An Audio Blog by Walden

Ideas & Insights on Audio & Good Sound

JD 21/08/2026 JD 21/08/2026

LUXMAN D-100 CENTENNIAL

If you have a weakness for Japanese technology at its very best, it is difficult to ignore LUXMAN. Few names in high-end audio can draw upon a history as long and as rich. The story began in 1925, and over the course of a century LUXMAN has lived through virtually every major transition in audio: from radio to hi-fi, from valves to transistors, from analogue to digital, and from the Compact Disc to SACD and high-resolution music.

Network Players Matter

High-quality Network Players matter in a streaming system. While many devices today combine streaming and digital conversion in a single box, experienced listeners often prefer a dedicated network player paired with a separate DAC. This approach allows each component to focus on its specific task, often leading to greater musical refinement and system flexibility. Understanding the value of a high-quality network player therefore becomes an important step in building a truly high-end streaming audio system.

Digital-to-Analogue Converting

Streaming has become one of the most important music sources in modern high-end audio systems. Services such as Qobuz and Tidal now provide recordings in resolutions equal to - or even exceeding - compact disc quality. Combined with advanced network players and music servers, streaming offers an almost unlimited music library at the touch of a button. Yet one component ultimately determines how convincing streaming will sound: the digital-to-analogue converter (DAC).