2026 Awards – Network Streamer

A headphone amp, DAC and streamer for those who want a remarkably high, ‘just the facts’ performance, the Madison LE is the ‘Lounge Edition’ version of the regular Madison that brings some fundamental changes to the architecture of the separate power supply.

At the rear of the solidly finished, hardback novel-sized extruded aluminium case are, pretty simply, three inputs – 100Mb/s Ethernet, and S/PDIF on RCA and TosLink – plus RCA and XLR sockets for connecting to an amp. A 6.35mm headphone socket sits on the front panel alongside a genuinely lossless digital volume control, which makes a lot of sense when the Madison LE is used with the matching Madison power amplifier to create a bare-bones system.

Sound-first priorities

The Wattson Music app is as stripped to the bone as the unit it controls, but does allow the streamer to speak to the usual streaming suspects, and also grants access to Apple AirPlay and Audirvãna, as well as UPnP and DNLA streaming set-up. It also allows you to run some basic housekeeping on the Madison LE.

No, this Swiss streamer isn’t flashy or even close to infinitely configurable, but it nails it where it counts; right in the sound quality. “The lively, exciting and detailed sound is very much at odds with the flat and slightly dull sound often attributed to streaming-ready devices,” says reviewer Alan Sircom. “It’s clean and detailed, with a close-knit but open-sounding soundstage, and a fundamentally neutral tone… The more you play through this pocket rocket, the more you come to like and respect what it does.”

Reviewed in Issue 247

Wattson Audio • wattson.audio

Read more about Wattson Audio here

Few companies of Electrocompaniet’s scale develop their own proprietary streaming software and control app because it’s time-consuming and consequently costly. However, the Norwegian brand has a proven track record in streaming; it was the first to integrate Qobuz into its Linux-based software in 2015, and its team in Leeds has been advancing the technology ever since. That experience shines through the ECM 1 MkII’s streaming support (you get Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz Connect, AirPlay 2, Roon and Audirvana readiness, plus Bluetooth) and the functional-over-fancy EC Play app control. 

Connectivity is decent, if not sublime: there are volume-controllable analogue outputs in the usual form, digital coaxial and optical inputs (fed by a DAC that supports an adequate-for-most-music 24-bit/192kHz limit), and streaming connections that provide a USB port for a separate drive and a coaxial digital output. Sure, it would be handy to have more inputs and a USB output, but that platter should cater for most equipment you might want to connect. Besides, it’s easy to forgive any shortcomings when you hear what the “uncannily musical” ECM 1 MkII can do.

Top-class execution 

Impressive detail levels, expressive dynamics and well-rendered scale – tick, tick, tick. “This streamer doesn’t emphasise any particular aspect of the music but paints a substantial and detailed aural picture that you’ll want to keep experiencing,” says Jason Kennedy. “It possesses the ability to engage both heart and mind, drawing the listener in and revealing what’s magical about the music.” Add to this engaging performance the ECM 1 MkII’s solid build quality, and you have a streamer that should be on anyone’s must-audition list.

Reviewed in Issue 242

Electrocompaniet • electrocompaniet.com

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McIntosh products have a distinct set of design criteria that sets them apart from the audio zeitgeist, and the DS200 meets those criteria perfectly. Its specification is expectedly thorough, with its quad-balanced, eight-channel DAC suitable for resolutions up to 32bit/384kHz, DSD512 and DXD384kHz, and feeding coaxial, optical, AES/EBU, USB Type-B and even HDMI ARC sockets. On the streaming side is everything from aptX HD Bluetooth to Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, and Spotify, Tidal and Qobuz Connect functionality. Put simply, it has the lot… save for analogue inputs. Naturally, RCA and XLR analogue outputs are onboard, configurable for fixed or variable.

McIntosh through and through

Its glowing green Gothic script, bright blue dot-matrix display, black glass fascia and equally well-made smattering of control buttons are very much ‘business as usual’ for McIntosh fare, too. And it’s just as easy to attribute the DS200’s quality and character of sound to the brand. “In every circumstance, the DS200 is deftly naturalistic and maintains an utterly convincing tonal balance,” describes Simon Lucas in his review. “Its frequency response is similarly judicious, from the profoundly deep bass to the bright and substantial treble.”

It keeps a vigilant eye on the most transient, tangential details in a recording, and, while the DS200 can ably deliver an implacable force or an abundance of low-frequency depth when required, there’s also a nimbleness and lightness of touch in contrast to the machine’s brooding physical presence. All up, the McIntosh provides “one of the most complete and thoroughly satisfying ways to access digital audio content that this kind of investment can procure”.

Reviewed in Issue 245

McIntosh • mcintoshlabs.com

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