The MAN301 is an ambitious attempt by Weiss Engineering to create a music server capable of numerous digital and analog configurations and a totally unique user experience through its own custom iPad application. I applaud Weiss Engineering’s ambition and willingness to chart its own course in music server design rather than follow the herd. The MAN301’s ability to pull music from an unlimited amount of storage via Ethernet is great for music aficionados with gigantic multi-terabyte music collections. Weiss’ inclusion of its award winning DAC inside the MAN301 is also terrific for audiophiles looking to combine feature sets or reduce the number of boxes in their listening environments. In typical Weiss fashion the MAN301 features coarse analog and fine digital volume control, audio routing from digital in to digital out, digital in to analog out, Ethernet in to analog out, and many other configurations on several interfaces like RCA, XLR, S/PDIF, USB, and FireWire. As expected the Daniel Weiss designed audio features of the MAN301 are top notch. However the custom iPad application and music server functionality need a bit more fine tuning to make the product a competitor with the best solutions available. Fortunately in the several months since I received the MAN301 I updated its software a few times and was very pleased by the progress Weiss Engineering has made toward better features and improved functionality of existing features. Overall the Weiss Engineering MAN301 sounds very good and its functionality will only improve with time.
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Several Consumer Electronics Shows ago I remember seeing the PS Audio PerfectWave DAC in a very early stage of its development. If I'm not mistaken the front color display was actually an iPod screen placed in the front window of the chassis. Most high end audio focussed show goers had no clue what PS Audio was doing with this new PerfectWave series of products. As The Computer Audiophile one of my most important stops of the entire show was the PS Audio suite. The PerfectWave DAC was right up my alley and I wanted to extract as much information as possible from everyone in that suite. I must have asked the same questions to five different PS Audio representatives just to see if I could squeeze an extra morsel of information. I left the PS Audio suite thinking the PWD looked very promising based on a nice set of features and that PS Audio as a company was laser focussed on the next phase of high end playback with the PerfectWave products leading the way. Since that show PS Audio hasn't wavered in its dedication to the PerfectWave platform and computer based audio. In November 2011 PS Audio announced the MKII update to its original PerfectWave DAC. Once the dust settled I got my hands on the MKII this summer. After a couple months with the PWD MKII in my listening room I have some strong opinions about the product. The bottom line is the MKII update is a game changer that elevates the PerfectWave DAC to C.A.S.H. List 
status and puts the original PWD MKI to shame.
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Over the last year I participated in a few computer audio seminars around the country with Peachtree Audio’s David Solomon. During the events I spent a fair amount of time listening to the Peachtree Design 5 loudspeakers. Every time I listened to these speakers I commented positively about either the aesthetic design, build quality, or impressive sound quality. The one thing left to do was listen to the D5 speakers in my own listening room where familiarity with the environment would lead to much more accurate judgments. Fortunately David offered a pair of D5s for review while we discussed my review of the new iNova integrated amplifier. I accepted the offer to review the speakers and the amplifier as a complete system. There was no hiding the fact I liked the D5s based on previous experience. That also meant I had high expectations for these speakers. On the other hand I hadn’t listened to the iNova enough to leave a lasting impression in my mind. That said I still had high expectations because of its lineage. I liked the original Nova very much. In fact I liked it too much according to some Computer Audiophile readers. It was time to find out if the Design 5 speakers were as good as I previously thought, if the new iNova was anything more than an original Nova with an iPod dock, if Peachtree refined the highly regarded Nova into something better, or simply sat on its laurels riding the previous wave of success.
November 24, 2009 Linn announced it would stop production of CD players at the end of the year. Computer audiophiles around the globe were jubilant while skeptics were unconvinced the announcement was anything more than a publicity stunt. Opinions aside the cessation of CD player manufacturing was a bold step in an industry where homeostasis has been the norm for so long. This announcement and subsequent halt to CD player production wouldn't have been possible without Linn's foresight into the disc-less world of hifi. Linn's commitment to its Digital Streaming line of products began years before most consumers could even conceptualize listening to music without a Compact Disc let alone streaming music via Ethernet. Linn announced its first DS (Digital Stream) player, the Klimax DS, back in 2007. Since that time Linn has released several DS components at various price and performance levels. The Linn Majik DS-I, Digital Stream player with Integrated amplifier, is the newest component in the Digital Stream lineup.
A little over one week ago the Peachtree Audio Nova review was published here on Computer Audiophile. Since that time many CA readers read the review and left honest comments. I've also read and re-read the review and spent quite a while reading every single comment several times. I was initially surprised by the criticism. After a few days I came to the realization that the CA readers were right. The review was in fact rushed and didn't contain much information to make it useful. It clearly did not live up to the CA trademark All The Bits Fit To Print™. Thus, I'm taking full responsibility for a half-assed review and making it up to all the supportive CA readers. Over the last five days I've dedicated time to using the Nova in almost every configuration imaginable. What follows are my impressions from "The Nova Sessions."
The Peachtree Audio Nova is a ton of fun and has a bright future as everyman's high end integrated amplifier, DAC, or preamp. Hence the title of this review, Champagne Supernova. Champagne always involves fun and Supernovae are incredibly luminous. Champagne Supernova is also a reference to the Oasis song of the same name. A seven minute anthem that hit number one on the modern rock charts in the U.S. and has been played at every Oasis concert since it was written. The song has been spinning my NAS hard drives quite a bit lately. Sure the Peachtree integrated amp is called the Nova, but the musicality, enjoyment, and versatility of this piece may warrant the name Supernova.
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