CALLIA reviews and press comments
The Sound Advocate: PRISM SOUND CALLIA DAC – comprehensively assessed: May 2021 - Howard Milstein of The Sound Advocate said “As it happens so often, the best audio components do not necessarily have to be the costliest. The Prism Sound “Callia” DAC is another component that represents this to the ultimate level. The Callia will take your digital music files and CDs to a thrilling level of audio bliss at a fraction of the cost of many more notable models now available to consumers today.” (you can read the review here)
Sound+Image: See the Prism Sound CALLIA awarded "DAC of the Year 2019": Lesley Swan of Australian Hi-Fi said “Trialled with even-more testing fare, a 70-piece symphony orchestra, the Callia once more showed its ability to reveal the ‘weave’ of the music while at the same time uniting the threads into a glorious tapestry of sound.” (you can read the review here)
AudioMedia International: Read the excellent review of CALLIA from June 2018 by Alistair McGhee here: Alistair says “A superb piece of equipment that handles a wide range of formats, is beautifully built, a pleasure to operate and has a pedigree second to none. … I found the CALLIA often laid bare not just the sound of the music but also the soul of the performance.”
Positive Feedback - Creative Audio Arts forum: Read the rather splendid review of CALLIA from February 2018 by Dean Seislove at Positive Feedback here: Dean says “Fidelity to the source … a remarkably balanced sound … revealing, but still eminently listenable … the splashy amp reverb [..] is wonderfully articulated … CALLIA enables the listener to unearth all of the subtleties of music … Prism Sound CALLIA is a very fine DAC, indeed. The fact that it is also a superb headphone amp/DAC makes it excellent value, too. Recommended.”
Hifi Pig Magazine: Read the excellent review by Janine Elliott here.Janine Elliott writes "...for something that sounds this good and looks stunning as well, particularly with all the blue lights, then this may well be your best choice to decorate the music room ... A very accurate and detailed sound, better than many DACs at higher price” July 2017.
Recording Magazine: Read the excellent review by Paul Vnuk Jr. here or in the March 2017 PRINT edition of Recording Magazine.
Paul Vnuk Jr. says "Sheer beauty for your ears ... CALLIA is a simple and elegant stereo D/A converter ... It has a well-chosen feature set that befits its place as Prism Sound’s first product to officially target the home hi-fi/audiophile market ... CALLIA’s DSD playback sounds amazing! ... You’ve never heard music this way before."
SoundStage Experience: Read Wes Marshall's forthright article from February 2017 here. Wes Marshall says "[Prism Sound is] One of the finest companies making the move into the consumer market ... CALLIA is a DAC-preamp-headphone amp ... Prism Sound has excelled in each of those component categories ... They also make the [professional] Prism Sound ADA-8XR [Pro multittrack A/D & D/A], and the SADiE [audio workstation] system used to remaster the Led Zeppelin and RCA Living Stereo catalogs. In fact, Prism Sound gear is likely to be found in any major recording studio anywhere in the world! CALLIA offers everything anyone would need .. add some good-quality balanced cables, a pair of powered speakers, a good (short) USB cable, and a [MAC or PC] computer to create a wonderful digital listening system."
Australian HiFi: Read this fine review by Lesley Swan and the excellent technical report from Newport Test Labs' Steve Holding in pdf or in the January 2017 edition of Australian Hifi. Lesley Swan says "[CALLIA] Revealed the weave of the music while at the same time uniting the threads into a glorious tapestry of sound ... Prism Sound’s first foray into the consumer audio market is a tour de force, a genuine state-of-the-art DAC and headphone amplifier at a genuinely entry-level price ... CALLIA’s headphone output is awesome. It drove all the headphones I had to their maximum level without any audible distortion while also delivering outstandingly transparent sound."
Newport Test Labs' Steve Holding says: "Low-level linearity was excellent ... jitter was extraordinarily low ... pulse testing showed the lack of pre-ringing, which .. most audiophiles report as being audibly superior .. I can happily report absolutely outstanding performance from Prism Sound’s CALLIA DAC in every measurement made by Newport Test Labs."
