World Premiere Review!Merrill Audio Element 116MX $30,000 Review
July 18, 2026 § Leave a comment
https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0726/Merrill_Audio_Element_116MX_Review.htm
I first discovered this LP in the 1990s, when many people were dumping their vinyl for CDs. That was when I found the EMI pressing of this symphony in nearly perfect condition. It was recorded in 1969 and conducted by Sir Adrian Boult, who was present at its premiere. I’ve heard other versions, but this remains my favorite.
Besides sounding very modern for a popular symphony, I’m a sucker for a symphony that contains either a choir or a pipe organ. This symphony has both. The choir appears in both the second and the final movements, and the organ appears in the third movement. Plus, many might be surprised. Many of Vaughan Williams’ works are not sedate snooze-fests, especially this symphony, and especially not the third movement that morphs into the fourth, the second side of the EMI vinyl.
Thanks to the Element 116MX’s enveloping soundstage, I felt as if I could see into the multi-layered, detailed sound and point to the different instruments and sections of the ensemble. This was true even during the explosive third and fourth movements that make up the climactic portion of the symphony. This section describes the adversaries that Scott encountered, which led to Scott’s demise.
Although no home audio system can replicate the sound of a large orchestra and hall, for example, the 50-foot proscenium of the concert hall stage, the Merrill Element 116MX monoblocks placed me in the 10th row of Kingsway Hall in London, where they created a vivid sonic picture of the orchestra, the choir, and the pipe organ.
Above all, Merrill Element 116MX’s midrange was extremely transparent. The upper strings sounded plush and inviting, as the London Philharmonic in the 1960s was a talented group of musicians, including the masterfully sounding string section. The Element 116MX monoblocks enveloped me in a luxurious string sound, revealed the musicians’ talent, and drew me further into the music.

Perlisten A4t loudspeaker Review
July 18, 2026 § Leave a comment
https://www.hifinews.com/content/perlisten-a4t-loudspeaker
You don’t, then, need to feed this floorstander a hard-driving, bass-rich diet to appreciate its talents. Shostakovich’s Symphony No.1 in F Minor, from the Boston SO for Deutsche Grammophon [96kHz/24-bit], showed the A4t can sound sprightly and light on its feet despite the visual evidence to the contrary. It easily conveyed the fizz of pizzicato strings and the work’s staccato melodies, while shifts in both tone and weight were well handled. This was a performance of subtlety and precision… until the thrusting first crescendo of the ‘Allegretto’ saw orchestral drums conjured with real depth and dynamics. In a word? Tasty.
Hi-Fi News VerdictWhile aiming for a lower price point, Perlisten clearly has no desire to change the way it goes about designing its floorstanding loudspeakers – the A4t is once again a weighty yet controlled performer, with a focus on imaging precision and nuance. With the push to affordability, however, comes a softer and arguably more ‘crowd-pleasing’ sound. Put this on your list if you like to listen long… and loud.

🎶 Rega Planar 6 RS Edition Turntable is Here: Is This The Ultimate Planar 6?
July 18, 2026 § Leave a comment
SPL Performer s900 power amplifier $5500 Review
July 16, 2026 § Leave a comment
https://www.stereophile.com/content/spl-performer-s900-power-amplifier
The SPL Performer s900 power amplifier will fit well in many systems. It is designed to drive almost any speaker, with a firm grip and authority. Its sound isn’t completely “neutral,” but it’s close—close enough to show a recording for what it is. No shade cast on great recordings, no lipstick painted on pigs.We’ll see what John Atkinson’s measurements reveal, but to me the s900 sounded like it met its specs: low distortion, high output power across a wide frequency range, plenty of headroom, the two channels superbly matched.At its price, the s900 competes in a crowded market, though it’s not overbuilt. Its engineers fit a lot of amplifier into a compact package with what seemed to be sensible heat management and layout that allows it to run dead-silent. Its looks are agreeable to my aesthetics: not fancy, not clunky—in fact it looks like what I think a power amp should be: a device which lets itself shine by what it’s not doing. It’s not acting as a sound effect, it’s not drawing attention through flakey behavior, it’s not crapping out when the music gets complex and loud. In my systems, the s900 was a solid force for musical good.


Shanling M0 Pura $129 Review
July 16, 2026 § Leave a comment
Due to the tiny size of the M0 Pura, I was expecting an anemic power delivery and loose bass control, as I’m used to with my old Apple iPod mini and nano.
I was delighted to report that the M0 Pura sounds very normal and contemporary, similar to other, larger DAPs or digital sources recently released.
Thanks to the decent output power and moderately rated output impedance, the M0 Pura sounds surprisingly powerful given its small size.
Though not the tightest I’ve heard, the bass is well-controlled and much more so than I expected. I hear a clean bass with only a slight thickening in the mid-bass, and it never muddies the sound, even at the maximum volume I listen to.
The midrange and the treble are very flat and extended. I hear no false warmth in the sound, which I’m very thankful for, as I don’t like sources that have warm and less resolved sound.
Arendal Sound 1610 Tower 8 Loudspeaker $7600 Review
July 15, 2026 § Leave a comment
Although I speak enthusiastically about Arendal Sound and its products today, it took several years for me to get there. When we received our first Arendal speaker to review, the 1723 Tower S, I admired its build quality and aggressive pricing, but because reviewer Philip Beaudette found the sound very good rather than truly great, I wasn’t yet convinced the company was producing world-class loudspeakers. I saw it instead as a promising start.
That changed when the 1528 series arrived and I reviewed the Tower 8. I not only raved about that speaker—I also hopped on a plane with our video crew to learn more about the company firsthand. During that trip, designer Thomas Gunvaldsen impressed me with both his technical skill and clear understanding of loudspeaker design, while owner Jan Ove Lassesen struck me as forthright and determined to deliver high performance with equally high value to consumers.
Since then, my respect for the brand has only grown. Philip subsequently reviewed and loved the 1528 Monitor 8s enough to consider buying them. But after auditioning the 1528 Tower 8s I reviewed, he instead purchased that exact pair—they’re now his reference speakers. As for me, I wasn’t happy to see those Tower 8s leave, because they sounded that good, but the 1610 Tower 8s came surprisingly close to filling that void.


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