– John Ransley, Totally Wired Limited
“…The NuPrime Omnia A-300SE is not your every day amplifier. It’s one of the most feature rich and modern designs you’ll find and fits into any lifestyle with its minimalist, cool running and compact aesthetic. Most importantly the A-300SE delivers on sound; it’s subtle yet powerful, taking cues from NuPrime’s accomplished separate components, combining their attributes in an accessible and easy to use package with understated ease.”
– Pierre Stemmelin, on-mag.fr
“…The NuPrime Omnia A300 is an atypical connected Hifi amplifier open to all the most modern music sources. Beneath its very compact armored chassis, it hides a fiery temperament. Its 2 x 150 watts of power allow it to power large speakers, push the level of decibels very high, deploy an overflowing energy and a stereo image that takes on grandiose aspects…”
– Alban Amouroux, qobuz.com
“…For listening, we simply connected our usual Dynaudio reference speakers to the Omnia A300…The rhythm section is essentially centered, as for a small group listening. However, this does not prevent the NuPrime from distinguishing the drums, quite wide in the background, from the highlighted and ultra-centered bass and percussion on the left. Everything is compact and cut at the same time. The Omnia A300 knows how to do what is necessary to highlight without ever attenuating the characteristics of each instrument…
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The NuPrime Omnia A300 is a practical all-in-one device that faces little competition. It only needs a pair of speakers. And to you the dematerialized music! We appreciate Qobuz’s presence in Hi-Res to enjoy his favorite titles and the recommendations perfectly integrated into the Omnia mobile app. You can of course connect other sources, the number of entries should be enough for most systems. The Omnia A300 stands out for its sound quality with both sinful and Zen amplification. That is to say, capable of the largest flights without ever becoming aggressive thanks to exemplary respect for stamps. The feeling of ventilation between the instruments and the different planes is the main characteristic of the Omnia, which immediately jumps to the ears. To get as close as possible to his favorite performers and musicians, it will be difficult to do better than the NuPrime Omnia A300 in this range of rates…”
– John Ransley, Totally Wired Limited
“…From the very first listen, the IDA-8 elicits a big ‘WOW’. For those that know me you’ll appreciate I can be a bit of a cynic and our home system is very much biased toward the analogue. So the initial recommendation of the IDA-8 is not given lightly. It’s the immediate impression of enhanced clarity coming out of the little NuPrime that is most striking…”
– Julie Mullins, theabsolutesound.com
“…The IDA-8 conveyed the music’s richly woven textures as well as its individual parts. Soundstaging was deeper and wider than I expected for an amp in this price category, with precise instrumental placement. Background noise was also shockingly low; the IDA-8 boasts an impressive 95dB signal-to-noise ratio…
…the IDA-8 is a winner, and a force to be reckoned with in its category (and beyond it)…it brought warmth to its clean and clearly resolved presentation of digital sources to…Though a touch dark in character (à la Class D), it delivers substance and warmth with A well-conceived Class A/Class D hybrid that doesn’t want for power or clarity, the IDA-8 ought to find itself on the audition short list of a wide range of hi-fi hobbyists, from newbies to more experienced audiophiles…”
– Roger Kanno, soundstagexperience.com
“…When I’d hooked up the Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 45 speakers to the IDA-8 and begun playing music, I realized that the NuPrime was unlike any other entry-level amplifier I’d ever had in my system. Everything immediately sounded more precise and controlled…
… the little IDA-8 sounded so refined and powerful that I soon decided that, to get a true measure of its sound, I needed to move it into my reference system. In that system I had a variety of high-end but still high-value speakers to use with the NuPrime IDA-8: the KEF R900, Definitive Technology Mythos ST-L, and GoldenEar Technology Triton Five. Even with those floorstanders, the IDA-8 was able to tightly control the low frequencies in Lorde’s bass-laden Pure Heroine (24/48 FLAC, Lava Music/Republic). The IDA-8’s midrange was also something special: exceedingly clean but very full, reproducing voices with clarity and presence while also providing their full weight and body. With the IDA-8, I felt I was hearing everything in Susan Wong’s 511 (24/96 FLAC, Evosound) — not something that I think I have ever said before about an integrated amp costing under $1000…The NuPrime’s sublime midrange allowed voices to float effortlessly in mid-air…
…It sounds fantastic, has plenty of power to drive any reasonably efficient loudspeaker to room-filling levels, it’s compact, and, best of all, it costs less than $1000…the NuPrime IDA-8 was so good that it seemed almost a shame to extract it from my reference rig and reinstall it in my second system, where it will remain as my new budget reference amplifier. It’s one of the best deals available in audio today…”
– Michael Piskor, headfonics.com
“…No question about it, this NuPrime Hi-MDAC has the best build quality in a small form factor DAC that I’ve ever seen…and dang, I own so many and have reviewed so many….
