Cambridge Audio CXN100 — British Streaming Heritage

Cambridge Audio has been a cornerstone of British HiFi since 1968. The CXN100 is their latest network streamer, and it represents everything the company does well — serious engineering at a price that doesn’t require selling the family silver. As a fellow Brit, I have a soft spot for Cambridge Audio’s no-nonsense approach.

Build & Design

Handsome in that understated British way. The CXN100 has a full-width HiFi component design with a colour display, brushed aluminium front panel, and solid construction. It looks the part sitting in a traditional HiFi stack, and the build quality reflects Cambridge Audio’s decades of manufacturing experience.

Bluesound Node X — Streaming Done Properly

The Bluesound Node has been the go-to recommendation for audiophile streaming for years. The Node X ups the ante with an improved DAC section and MQA-free future-proofing. Built on the BluOS platform — one of the most mature multi-room audio ecosystems available — it’s the establishment choice for serious streaming.

Build & Design

Sleek, compact, and well-built. The Node X has a subtle redesign with a touch-sensitive top panel and clean lines that blend into any living room setup. Build quality is a step up from the WiiM — it feels more premium, with better material choices and a heavier, more solid chassis.

WiiM Ultra — The Streamer That Changed Everything

WiiM has done to streaming what Schiit did to amplification — taken a category dominated by expensive products and delivered exceptional performance at a price that embarrasses the competition. The Ultra is their flagship, and it’s sent shockwaves through the streaming world.

Build & Design

Compact and attractive with a touchscreen display that actually works well. The Ultra packs streaming, DAC, preamp, and headphone amp into a surprisingly small package. Build quality is good — solid plastic and metal construction that feels well-made without being premium. Connectivity is excellent: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, USB, optical, coaxial, and HDMI ARC. Outputs include RCA, optical, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Violectric HPA V200 — Bavarian Headphone Driving Excellence

Violectric, from Konstanz on the shores of Lake Constance, has been building premium headphone amplifiers since before headphone amplifiers were fashionable. The HPA V200 is their classic model — a fully discrete, dual-mono design that’s been a reference in the headphone community for years. German engineering at its most confident.

Build & Design

Built like a Bavarian bank vault. The V200 is heavy, solid, and impeccably constructed. Every connection, every component speaks of professional-grade manufacturing. The front panel has dual headphone outputs (6.3mm), a pre-gain switch, and a smooth, precise volume control. Inputs include balanced XLR and RCA. There’s no balanced headphone output — Violectric provides that on the V280/V281 models above.

Singxer SA-1 — Class A Bargain Hunter

The Singxer SA-1 is a fully balanced, Class A headphone amplifier that costs a fraction of what similar designs command from established brands. Using discrete components throughout, it delivers the warmth and authority of Class A amplification at a price that seems almost too good to be true.

Build & Design

Impressive for the money. Full aluminium chassis, large volume knob, comprehensive front panel with gain and input selection. The SA-1 runs warm (Class A bias draws significant power), so ventilation is important. Both 4-pin XLR and 4.4mm balanced outputs are provided alongside standard 6.3mm. Build quality is solid and professional.

Lake People G111 — German Precision Amplification

Lake People is the professional division of Violectric — same German engineering, same factory in Konstanz, but targeted at studios rather than audiophiles. The G111 is their workhorse headphone amp, and it’s one of the best-kept secrets in headphone audio. No frills, no nonsense, just superb amplification.

Build & Design

Industrial and professional. The G111 looks like it belongs in a broadcast facility — clean aluminium chassis, simple front panel with volume and gain controls, 6.3mm output. It’s built to professional standards with balanced XLR inputs and a robust internal layout. Not beautiful, but reassuringly purposeful.

Burson Soloist 3X GT — Australian Muscle Amp

Burson Audio from Melbourne takes a different approach to headphone amplification — big, powerful, and unashamedly musical. The Soloist 3X GT is their flagship headphone amp, using Burson’s proprietary discrete op-amps and a Class A/AB circuit that delivers more power than most headphones will ever need. It’s the V8 muscle car of headphone amps.

Build & Design

Substantial. The Soloist 3X GT is a large unit with a machined aluminium case that runs warm — it’s Class A biased, so this is by design. The front panel has a motorised volume knob, gain switch, and input selector. Build quality is excellent with a premium, industrial aesthetic.

Topping A90 Discrete — Transparent Power on Tap

The Topping A90 Discrete is the measurement champion’s headphone amp. Like its DAC stablemate the D90LE, it measures extraordinarily well — essentially transparent by any objective standard. Topping replaced the original A90’s op-amp design with a fully discrete circuit, and the result is their most refined amplifier to date.

Build & Design

Full-size desktop unit with a clean, professional aesthetic. The front panel has a large volume knob, gain switch (low/high), input selector, and power button. Balanced XLR and 4.4mm outputs join the standard 6.3mm single-ended. Build quality is solid aluminium throughout.

Schiit Magni Piety — Budget Amp Perfection from Schiit

I’ve had the Magni Piety in my chain since it launched, and it’s the product I recommend more than any other. At its price point, it’s not just good value — it’s borderline unfair to the competition. Schiit took their entry-level amp and gave it a discrete, fully balanced circuit that has no business sounding this good for the money.

Build & Design

Classic Schiit: compact aluminium chassis, single volume knob, one input, one output. The Piety adds balanced input and output via 4.4mm connections — a meaningful upgrade over the standard Magni. Build quality is solid, if deliberately minimal. It’s tiny, unobtrusive, and runs warm but not hot.

Holo Audio Spring 3 — The R2R Connoisseur’s Choice

Holo Audio’s Spring series has been the quiet achiever of the R2R DAC world — less flashy than Denafrips, less discussed than Schiit’s multibit, but revered by those who’ve heard it. The Spring 3 is Jeff Zhu’s latest refinement, and it represents R2R conversion at its most sophisticated.

Build & Design

Clean and professional with a full-size desktop chassis. The build is solid aluminium with a simple front panel — power button, display, and input selection. Connectivity is comprehensive with USB, I2S (via HDMI), AES/EBU, coaxial, and optical. The internal layout is meticulous, with careful attention to power supply isolation and signal routing.