AAudio Imports Product Reviews

Ypsilon VPS 100 Phono Stage

"Man, what a natural, refined sound!" was my first enthusiastic response to the VPS 100. The differences lay in the quantity and quality of low-level information. The convincing little events are there, but equally important as this abundance of micro-level stuff is their terrific timbral and dynamic fidelity.

The VPS 100 conjoins excellent performance on the objectivist criteria with the unique qualities only step-up designs bring. The difference is this is the first step-up design that doesn't exhibit the step-up weaknesses.

As a total package, the Ypsilon VPS 100 Phono Stage offers the finest, most satisfying, analog playback I've heard to date. Marshall Nack

Ypsilon VPS 100 Phono Stage & MC16

The Ypsilon VPS-100 is far superior to any other phonostage, tube or solid-state, which I have auditioned by a rather significant margin.

The VPS-100 has punch, definition and subterranian extension in the bottom octaves combined with transparency, speed and limitless extension at the top while never slighting the midrange.

I hope that my enthusiasm comes through. In the end, I bought the review sample.

Ypsilon PST-100 MkII line preamplifier

At $37,000, the PST-100 Mk.II is very expensive; but given how it's made and how it sounds, and assuming you can afford it, it's well worth the money. For now, the Ypsilon PST-100 MkII is the most transparent and, therefore, the most perfect audio component I have ever heard—or not heard. Michael Fremer

Weizhi PRS-6 Power Distributor

Once you hear what your components can do when given the freedom, it's difficult to return to the old way. The Weizhi made me rethink what a power distributor can do. It's not an accessory or “tweak,” it's a component in its own right and is like getting an instant upgrade across an entire audio system. It's a game changer and highly recommended.

Aaron No.1.a Integrated Amplifier

Warmth, power, detail and strong across-the-board performance – you get it all with the Aaron No.1.a. First-rate sound is the icing on the cake of this solid state amp that has a touch of the tube personality. Everything on the amp, and the remote, worked quietly and smoothly. I heard no hum or other unwanted noise coming from the amp at any time – just expressive and acutely satisfying sound.

Frank Zappa once said, “Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid.” I wish all my time could be “decorated” by music played through the Aaron No.1.a – deadlines, bills and all.

The Minotaur and the Zyklop Power Cords

The Zyklop and the Minotaur are a pair of world-class power products. These Stage III power cords up the ante on every score. For those of us with an analytical bent, you will hear more detail, better imaging, and less noise. For those who don't give a rat's tail about analysis and just want to hear music, you will hear more of it as well. These two cords clean up the signal without stripping off any musical content. Both types of listeners will find their listening pleasure enhanced. The Stage III Zyklop and the Minotaur get my top recommendation. Marshall Nack

The Minotaur and the Zyklop Power Cords

Weizhi PRS-6 Power Distributor

I ended up buying it and encourage any audiophile in the market to listen to one before making any purchasing decisions. It's that good. Ryan Coleman

Acapella Audio Arts ~ Isolation Products

The Fondato Silenzio Isolation Platform and the various Couplers remove glare and brightness principally by cutting down chassis-borne vibrational energy. This re-aligns frequency response. This, in turn, yields crisp and highly coherent transients. And this serves to clarify musical lines and focus the view. They help you to make sense of the music. Remove the Fondato Silenzio Isolation Platform and the Couplers and what's left seems blurred.

Ypsilon DAC 100

After an extensive auditioning period, the Ypsilon DAC 100 is, in my opinion, the most serious contender to emerge in the high-end DAC arena in recent years. In addition to employing the highest-grade components in an expertly engineered design, the Ypsilon also boasts of a fortified chassis worthy of industry accolades. The sound of this DAC can only be described as exciting and extreme, and the user experience invigorating.

Dispensing with word mincing, I consider the Ypsilon DAC 100 the ultimate tube DAC to audition and invest in under $30,000. Constantine Soo - editor - dagogo.com