June 2017
PEQ-1 MKII TONE
“When the listeners from the beginning of this article were asked to describe the PEQ in one word, they almost all unanimously said “balance.” The second word was “value.”
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May 2017
E•200S
“Spending time with the E-200S was revealing in so many ways. From black quiet backgrounds to fully erupting orchestral performances, this little beast was in control. Most of all, this CI Audio amplifier proves that green design and audiophile sound need not be mutually exclusive.”
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February 2016
E•200S
“Unlike some massive class-A solid-state or tubed amps, the E•200S sounded good straight out of the box.”
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June 2015
E•200S
“This is a great little amplifier! It performed faultlessly, driving such “guilty pleasures” as “Canned Heat,” from Jamiroquai’s Synkronized (CD, Columbia CK 91252), to very loud volumes.”
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December 2013
Transient MKII USB Converter/DAC
“The CIAudio draws you into the music, in the best possible way, in the similar manner that really good analog does.”
November 2013
Audio Creative reviews the VDA•2 Digital/Analog Converter (Dutch)
“The Channel Islands Audio VDA • 2 measurements are truly exquisite. In particular, the DAC linearity”
September 2013
PLC-1 MKII Passive Line Controller
“Right out of the box, the PLC-1 MKII proved to be subjectively neutral, with less sound of its own then any active preamp I have had in my systems.”
February 2013
The Abso!ute Sound reviews the Transient MKII/VDC•5 MKII Combo
“To say I was impressed by the Transient II’s combination of modest price and excellent sonics is something of an understatement. “Channel Islands Transient MKII & VDC-5 MKII reviewed in The Absolute Sound (Dec issue #228)
September 2012
Positive Feedback reviews the D•200 MKII
“…these UNRIVALED Class-D monos are unchallenged superstars, and a downright musical steal at $3500. They easily best any number of very well reviewed and highly regarded amplifiers that I’ve heard and auditioned over the past decade. Give them a listen and you’ll understand why mine aren’t going anywhere anytime soon!”
– Greg Weaver, Positive Feedback
August 2012
Von Schweikert Audio Collaboration
We’re proud to announce Von Schweikert Audio has chosen CI Audio to design and build custom amplifiers for their flagship VR‑11 MK2 ($185,000/pr) and VR‑9 MK2 ($90,000/pr) Loudspeakers.
The VR‑11 shown below will make its debut appearance at the MOD DAC 2012 Show in the Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore on August 25th and 26th.
January 2012
Channel Islands Audio Celebrates 15 years in business
We’re proud to celebrate our 15th year in business. Thank you to all of our loyal customers and industry friends for supporting us!
Jeff Dorgay reviews the D•500 MKII Monoblocks for Tone Audio
“…the D500 MKIIs could not only deliver a large soundfield, but they could deliver deep bass with power and control. …these amplifiers kept a lock on the pace, offering up wall shaking beats with no shrinkage of soundstage in either dimension.
Making the power hungry Magnepan 1.7’s part of the equation was equally splendid. The D500 MKIIs took control of the Magnepans as well as some of the world’s best amplifiers have – I can’t think of an amplifier I would suggest more highly for someone looking to build a high performance system around the 1.7’s (or the 3.7’s for that matter) at a reasonable cost.
The Channel Islands D500 MKII amplifiers sounded great and made no missteps while in our care. We will be adding them to our reference fleet of amplifiers, so you will be hearing more about them in the months to come. I feel compelled to give these amplifiers one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2011 as well – they represent tremendous performance and build quality. A well thought out product in every way.”
– Jeff Dorgay, Tone Audio
Positive Feedback Online check out the VDC•SB
“The improved performance of the Squeezebox Touch™ over its predecessor is pretty clear to me, and it was elevated to even higher levels with the VDC-SB. Imaging was more precise, bass was tidier, and the high frequencies were more detailed, and yet smoother too.…
Regardless of musical genre, resolution, or whether streamed via ethernet, or via directly connected USB devices, the improvement was consistent. I can only surmise that the above described increase in refinement, high frequency performance, and imaging must be due to the elimination of switching noise.”
