Buying Guide


		A buying guide to help you decide which product is most suitable for you. All the products I sell are chosen because I think they offer the best value for money and performance. I’ll show you how their sound quality compares and the pros and cons of their features.

D/A Converters	Sound Quality	Pros	Cons
Styleaudio CARAT-UD1	Spacious, detaled and natural, a good al-round performer and a great starting point for quality computer sound.	Plug & Play. Phono Output. Headphone Socket with volume control. Optical Digital Output. Value For Money.	No option for external power supply.
Trends Audio UD-10.1	Almost identical sound quality to the Styleaudio UD1, difficult to tell them apart in standard trim. Battery power offers a smother richer sound, power pack more bass depth and greater dynamics	Plug and Play. External power supply - battery or power pack lifts sound quality to another level Can be used to link through to an external DAC or Digital Device Opital, SPDIF, BNC & ABS/EBU outputs	Mini-jack analogue output only.
Styleaudio CARAT-HD1V	Highly detailed sound, very revealing of recording quality. The best sounding USB DAC I’ve heard. Will give all but the most expensive CD players a run for their money.	Plug and Play. Phono outputs Headphone socket with volume control. External power pack lifts sound quality to another level. Optical digital output.	Can be a litttle unforgiving of poor recording quality.

Desktop Audio

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Amplifiers	Sound Quality	Pros	Cons
Trends Audio TA-10.1	Open detailed sound with sweet treble and deep bass. Convincing sound-stage.	Great Sound Price Easily Upgradable Compact	Single Input
NuForce Icon	Very similar sound to Trends TA-10. I like them both, hard to pick a winner.	Built-in USB DAC. Great Sound 3 Inputs - Phono, USB, Mini-Jack. 2 Outputs - Mini-Jack. Headphone Amplifier. Accessories.	RJ45 loudspeaker output
Roth MC4 Music Cocoon	Warmer sounding than the Trends A-10.1 or NuForce Icon. Same levels of detail with a very forgiving sound, making everything sounds great.	iPod Dock Forgiving sound quality. 2 Inputs - Phono, Mini-Jack Remote Control.	Valves Price

Loudspeakers	Sound Quality	Pros	Cons
Roth OLi1	They are fast punchy and incredibly clear sounding.	Great Sound Finish Price	None at the price.
Tangent EVO4 Walnut	Detailed and Open Sound, lets you hear what's on the recording. None fatiguing listen.	Walnut Finish. Compact Size. Great for near-field listening. Custom version available.	Lacks really deep bass Extra cost of Walnut finish.
NuForce S1	Big stunning sound with pin point imaging.	Perfect match for Icon Amplifier. Full Range Driver. Compact Size.	Lacks really deep bass. Only suitable for use with Icon amplifier
MicroPro NXT	Very detailed sound with open midrange. Lets you hear the speed and dynamics of the music.	Midrange Sound Quality. Flat Panel Design	Need a sub-woofer to fill out the bass.

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