Review : Auralic Gemini 2000

Auralic Gemini 2000 Headphone Dock reviewed in The Absolute Sound by Steven Stone

Read the full review here : http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/auralic-gemini-2000-headphone-dock/

Conclusion :
The question of whether a component is a great value or not is often a case of personal rather than universal financial considerations. Obviously some readers will consider a $2000 DAC/headphone amplifier to be well beyond the price range of what they personally consider a high-value proposition. But for some audiophiles the Gemini 2000’s combination of features, capabilities, and high performance will be exactly what they’ve been looking for, at a price that is quite reasonable when you consider the cost of a stand-alone premium headphone amplifier, such as the Bryston BHP-1, which when combined with a high- performance DSD-capable DAC can run well above $2000.

Although Auralic calls the Gemini 2000 a “lifestyle product” I think this does the Gemini a disservice. “Lifestyle” implies that features and ergonomics were put ahead of sonics, and if my experience with the Gemini 2000 is any indication of its performance capabilities, it didn’t perform like any lifestyle product I’ve used in the past. No, the Gemini is a high- performance, high-end, DAC/headphone amplifier that will be at home in even the most sonically pristine computer-audio system, which makes it the best lifestyle desktop product I’ve ever heard.