stereo-link is featured in the Oct 25th New York Times article entitled "Digital Music To Please Even the Snobs" by Lawrence M. Fisher.
Click on the button to read the article and listen to an interview with the author.
"Basically - to cut a long story short - I completely love your box(1400HD).
It knocks the socks off anything I have tested it against headphone amp wise.
I've actually found it very difficult to evaluate so far - as it just
sounds so damned nice I just find myself getting distracted by the
enjoyment of listening to it. There is something about it vaguely
reminiscent of an old Leak valve amp I used to own - though obviously
much cleaner."
Jon Olive, UK based Sound Engineer and 1400HD Beta tester, Summer 2006
Jon's recent film work includes "Flyboys", and he is currently at work on "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
Click here for Jon's Movie Sound Credits.
"I must say I'm not disappointed-very pleasant and detailed sound. Top end is intricate and accurate, Bottom end is awesome. Mid range is informative and sweet (rare combination) Detail: is second to none. Sound Stage :is spot on and accurate. I would like to refer back to one of the Reviews on your web site, the one from the UK sound engineer- He was not wrong! At the end of the day my conclusion was/is The music sounds so correct!/it just sounds so nice. Thanks for a Great unit-my interest in music has been revamped."
DK, Kent, UK 1400HD Customer 19 Jan 2007
"Using my most revealing system, the a/d/s pre-amp, amp and M15 speakers, I was rewarded with truly satisfying high-end audio. In all, the sound provided by the SL1400HD is a no-apologies, audiophile quality sound which will reveal the quality of the components downstream."
BK, Casper WY 25 June 2006 1400HD Beta tester
"Stereo-link's 1300 offers a terrific price/performance ratio...When we compared its musicality with that of Creative's best soundcard--the X-Fi Elite Pro, which has a higher-quality DAC than any other X-Fi-- the Stereo-link was clearly superior"
MAXIMUM PC June 2007
I have been "running a retro fitted Mac G3 with dual 320GB hard drives output
thru an Airport Extreme to an AirTunes receiver feeding an optical input hub that
feeds a Musical Fidelity X-24K DAC that feeds my Onkyo Integra integrated digital amp.
I (eliminated the Airport and) integrated my brand new SL-1300 into my audio system yesterday,
and it's been difficult to pull myself away from the listening room ever since.
You know something great is happening when your computer file music becomes the source
of choice for listening. It's like a layer of distortion has been stripped away.
Improvements in definition are evident from top to bottom throughout the frequency range.
Attack and decay of notes are noticeably improved.
... Wow. What a difference.
I've stopped equalizing and using the source music "as is" and it's great."
SS, Chapel Hill, NC 25 Aug 2006
"I (had a) problem of low level noise being generated by my PC; only apparent in-between
tracks when listening at high volume and sounds more like motor noise than a mains hum.
The same sound (was) present when I connect to my inbuilt sound, Creative Audigy or the
Xitel Hi-Fi Link.
Stereo link arrived today. Problem sorted! (It) solved my noise problem where the
Xitel Hi-Fi Link failed to make any impact on the noise and Xitel
support effectively declared the problem insoluble."
ND, London UK 11 Aug 2006
"I don't usually write gushy emails to companies about their products, but my 1200 arrived today, and I was blown away by the difference in sound quality. I have an iMac sending audio to a high-end Rotel amplifier on another floor of the house, and had substantial ground-loop hum and lackluster sound using the iMac DAC. I switched to AirTunes to eliminate the hum, but the DAC in the AirPort is extremely poor. Today I hooked up the 1200, and found that the ground-loop hum was completely gone...and the sound was dramatically improved.
JS, Seattle WA 13 Apr 2006
I purchased your 1200 DAC last month and have it installed with my Yamaha MCR-E600 stereo
that I have located with my computer in my office (that has limited real estate to work with).
It is exactly what I needed to monitor my music before I burn any discs for my family and friends.
I have been playing and recording music for many years (music is part of my life) and I truly
appreciate the quality and performance of your 1200 product.
