, Machine Learning Algorithms
Rafe Arnott  |  Nov 21, 2019  |  First Published: Nov 20, 2019  |  0 comments
The thing with 900-pound gorillas is you don’t want to mess with them. That part should be self-evident. Unless the 900-pound gorilla is Roon Labs, and then all bets are off because the gorilla just went all Skynet on you.
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