Audiophilepure

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The new ES9081 in the D100 has all the positives of ESS DAC chips and fewer, if any, of the negatives I criticize in older ESS DAC chips.

The D100 has a very neutral tonality with a flat, extended perceived frequency response. The sound is very transparent, clear, detailed, and highly resolved, as if the chip has decoded every micro nuance of the recording with nothing hidden and served it to the headphone output for enjoyment.

Yet the D100 never sounds clinical, with plenty of bass warmth and subbass elasticity and weight when the music demands it. The midrange and treble details are unforced, with gentle delivery and immediate response depending on the music.

Listening to Keith Jarrett’s Live at The Blue Note (Tidal) was outstanding. The longer I listened to “Don’t Ever Leave Me,” the more involved I became. Keith Jarrett’s piano was portrayed superbly, and the music had emotion and moved me in a special way. Jack DeJonette’s cymbals had life, weight, and gracefulness. They were detailed, transparent, and open, also free of edge and grain. The cymbal magic was effortless and vivid. Gary Peacock on the double bass was harmonically and texturally convincing. The sound of the plucks had a properly stringy, pitch, and weight. The DA88 Signature’s transient balance was truthful and consistent from the lowest to highest notes.

I enjoyed my time with the Jadis DA88 Signature immensely. The Jadis DA88 Signature worked flawlessly during the entire listening period, and it is a super quiet amplifier. There is no hum or any tube noise to speak of. I put my ears up-close to my super tweeter and it was dead silent. When an integrated amplifier sounds good at this price, I ask myself “Do I really need the separates?”

https://www.hifinews.com/content/jbl-summit-makalu

Sitting between the incoming K2 and Everest and the smaller Pumori and Ama, JBL’s Makalu is very likely the Summit series’ ‘sweet spot’ model, offering the scale and output for all but the largest rooms. Its sound merits the premium price tag, too, combining deep-diving bass and thrilling dynamics with detail and refinement. Despite the bold styling, this is not just a loudspeaker for rock ‘n’ rollers.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/soulnote-3-core-power-amplifier

I didn’t have to leave my orchard of unknowing to appreciate the sound of the A-3 Core. But venturing into the weeds taught me not just about grounding but also to be more open to designs that may at first seem arcane. Many of us have encountered systems that sound great but seem neurotically and needlessly over-engineered. Cable lifters made of exotic woods, supposedly resonance-damping crystal charms placed everywhere, wildly expensive power cables, and millimeter-precision placement of not just speakers but electronics, too. Individually, it’s easy to dismiss these things as superstition. But perhaps sometimes, when even seemingly inconsequential details are obsessed over in the exact right way, the cumulative effect is something you can’t get to otherwise. My younger self scoffed at this, but experience has eroded my dogmatic certainty. My time with this amplifier provided another nudge in this direction. I can’t deny that Kato and Soulnote’s obsession with every detail has resulted in a product that sounds astounding, regardless of whether I can argue in defense of each of their design choices.

Virtual HiFi has officially launched Supernova, its new three-way passive open-baffle statement loudspeaker designed by Grzegorz Rulka.Supernova combines two 15-inch SB Audience open-baffle woofers, a 7.5-inch SB Acoustics Satori TeXtreme midrange and a large special-order Mundorf AMT.The structure uses constrained-layer construction with 3mm steel, 2mm elastomer and a second 3mm steel layer, while the passive crossover features selected components from Mundorf, Jantzen, Duelund and Clarity Cap.