Audiophilepure

https://www.stereophile.com/content/%C3%B8-audio-verdande-loudspeaker

The crossover network is first-order, at 800Hz, using nine electronic parts total and only two parts in series with the signal (one coil for the woofer, one foil capacitor for the horn), and a L-C-R filter to tailor horn response. Cook said the simplified design results in “stable and high” impedance that doesn’t dip below 9 ohms.Mala and Cook wouldn’t say which company makes their drivers, but they did mention that Ø Audio is located about 40 minutes from SEAS (Scandinavian Electro Acoustic Systems) and that they use that company’s anechoic chamber. SEAS, however, does not make and sell any off-the-shelf 15″ woofers.The Verdande cabinets rest on four large, polished steel feet, inside of which a circle of tungsten ball bearings isolates the cabinet from the floor and vice versa. The speakers tilt backward, so the front panel slopes a bit. There is a single pair of multiway binding posts at the rear.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/2040-svs-sb17-ultra-r-evolution-subwoofer

Moving on to “Where Is the Line?” from Björk’s Medúlla (CD, Elektra 62984‑2), Rahzel’s beatboxing had more impact with the SB17 engaged, producing a bigger sound. Still, the effect on this track was subtle, and if I didn’t have the luxury of a subwoofer to draw my attention to it, I’d never know anything was missing in the first place.

However, listening to Medúlla’s lead single, “Who Is It,” the effect of the SVS was undeniable, as it filled out the low end of the track and made it sound like a far bigger, more powerful spectacle. On “Hunter,” the opening track from Björk’s Homogenic (CD, Elektra E2 62061), the SVS’s contribution was anything but subtle. With the SB17 engaged, “Hunter” was an anthem of epic proportions, sounding far more powerful and physical than it did through the Arendals on their own. The bass that the SVS generated was fast and tight, starting and stopping instantaneously. The SB17’s driver may be enormous, but the monstrous amplifier and DSP controlled it masterfully.

This is what makes using a subwoofer so much fun. Whether you’re listening to a pipe organ in a grand cathedral, or assaulting your senses with rapid-fire electronic beats, hearing deep bass with a vice-grip level of control is as much a visceral experience as it is an auditory one, and it can make for exhilarating listening. This is exactly what the SVS did in my room.

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/high-end-vienna-2026-loudspeakers-50000-and-up

Year in and year out, I attend shows in venues I’m intimately familiar with. For better and worse (mostly the latter), I’ve come to know the acoustic challenges of the big rooms and the small ones in Chicago, in Munich, in Denver, in Las Vegas (back when there were shows in Denver and Las Vegas). But it’s been quite a while since I’ve attended a show in an entirely new and unfamiliar spot.

https://www.headfonia.com/audioquest-brave-heart-review

The Brave Heart can be summarized by a tighter, more controlled low-end with exceptional textural accuracy and resolution. It stretches deeper into the sub-bass, with better control and impact, while providing also a cleaner and clearer mid-range. Instruments and Musicians are fuller, slightly more organic sounding and come across as vivid and life-like. Brave Heart’s biggest strength lies in its impressive technical performance.

With the Brave Heart, bass control and definition reach a new tier. You don’t necessarily get a heftier or meatier low-end, but a more defined and precise one. The extension into sub-bass is markedly enhanced as well to my ears. What truly distinguishes the Brave Heart though to me, is its superior definition.

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1309-devialet-astra-streaming-integrated-amplifier

My biggest gripe involved connecting the amp to the rest of my system. The problem was caused by the very low height and the chassis overhang at the rear, which hides the cables from view but impedes access. There was no room for balanced analog inputs, so to play music from my EMM Labs DV2i DAC, I had to use unbalanced cables. More importantly, there was insufficient room to use my Nordost Valhalla 2 speaker cables; they are spade-terminated, and the cables ended up pointing down and hitting the rack. A solution might be to use banana-terminated cables, but I do not have any of comparable quality. Devialet gave me an awkward workaround. Following their advice, I positioned the Astra so that it protruded beyond the rear of my rack. I then inserted the spade prongs through the narrow holes at the base of the (non-removable) protective covers, allowing the cables to hang down off the end of the rack. It worked, but it looked weird.

I believe the Audeze LCD-5s are the finest planar headphones I have ever heard. They are comfortable to wear for the long haul and efficient for any headphone source. The better the headphone amplifier the better they sound. I am mightily impressed. The award winning Dr. C has done it again. He has pushed the envelope and redefined the state of the art. I did try a couple of different cables from other manufacturers, but I could not match the clarity and sense of realism of the supplied Audeze cables. Whether you listen to them single-ended or balanced you will enjoy the headphone listening experience to the max.