The Audiophile Man: Read Paul Rigby's glowing review from December 2016 here. Paul Rigby says "[CALLIA] brought a sense of maturity and grandeur ... it offered a rich blend of insightful midrange frequencies ... with every synth run, vocal excerpt, blast of brass or percussion piece, there was more information on offer, more gradation, more shade and a greater degree of sensitivity ... just more interesting to listen to ... the clarity was enhanced ... the headphone amp was very good indeed ... this head amp remained detailed and insightful within the midrange... [CALLIA is a] fully featured, well designed, robust and easy to use DAC ... provides a sincere and direct connection to your music ...CALLIA allows you to turn on, tune in and drop your jaw…in admiration!"
Suono Magazine (Italy): Our thanks to Fabio Masia of Suono Magazine in Italy for this thoroughly excellent review. A chance to brush up on your italian here or in the November 2016 PRINT edition of Suono Magazine. Fabio says "Ottimo il DAC,
ottima la sezione ampli cuffia, ottimo l’apparecchio se usato come pre. (Google xlate: Excellent DAC, excellent headphone amplifier section, great used as pre-amp.)"
HiFi Plus Magazine: Read the excellent review by Alan Sircom here or in the September 2016 PRINT edition of HiFi Plus.
Alan Sircom says "This is genuine studio-grade equipment brought home ... This DAC gives an insight into the recording itself. You will hear into the mix, discover the precision of panning, the amount of reverb, the position of microphones...CALLIA is exceptionally detailed... It's an outstanding and powerful headphone amplifier too .."
Ask.Audio Webzine: Read Shane Berry's excellent and thorough review.. Shane Berry says "Prism Sound is a name synonymous with high-end audio production...now they are bringing that quality, and years of experience, to the home listener...The headphone amplifier, optimized for headphone impedance, is fantastic ... The [headphone] amp is powerful and clean, bringing depth and clarity to well-produced music that has to be experienced first hand to truly appreciate ... Prism Sound is all about uncompromising quality and accuracy ... everything from service support to packaging, the product itself, just feels spot on and worth it... CALLIA is solidly built ... finish is impeccable and oozes a sense of quiet, cool power...having the CALLIA DAC [on] your PC is like having a layer of cotton wool pulled out of your ears ... music suddenly has so much space, depth and clarity..Prism Sound’s professional ADA-8XR has long been the DSD conversion tool of choice in the world's top SACD studios, so CALLIA [is] the perfect choice for DSD reproduction at home .. one of the best value stereo hi-fi DACs on the market."
HiFi News Magazine: Read the excellent review by Andrew Everard and Paul Miller here or in the September 2016 PRINT edition of HiFi NewsAndrew Everard says "Prism Sound's CALLIA opens up the mix, allowing you to hear what each member of the band is doing ...the impression is of the sheer amount of information being unearthed, and that's as true with the close-miked jazz so beloved of HiFi demonstrators as it is with a spot of full-band orchestral music.... If you like to hear every movement of a cymbal, every slide of a finger on a string, or even the pedalling of the pianist, this is definitely one product your should hear."
HiFi World Magazine: Read the excellent review by Martin Pipe here or in the November 2016 PRINT edition of HiFi WorldMartin Pipe says "The first thing I noticed .. how much detail can be plucked out of a recording .... I got real insight into this intimate performance. Each instrument was beautifully-defined, occupying a definite space within the stereo image ... CALLIA bestowed upon this 20-year-old recording a living presence ... CALLIA is a fantastic piece of equipment"
Stereophile T.H.E. show report: Some nice comments from Stereophile's Jason Victor Serinus June 2016
Green HiFi - Michael (GJK) Koetsier: Nice coments from Michael (GJK) Koetsier after T.H.E Show, Newport Beach June 2016.
Everything Audio Network review: John Gatski bestows "Stellar Sound" award on CALLIA! John Gatski says "I was very impressed with CALLIA’s accuracy .. a smooth, precise, transient character with a detailed, percussive soundstage. The Steinway piano was spot on — without any audio grit .. in the high-amplitude, upper-register piano notes. My positive impression never wavered — no matter what kind of music .. CALLIA is a classy, open, detailed-sounding DAC with plenty of width and depth. Throw in 32-bit/384 sample rate capability, DSD playback, a great headphone amp and its under $3,000 price ... CALLIA meets the criteria for an Everything Audio Network Stellar Sound Award. That is Stellar with a capital S!" - June 2016