JS, Los Osos CA 4 July 2006
"Thank you very much for the excellent service, our new bar is opening tonight in York and when we installed the sound system yesterday the stereo-link worked brilliantly, we already have two stereo-link products at other venues and have always found them to be first class. We are very pleased with your product and service."
Jason Smith, Owner, Montey's Group, UK. 23 Nov 2005
"If you put high emphasis on music and crave those crisp clean sounds. The SL1200 is a small price to pay for your ever-growing music collection. After listening to one song out of my home system at such a clean level of music, all I wanted was more.
Alex Chan, neoseeker.com 21 Mar 2002
"I was pleased by what I heard from the Stereo-Link receiver -- rich bass response, a flat midrange, and a smooth high end, all with low noise and distortion... The Stereo-Link's 20-bit digital-to-analog(D/A) converter and quiet output electronics (decoupled from the noisy computer environment) supplied clean audio signals -- much cleaner than from most sound cards. The final proof: when I played CDs on my PC, the sound quality was excellent."
Sound & Vision (January, 2001)
"I'm very pleased with it. It worked straight off on the Apple & passes the blindfold listening test when playing the same track off the original CD & the iBook...Good product, well done."
GS, UK 14 Feb 2006
"I received my Stereo-Link in the mail today and I have to tell you that the sound that came out of my speakers after I'd rigged everything up was simply stunning! I was thrilled when I got my iPod last Christmas, and it caused me to rip my whole CD collection (in a Lossless format archived to a HDD and then from that I created a compressed version for use on the iPod). But it was a big disappointment when I hooked up the iPod to the hi-fi. The music was muted; it had no dynamic range. So it was a thrill to see what a great job your Stereo-Link, together with a used little laptop and my HDD, can do with this digital music collection. It's opened up a whole new world. I'm happy with my iPod for mobile use, but I'm keeping it away from the hi-fi!"
SR, Canada 28 Oct 2005
". . . I compared them with the
Stereo-Link Model 1200. This device, about the size of a hardcover
novel, draws sound out of a PC or Mac U.S.B. port and sends it to
the stereo through a cable that plugs into the stereo's Audio In
jacks. Some kind of aural alchemy takes place within the box,
resulting in a sound that is as rich and full-bodied as any that
might be generated by playing a CD on the stereo.
The biggest drawback to the Stereo-Link is that once you try it
you can't help viewing the cable solutions as lesser substitutes:
they're like eating discount ice cream after you have gotten used to
Häagen-Dazs."
By PETER MEYERS
The above excerpt was part of an article that appeared in the
New York Times "Circuits" section 24 January 2002 and was titled
Digital Music, PC to Hi-Fi
"I have just hooked up the 1200 to my upscale audio system . . . . hoping for the best. WOW! It's so nice when someone genuinely offers a product, describes it's functioning and it lives up to, or surpasses expectation. You've done that at a reasonably price and installation was much too simple. Now all I have to do is install my 500 CD's in my PowerMac."
RC US 14 Dec 2002
"Have had my stereo-link for about 6 weeks and what a pleasant surprise out of the box. I was very skeptical that it was going to deliver on its promise; so to really hear it, I ran it into my mastering studio console into a pair of professional mastering studio monitors (Vergence A20). And WOW, did it deliver way more than I ever expected. Thanks a million for your committment and passion in making computer audio worth listening to."
K Thomas US 11 Jun 2001
"Love your product!
My Model 1200 arrived yesterday. What a joy!!! The unit installed
in a flash and has no problem carrying a terrific signal about 40
feet to my receiver on the other side of the room. The sound from
the receiver and headphones is wonderful. I unplugged my CD changer
to make room for the 1200 and probably won't miss it for a while.
Thanks for this great product; it definitely goes to 11!"
AG US 6 April 2001
"Just got my 1200 hooked up over the weekend. It is absolutely incredible. Very cost effective way to handle the computer into the stereo thing. I have the unit in my basement office and made an audio cable run of about 45' to my stereo equipment. Everything loaded up without a hitch. Had some friends out . . . Saturday night listening through outdoor speakers; they were simply amazed. Best of luck getting this wonderful product out to the masses. I know I'll do my best to move a few."
JD US 15 January 2001
Last updated May 13, 2007
