If you’ve been looking for a great streaming DAC that’s reasonably priced, look no further than the HiFi Rose RS250. This gently owned piece sounds great, and accommodates Ethernet, USB and optical inputs with HDMI, USB, and SPDIF digital outputs as well.

In case you don’t have a DAC, the RS520 does have an onboard DAC, taking advantage of the ESS/Sabre chipset and features a pair of RCA analog outputs. In addition, you can upgrade the internal 500GB disc to 8TB if need be, and have a complete music server solution.

Like all of the HiFi Rose products we’ve used, reviewed, and own – build quality is fantastic, sound quality is top shelf, and functionality as good as it gets. If that’s not enough, there is also an excellent headphone amplifier, with a jack on the front panel. Perfect for a personal listening station!

This gently pre-owned RS250 is tough to beat for $1,499.

And you can buy it right here…

The Luxman L-505u is a fantastic anchor for a high quality, no fuss, hifi system. With 100 wpc on tap, multiple inputs (including a single balanced input) tone controls, and an on board MM/MC phono, you’re on your way. Even if you aren’t doing a starter system – add a streamer, a turntable and your favorite speakers. Call it a day and enjoy.

These Luxman receivers have to be seen and heard to be believed. Being that Luxman is an evolutionary company, even though there is a new version of the 505u, this one still sounds fantastic. The built in power amplifier section can produce 100 wats per channel into 8 ohms and 140 into 4 ohms. What you aren’t getting here that you get in the bigger receivers is the bigger power supply and additional headroom they provide, due to larger power supplies and a more robust output stage.

However, matched to a nice pair of moderate sensitivity speakers, if you don’t need to blast your music to concert hall levels, the sheer quality of the music delivered by the 505u with really surprise you. The phono stage is excellent, and the overall build quality is identical to the $10k Luxman amplifiers.

And those meters! Super cool. What’s not to enjoy? This might be one of the best values going for a tick under $2,600.

You can buy it here – just click.

There are so many things to like about the Aria Mk.3 from Rega. This small but capable solid-state MM/MC phono preamplifier does it all.

At the original MSRP of $1,695, Rega’s Aria Mk.3 is one of the best values going in analog. (As is nearly everything Rega makes) However, this slightly pre-owned example at $1,149 should be at the top of your list, if you are searching for a high-performance phono stage that’s reasonably priced – more money for records!

We’ve only reviewed the Mk.2, but the Mk.3 is on the way. Having heard the Mk.3, we can attest that everything that made the Mk.2 great is improved in the new model – and that’s the Rega way. Constant refinement.

The sound is natural and dynamic. Fortunately, the MC side of the Mk.3 has loading adjustments from 70 ohms to 400 ohms – which should cover nearly everything. Should you have one of the Rega MC cartridges, start at the 70 ohm setting and see what you think. Our experience has been that these cartridges are incredible loaded down low…

Aria’s half-width chassis makes it a perfect fit on the shelf for a Rega outboard power supply and speed controller. However, the thing we find the most exciting is the Aria’s ability to handle two turntables. Instead of just a gain switch, there are two seperate inputs – which makes this a fantastic way to plug two turntables into your system. The more you get into vinyl, the more useful this feature becomes.

Finally, the Aria Mk.3, like the Mk.2 has all discrete components in the signal path – no op amps. This is a big part of what makes this compact phono stage sound bigger and more dynamic than you might expect for the price. Definitely a class leader, even at full retail. But this one is a killer bargain.

You can purchase it right here. Just click.

Why the SET amp in the background?

Let’s cut to the chase – If you have an SET amplifier you need one of these. If you have a vintage amplifier, you need one. You need one anyway. Because in todays modern world, there’s noise on the power line everywhere and it affects your systems performance in a few ways – all negative. The more densely we are packed into our neighborhoods, the more devices there are on the transformer that feeds your house (and your neighbors) with all the junk that they have plugged in.

But seriously, Vera-Fi’s new Line Noise BlackHole is a single device power conditioner with a maximum current capacity of 10 amps. So you can’t plug it into a massive Class A power amplifier.

We’ve got a full review and a YouTube video in the works. For now, whether grabbing one (or three) at the sale price of $395 is a killer value. Even at the $595 retail price, this is a tool you should have.

It takes about 10 seconds to hear the effect. Being a big SET fan, and now having the awesome-O Songer Audio S1X speakers with a 95dB/1-watt sensitivity rating, you hear the smallest details, and the noise. While the LNBH didn’t make a huge difference reducing the noise floor with Songer’s $30k A3 300B amplifier, it makes enough of an improvement that I won’t go back to listening without it.

However, swapping the Finale F-300B EVO ($10k) in the Songer’s place, there was a bigger improvement, as the Finale is a bit noisier by comparison. What also proved incredibly interesting (because once you get these things in, you tend to plug em’ in to everything…) was the improvement in a pair of vintage receivers.

Two things to ponder here. Back when you could buy a Marantz 2270 all day long on Craigslist for $275, buying a $400 power conditioner was somewhat counterintuitive. However, now that those same components cost $1,500 and up – it’s worth reinvestigating said accessories. Power supply design was pretty primitive back then.

Sure enough, my Pioneer SX-838 was a different beast, plugged into the Vera-Fi box. Way less solid-state sounding, less grainy, and less foggy. You hear this immediately. Same for lower priced DACs and CD players. We’ll find out how the Nakamichi tape deck collection works too.

All in the upcoming review. For now – yeah go get one. I think you’ll be thrilled. And drop us a note here to tell us how you like it.

You can click here to visit the Vera-Fi site. Enjoy!

Hello and welcome to Distilled.

We are not abandoning our standard reviews, but for those of you that would like a little more than the canned press releases everyone else is posting, but not sure if you want to make the time investment in a full review, we present the distilled column.

A quick overview of components that will be 200-300 words. No space for blather, pontification, or a lot of “I, Me, Mine” stuff.

We’ll do our best to present a couple of good pics, a link to the full review (if it’s done and you’re so intrigued) and a link to the manufacturer. On occasion, we will even post a purchase link if it makes sense. Please NOTE: we are doing this for your convenience, and these are not sponsored or affiliate links.

Thank you for reading!