Audiophilepure

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0926/AGD_Forte_Dual_Mono_GaN_Amplifier_Review.htm

The first album, Our Great National Parks, is a soundtrack with music written by David Schweitzer for Netflix’s series with the same name. It is a study in beauty and majesty not dissimilar from our nation’s parks themselves. It is also full of the same mind-boggling experiences they contain, as the tracks are appropriately named. So, it felt right to use.

Firstly, this amplifier is powerful. It lacks for nothing. The most difficult of passages are child’s play for this amplifier, and it doesn’t even get warm. The more complex the passage, the more it seems to excel. In fact, while this album is somewhat newer to my repertoire, it drew me further into its depths the more complex things became. This is usually the opposite of the way complex music works on playback systems. The reason is that, without the fatigue normally associated with trying to fill in the blanks, it was simply easier to relax and enjoy the material.

Secondly, the amplifier accurately reproduced bass without struggle or coloration. This made things very lifelike and enjoyable again. The simple fact is that without enough bass, everything sounds too thin; with too much, it is overpowering and overwhelming. The Forte did everything correctly. There was plenty of extension and depth. There was no omission or commission; it was simply perfect. It also did not roll off at low frequencies, so the full-range Gershman Acoustics Symphonia loudspeakers were able to achieve their full potential as well. It was an impressive showing for the amplifier.

Lastly, the dynamics were spectacular. There was such a difference between highs and lows that it was a callout on its own. Typically, I don’t call attention to it in a review, but this was different. Here, the symphony was more alive and fuller of life than I’d heard before. There was less compression, and it seemed to breathe better. This again aligned with the theme of the album and lent itself to its use in the review.

The second album for this review was Frank Sinatra’s Platinum. Ok, even if you don’t love Frank Sinatra. You must admit that his voice has a certain vim and vigor. This is exactly what made it my choice for this review. It might be easy to reproduce, but it’s hard to get right. The first album showed the power, but this one, well.

https://www.whathifi.com/hi-fi/best-acoustic-tracks-to-test-your-hi-fi-system

It can be nice, sometimes, to sit back and simply let the full production of a track wash over you, to be immersed in a wide soundstage that’s packed with instruments and information for you to soak up. However, there is also nothing quite like hearing a great acoustic track.

Strip away all the bells and whistles, and music immediately sounds more intimate, encouraging a greater connection between listener and artist. Great acoustic tracks allow you and your system to peer in and dig out the subtlest and finest of details and deliver tone and texture the like of which you haven’t heard before.

https://www.whathifi.com/hi-fi/turntables/pro-ject-debut-reference-10

In a pitched battle against the Debut Reference 10, the Rega outguns its Pro-Ject rival, bringing so much snap and verve to Jackson’s Dirty Diana that the Reference 10 can’t quite keep up. For making you want to don your white suit and bust out your best Moonwalk, the Rega remains the king of this particular castle.

That doesn’t, by any means, render the Pro-Ject obsolete or unworthy of praise. This is still a terrifically talented turntable, and with the Rega’s recent price hike taking it from £999 to £1099 in the UK, one that costs a not-inconsiderable chunk of money less.

Drop back to something a little slower-paced, such as Tom Jones’ Did Trouble Me, and the Pro-Ject is back in its element. Jones’ voice is as rich and smooth as a cigar soaked in malt whisky, and the Debut Reference 10 has the requisite weight and warmth to give the gospel tune that lovely feeling of soulful sincerity.

Mimisbrunnr has a sound primarily characterised by a warm, heavy low end; a natural, full-bodied midrange; and a slightly energetic and detailed yet smooth treble.

The low end is clearly a highlight of this tuning. There is plenty of bass presence, giving the sound good weight and warmth.

All that strong low end does not drown out the rest of the spectrum. The emphasis towards the upper midrange, along with some added air and sparkle from the EST drivers, keeps the presentation from becoming overly thick or dark.

The midrange sits slightly behind the bass but does not feel overly recessed. Vocals and instruments have good presence. You will find them carrying good clarity and bite.

The treble carries a fair amount of energy, with enough presence to bring about sparkle and openness, complementing the heavy low end nicely.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/dirac-live-art-room-correction-software-pc-and-mac

Listening in stereo made explicit another benefit of Dirac ART. Many of us have had the experience that turning up the volume past a certain point can excite a certain room mode, by, for example, a single bass note, to a point beyond what’s pleasing. Sometimes it seems that all the bass blooms out of proportion when we exceed some level. That’s the room, not the music. We reflexively dial it back.With ART, that doesn’t happen anymore, as I can demonstrate with two very familiar tracks that are famous for their bass energy: “Yulunga” from Dead Can Dance’s Into the Labyrinth (DSD rip from SACD, 4AD SAD2711) and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones’ Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (CD rip, Warner Bros. Records 9 26562-2). In the former, focus on the whole span of the low-to-midbass percussion and plucked strings. In the latter, follow that Stygian bass melody. Previously, when I turned up the volume past a certain point, the bass became louder but also amorphous as it overloaded the room, the music, and my ears. Using ART, when I turned up the wick, none of that happened because its correction of modal behavior tracks with changing volume. Consequently it’s possible to play all your music louder than ever, limited only by your own tolerance or unhappy neighbors.In my random ramble through my library testing Dirac ART against my memory of favorite tracks, the cover art of Tracy Chapman’s 1995 album, New Beginning, caught my eye. Of course I had to play “Give Me One Reason” (CD rip, Elektra 61850-2). I had heard it before, many times, but not like this. It was as if the opening bass and guitar were in the room with me, close—except that it was not my room. When Chapman’s voice, warm and vital, appeared to their right, it confirmed our common presence in this other space. Percussion had snap. A quick bypass of Dirac was jarring, its restoration relief and pleasure. I had the feeling that, finally, everything was just right.