Audiophilepure

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the BluOS had a few glitches in it. When playing a list of music, it would occasionally hang up on a track and give an error message. I assume it is the BluOS app, as I have never gotten this error with the Quad Platina Streamer or my WiiM Ultra. It appears to be a timeout error. It did not happen often, but it did happen more than twice during my listening sessions, and I am sure it can likely be patched later. Otherwise, the BluOS App worked well with my Qobuz library, and navigation was intuitive and easy. I wish the app would allow me to change the display from my seat, but I found once I settled on a screen, there was little reason to change it again.

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The material structure of our walls, ceiling and floor was not overlooked – along with the dimensional modes there are colourations introduced by the very nature of modern brick, concrete, wood and plasterboard construction methods, the latter the least favourable to audiophiles. Sound-proofing was also part of our build profile – no unwanted noise in or out… Good suppression is readily achieved at mid and high frequencies with Rockwool infills but there’s no substitute for sheer mass when it comes to attenuating the lowest bass frequencies.

The floor is solid – a liquid screed pumped over the existing concrete and stone foundation, securing the flexible plumbing/pipework for underfloor heating and with square-section trunking alongside, running down the centre of the room. Here our audio cabling rests hidden and free from vibration within the floor substrate, exiting behind the Artesania rack [see below] and inside the plant room. Interconnects and speaker cables emerge from ports behind the power amp and speakers at the ‘business’ end of the room [see above]. It’s very neat and tidy!

The brand-new Point Grande Ultimate speakers are Perfect8’s ultimate take on the open-baffle, full-dipole, point-source loudspeaker concept.

I prize a DAC that offers resolution and transparency because those qualities bring you closer to the material. In other words, they dissolve mechanical barriers, allowing you to connect to the material on a deeper level and create some kind of memorable emotional and/or intellectual experience. I was not surprised the DX5 II could accomplish this because Topping has been refining and improving its implementation of ESS DAC chips for years now. What was surprising, however, was that, in an age in which everything from gasoline to groceries has become borderline or unaffordable, this sub-$300 DAC and Headphone Amplifier is essentially without fault. The performance of the Topping DX5 II was consistently spectacular. Once price is considered, it is easily one of the greatest bargains I have come across in all of audio. Unequivocally, it is beyond reproach.

I have had a lot of speakers go up and down my stairs in the last few years, but few have left as lasting an impression as the Pylon Jasper 25 mkII Tower Speakers. Tonally, they sound excellent with no need for adjustment or room correction. I would describe their sonic quality as balanced, with a sweet top end, robust midrange, and strong bass foundation. They sound great with all types of music and are built with attention to detail. Pick a color or wood finish that meets your individual style, because Pylon offers quite a selection. Paired with a decent-quality amplifier, the Jasper 25 mkIIs will reward the listener with years of musical enjoyment.

But, in addition to that, I decided to push things a bit further in terms of speakers, and if initially I just intended to pair my Waterfall Iguescu with the EA13, after a few hours of listening I decided to follow the trend and get a proper set of vintage speakers to fit. Followed by the usual forum reading, store visits and friend discussions, which finally ended by the acquisition of… a pair of NOS JBL 4435.

Yes, big, heavy (115kg… each), vintage speakers that sit in complete opposition of my sleek Waterfall or egg-shaped Devialet, but after a few pairing tests with the FiiO, those were the ones that convinced me.

As for the source, music was streamed to the Fosi S3, used as a streamer and DAC, from Apple Music (Hi-Res when available), Spotify Lossless, and my own Plex library, the Fosi feeding the FiiO EA13 via RCA. I also plugged the FiiO M27 out of curiosity, the two of them standing at the exact opposite side of the chart in the audiophile world, but knowing the DAP prowess as a source, I’d be dumb not to try.