Argon Audio SOLO: Budget Streaming Powerhouse
Argon Audio have some hi-fi pedigree behind them. Does their new streamer build on that history?
The SOLO is an audiophile-grade streamer with Chromecast, Airplay 2, Spotify Connect and Roon Ready — and it’s keen to impress.
Things have been getting crowded in the budget audio streamer market of late, with several manufacturers bringing great-sounding devices to the table.
Who are Argon Audio?
Established over 20 years ago, Argon Audio are a Danish company born out of Danish audio connoisseurs HiFi Klubben. Argon Audio themselves say their goal is ‘to bring as much sound quality to end customers at the lowest cost possible’ — which sounds pretty good to us.
Why a separate streamer?
A standalone streamer is a great way to inject some life into an old hi-fi system or pair of active speakers, and with additions like Spotify Connect and Roon Ready you’ll be getting better sound quality than standard Bluetooth. The SOLO also gives you Chromecast/Airplay 2. Connectivity to your amplifier is via stereo RCA cables, optical/Toslink and COAX.
A great built-in DAC.
The Argon Audio SOLO contains a built-in ESS Sabre ES9018 DAC (and Burr Brown Opamps), so you’re getting better sound quality even before you’ve hit your amplifier or active speakers.
Looks and appearance.
Our SOLO came in white, which looks great — especially on top of a white IKEA Kallax unit or amongst white speakers (ours looks very nice sat next to a white pair of Q Acoustics 3030i). It’s also available in black, to match your more traditional hi-fi separate colours.
In the listening booth.
We put the SOLO through its paces with the old standard ‘Hotel California’ by The Eagles and were surprised by the nice wide soundstage. We compared the audio quality coming from the SOLO (using Roon) to our in-house Denon CD player and found no discernible shortfall whatsoever. The SOLO had the edge in terms of clarity and brightness. With support for up to 24-bit/192 kHz the MQA brigade will be happy too.
So, what’s the verdict?
In our testing the SOLO sounded very engaging indeed, with clear trebles, smooth mids, and ample bass. We tried it with a Denon PMA-600NE amplifier and KEF Q150 speakers as well as a set of Q Acoustic M20 active speakers and were seriously impressed with its versatility. The SOLO didn’t miss a beat when streaming lossless ALAC files from Roon or MQA files from TIDAL, dishing out an extremely pleasant listening experience indeed.
For under 250EUR the SOLO cannot be beaten. Its quick setup, ease of use, sound quality and connectivity options make it a budget audiophile streaming powerhouse. Add to that free software updates as promised by Argon Audio, what’s not to love?
Find out more at www.argonaudio.com
Story originally appeared on thebudgethifiguy.com
