Yesterday the second HEAR opened in my city Čakovec (Croatia).
Three systems were set up in a room in the Scheier building in the city center.
When I was there in the afternoon, the system with Zingali speakers was playing (first pictures). It played very well, transparently and beautifully.
And afterwards with the team for Augustiner and Guinness beer.
Thank Rotary Audio and DB Audio for the excellent organization and presentation.
Can a DIY (do it yourself) amplifier, DAC, etc. be very close to the original in sound quality?
Here I primarily mean quality workmanship by craftsmen who know their job.
Can they achieve sound quality identical to the original with a better power supply, selection of quality parts, coolers, cases, etc.?
I wouldn't include speakers here, because they are a different category.
What do you think about that?
Topics on this page often aim to attract as many clicks as possible.
I don't know if this one is like that, but it's a bit interesting.
And I just listened to some good Class D amplifiers....
https://www.headphonesty.com/2026/05/legendary-hifi-brand-killed-class-d-amp/
I borrowed the aforementioned amp from a colleague, to hear how different it is from the Quad 405 (clone).
The amplifier has a simple design, weighs almost 18 kg and 2x200 W (8 Ohm).
There is only an ON/OFF button on the front.
There is a switch for balanced and unbalanced connection on the back.
https://www.rotel.com/en-gb/product/rb-1582-mkii
After the initial warm-up, you could immediately hear that it sounds a little more refined and less "rough" than the Quad 405 output amplifier.
The soundstage is a little deeper and a little wider.
There is a little more detail in the music, the midrange spectrum is clear and transparent, as are the highs.
The bass is of similar depth, but with audibly better definition and control.
It goes very well with the Musical Fidelity X-PRE V3 preamp (in fact, the MF has proven to be a good match with all the amps we have tried on it so far).
So the Rotel easily drives most speakers and its control is not questionable.
A very good output amplifier for the price.
I'm waiting for the team for coffee now, to hear their opinions.
Yesterday I was again at a colleague's place who has a system worth approximately €500,000. Of course, it sounds great and I don't know if some additional investments could raise it to an audibly higher level.
The room is also completely acoustically arranged.
Another colleague has a significantly cheaper system (only analog sound sources; turntable and tape recorder) that even sounds more appealing to me.
The four of us from our inner circle, who hang out very often, have systems from €20,000 to €30,000 that also sound very good.
Of course, there could be a lot more audible improvements, but that also costs a lot.
What do you think about it?
We know that there are DACs that also have a preamplifier function.
In general, the higher the quality level of the DAC, the higher the quality of the preamplifier function.
Of course, a quality, separate preamplifier is a less compromising option and, in most cases, a better sound option (separate power supply, better volume attenuation, higher gain, etc.).
The advantage of a DAC with an integrated preamp is one component and two less cables (power and XLR/RCA).
The disadvantage is that there is usually a digital volume adjustment, and the resolution can be lost a little during quieter listening (bit-stripping).
What do you think about it?
How much can measurements tell us what the sound quality of our HiFi system or some component will be like?
I'm not including measurements during the acoustic treatment of a room (they are quite important there).
Measurements are necessary in HiFi, especially when designing, controlling and servicing HiFi components (and acoustic treatment).
Can we say how something will sound based on measurements alone, or is a complete listening test in all conditions the most reliable?
All serious companies have very well-equipped listening rooms where they test all components, especially those from the higher quality segment (speakers, amplification, sound sources...).
What do you think about it?
There are different types of acoustic resonators that can affect the sound of a HiFi system.
One of them is this Quisco resonator.
I was not at this year's HEAR 2026 in Zagreb where it was publicly presented.
But a colleague (with a lot of experience) gave his impressions from a home presentation on another colleague's top-of-the-line system where three such resonators were tested (in different places in the room).
Here is his opinion in brief:
"The 3 Quiaco setup was clearly audible and we all easily agreed on how it manifested itself. The Quisco brought additional presence to the upper midrange, so the chorus becomes a little more distinct, moves forward and expands at the expense of depth.
The piano benefits especially in the upper octaves in favor of the strings versus the box.
The strings; violins and violas are more pronounced versus the cello and contrabass.
My conclusion was that it is worth it because it brings some freshness and presence.
The owner of the room nevertheless judged that the depth of the stage and the dominance of the piano box were more important to him and that he would not take the Quisco."
There is also a link to an interview with the distributor of that Quisco (turn on English subtitles).
That's it for now, and maybe there will be a chance to hear that Quisco for myself at a presentation.
It is no news that a quality preamp is a very important item for good sound.
So I borrowed the MF preamp mentioned above from a colleague, instead of the entry-level Pioneer VSP-200 processor.
From the first there was a considerable improvement in the sound.
The Pioneer was a bit harsh, with some graininess in the sound and less detail. With MF it is much smoother, more detailed, with better control in the bass.
The middle spectrum sounds more transparent, more beautiful, and the timbre of instruments and vocals is more natural.
And the stage has slightly larger dimensions.
The music flows with greater ease, and the high tones are also more present, clearer, etc.
In conclusion, if you give that Quad a better preamp, it will sound better.
