REVIEW SHOP SHARE LEARN
April Music Stello DA220
April Music Stello DA220
MSRP: $

More Products from April Music >>
Search AudioReview forums for the April Music Stello DA220 >>
   
Top Ranked Products from April Music.
April Music Stello DA220
Rated: 5 of 5
April Music Stello DP200
Rated: 5 of 5
April Music Stello CDT200
Rated: 4 of 5
April Music A1
Rated: 0 of 5
 |  Sorted by Latest Review |  Sort by Best Rating >> |  Sort by Worst Rating >> | 
Rating
Reviewed by:

Thimmy118

(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
March 26, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.60 of 5, 5.00 votes

Rate this review?

Review 1 of 1

Price Paid:  $1300.00 from Melbourne Australia

Summary:
I thought I'll start by saying that in my opinion, this DAC outgun my previous Arcam FMJ CD23 in more ways than one and brigs out the best in avry types of music you play through it This is a serious DAC for not much money. I have had my Arcam running as the transport and when cpompared to the Arcam running as a cd player, this DAC sounded more detailed, sharper, more holographic, smoother and cleaner sounding than the Arcam. This is not a criticism of Arcam but i think Stello is on to somethng here. This is one of those products where the holy grail of "value for money" has indeed been found. After eight months of running in, I'm glad to say that did not spend my money on a more expensive equipment. I'd recommend that you use the balance input and output for best result. I got rid of my Arcam and bought the Stello CDT200 transport and the two is a match made in auidiophile wonderland. My' wife is also happy now that I have stop my desire to upgrade my hifi.

My associated products are:

Stello CDT200 Transport
Jungson JA1 and JA99 pre/power class A amp
Dynaudio Contour 1.3SE speakers
Qunex P75 Signature digital cable
Analysis Plus Oval 6 speaker cables
Nordos Quattro Fuil balance interconnect (Transport to Pre)
DIY Copper and teflon shielded balance interconnect (Pre/power)
Soundstyle ST122 speker stands
Sound Organisation rack

Strengths:
Non splashy top end, extremely clear midrange, good micro amd macro dynamics, strong and tuneful bass and smooth sounding across all frequency range. Can pick up subtle differences in interconnect and digital cables

Weaknesses:
None at all

Similar Products Used:
Rega Planet CD2000, Arcam CD75, Arcam CD95 and Arcam FMJ CD23


Would you like to Comment?
Join audioReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Popular DACs

more...

Latest and Greatest

Marantz SA-7S1 and Cary 306 Professional CD/SACD Players

Review of the wonderful Marantz SA-7S1 and Mini-Review tease of the Cary 306 Professional CD/SACD Players

Emotiva ERC-1 CD Player Review

The ERC-1 CD player is in a class by itself for price/performance.

IMAX: How to Ruin a Great Product

Unfortunately, it seems that IMAX has embarked on an expansion strategy that risks watering down a premium brand that took 40 years to establish.

Axiom Millennia M60 Ti

Yes, Axiom speakers are as good as you have read about.

Magnepan Magneplanar MG 1.6 User Review

In my judgment the advantage of the MG 1.6 (and other Magneplars), stems from the following: = It is a full-range dipole, and = It has uses low-mass, planar drivers for the whole audio spectrum. These attributes account for its extraordinary clarity, coherence, “air”...

News & Reviews

Submit Content Here
Come join the community. Comment on the blogs.
Sony and NetFlix jump in the same tub
NETFLIX ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH SONY ELECTRONIaq: NFLX) the world’s largest online movie rental service, today announced a partnership [...]   more...

Onkyo A-5VL and C-5VL SACD and amp combo
Onkyo has released a SACD/Amp Combo aimed at audind allows for bi-wiring. The cost for the A-5VL and C-5VL combo is around £350. read some more [...]   more...

Used Gear Wednesday - Don’t Pass It Up!
Did you know that audioREVIEW has a classifieds sals and gear from it. Every Wednesday we’ll select classifieds to highlight all over the [...]   more...

Hi-fi Home Theater Speakers Meets Abstarct Modern Art
This beauty, 42 inches long, is designed to fit “artistic” speakers and the normal design can be found here at bornrich.org.  Even [...]   more...

Marantz SA-7S1 and Cary 306 Professional CD/SACD Players Review
I had just about given up on CDs. There were somem like second class citizens. Sure they have a place in the audio landscape, but for enjoying [...]   more...