– Positive Feedback Online
John Darko at Digital Audio Review checks out the VDC•SB
“gone was the stress and anxiety from both music and listener: background hash banished, acoustic mass emphasised.…Did music now sound massaged, looser, more supple? Or were my concerns about the switch-mode infection rubbed clean? A combination of the two.”
– John Darko, Digital Audio Review
Andre Marc at Audio Video Revolution checks out the VDA•2
“I really enjoyed endless hours of fatigue free listening sessions, and differences between various recordings were very apparent.”
– Andre Marc, Audio Video Revolution
D•100B Monoblock Amplifiers Now Shipping
We are excited to announce that the new D•100B Monoblocks are now shipping. The new version brings a number of enhancements including:
- Newly designed power transformer
- Our new MKII input stage – the same as in the D•500 MKII
- XDC•2 AC Enhancing Circuit
Steve Stone checks out the VDC•9.0
“I ran several different tests to determine how much noise the stock Logitech power supply generates… In every case it was easy to see that the Logitech power supply was generating AC noise. Then I replaced the Logitech supply with the Channel Islands VDC 9.0. and all the noise vanished.”
– Steven Stone, Enjoy The Music
Jeff Dorgay reviews the VDA•2 for Tone Audio
“I must say that in terms of sheer audio performance, the VDA•2 offers up some of the most musically revealing and tonally pleasing sound from a digital source I’ve heard at anywhere near this price… I defy you to find significantly better at 2-3 times the price. With the additional power supply, you are going to have to spend upward of 3-4000 dollars to get a significant jump in sound quality.”
– Jeff Dorgay, Tone Audio [2.1mb PDF]
Tone Audio reviews the VHP•2
“Side by side with the VHP-1, the new model is definitely a step up. The thing we both noticed right away was the improved soundstaging of the new unit. Steve said ‘What a difference! More dynamics, better sound- staging and an even quieter background make this one a real treat for serious headphone users…’”
-Tone Audio [520KB PDF]
Joint review of the D•200 and PLC•1 from Dagogo
“Sonically, the PLC-1 draws little attention to itself. It’s such a reserved-sounding piece, I did not find myself being drawn unduly to just one segment of the frequency spectrum… The PLC-1 retrieved the vocals in a most satisfactory fashion. If a person has quite a number of older discs where vocals are prominent, then I would suggest mating the PLC-1 and D-200’s with a warmer sounding CD player, since the Channel Islands gear will bring plenty of focusing power.”
– Doug Schroeder, Dagogo
D•100s change assumptions about Class D at UK Magazine Hi-Fi
“Kicking off with The Byrds’ ‘Draft Morning’ on vinyl, instead of getting the rather clinical, mechanical and analytical presentation I have come to fear from amplifiers such as these, I was greeted with a surprisingly warm and enveloping sound. Indeed, I would go as far as saying this is one of the most laid-back, organic and natural of the breed I have yet encountered.”
-Hi-Fi World [1.4mb PDF]
“In the case of the C•100S power amp, it most definitely has the exceptional ability to exploit the best of tubes and solid state at the same time, while leaving behind all of the inherent problems and distortion that tubes have to offer. I say this without the slightest amount of hesitance whatsoever.”
“if you need a harmonically neutral power amplifier that you can attach to a wide variety of loudspeakers, the C-100S would be an excellent choice. And priced at $1500, the C-100S stereo power amplifier ranks as a “best buy” in my world.”
“The highest compliment I can pay the CiAudio PEQ 1 MKII is that it sounds as if its creator actually listened as he designed instead of just measuring. This is a fun to listen to, non-mechanical sounding phono preamplifier that delivers genuine musical pleasure and performs well beyond its pay grade.”