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Our Verdict
Gods honest, I am so tired of the larger DAC’s that claim to be portable but are the size of small bricks. These little DAC’s are the future and I want these companies to push the boundaries of what is possible.
The Hi-mDAC is the first I have heard that is actually very musical, enjoyable on a tonality viewpoint and that offers a slick sense of style in the physical dynamic impact area of the listening experience.
By that, again, I mean it sounds smoother and easier to listen to than most other small DACs. The tradeoff is that it is quite chunky and much bigger than the others, but still, it is petite. And it has decent power! To see a budget tiny DAC performs well with demanding planars such as the Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow is impressive.
Of course, it does not power it as well as a good desktop amp, but for a casual walk, or sitting outside somewhere, doing the dishes and cleaning the house with this Hi-mDAC in your pocket? I cannot complain when I look at the bigger picture.
We have come far with these little guys and I am happy to keep this in my pocket for the duration of my day, at least, until my phone dies and cannot power the DAC anymore.”
– Guillaume Fourcadier, on-mag.fr
“…The NuPrime Hi-mDAC sound is a great little blend of power and detail, all without getting aggressive. The soundstage is not disproportionate but surprisingly coherent, carried by a rather neutral or even slightly brilliant signature. Unless you come across a monster headset like the Hifiman Susvara or an extremely high impedance headset, the Hi-mDAC can power all headsets or almost without a hitch…”
– NanoTechnos, headfonia.com
“…
Hi-mDAC achieved something quite remarkable. First and foremost, it drives my Audeze LCD-3 and gives me “commanding bass” as stated on the website. Where the Sennheiser HD-800S felt a little cramped last time, the Audeze sounds quite the opposite with a wide sound-stage and delightful lows….
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The Hi-mDAC is fast and precise, at any level of volume. The layering is impressive, the sound feels natural, effortless and I think NuPrime really did a good job in term of tuning. This isn’t a DAC that’ll wow you right off the batch, on the contrary, the more you’ll listen to it the more you’ll get to love it.
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Tonality
Highs : clean and transparent. The Nuprime achieves a good job there, with a good amount of air. Trebles are precise, never harsh and with the right headphone, you’ll get a level of comfort that I wouldn’t believe possible a few years ago. It’s never dry, never sibilant, never boring. Very impressive!
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Mids : excellent layering and great spaciousness. The mids blends perfectly with the rest of the spectrum. The soundstage is excellent, sometimes astounding until you reach the highest level of volume. If so, the mids tend to fall behind the highs and lows, giving us an odd V-Shap signature. Still, this is only if you really push the DAC to its limit.
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Lows : fast and powerful. Bass is impressive, very impressive. Usually, this is where small DAC falls short, but this is never the case with the m-DAC. It’s fast, powerful and with a good headphone, you’ll be rewarded by deep, tight, toe-tapping bass. Plus side, it never oversteps on the other frequencies…”
– John Ransley, Totally Wired Limited
“…The Evolution Ones are giving us the best of sound quality attributed to Class A or tubes – the fluidity, ease and open nature, yet eliminating the downsides of heat, power consumption, noise and compromised long term reliability. They bring the best of solid state – high power, exceptional bass control and an astonishing frequency range…”
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