Audiophilepure

The VE PRO is not quite as wide as the VE PURE or as immersive as the VE ZEN. The 3 BA drivers do a good job in arrangements, but it’s not quite as deep and enveloping as the flagship ZEN.

However, if you find the chilled positioning of the VE PURE mids, then the VE PRO might be the better choice as it pushes them front and center with the additional upper-treble contrast producing some welcome bloom and sparkle in the process. 

To that end, the VE PRO can sound like it has a more attention-grabbing presentation with the controlled BA drivers etching out some welcome space and air for each note to be clearly heard and clearly underpinned by the low-end power. 

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/2023-audiolab-9000q-preamplifier-dac

Peter Gabriel’s recently released Live at WOMAD 1982 (24/96 FLAC, Real World / Tidal) is an excellent live recording just bristling with energy. “Shock the Monkey” begins with what sounds like a drum machine combined with Jerry Marotta’s live drumming in a tight, funky, infectious beat; in my opinion, this arrangement is superior to the studio version of the song. Gabriel’s vocals are presented with a lucidity conveying the urgency in his delivery of the lyrics. I was impressed by how well the 9000Q unraveled the complexities of this live production, keeping the varying primal beats separated from the energetic vocals.

This clarity was even more evident on “Mercy Street,” from a 2000s-era live Gabriel album, In the Big Room (24/96 FLAC, Real World / Tidal). The closely miked a cappella harmonies in the opening had a palpable sweetness, and the gently undulating electric bass of Tony Levin sounded inspired. Even though his notes were incredibly slow to develop, each flowed smoothly into the next, with prominent weight and differentiation between successive notes. Levin’s ability to mirror the sombre vocals with his intensely expressive but subdued bass is brilliantly captured in this recording and was magnificently recreated by the 9000Q.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/pathos-acoustics-inpol-legacy-integrated-amplifier

This was one of many ear/eye-opening performances I enjoyed with the InPoL Legacy, and I would have no trouble recommending it to anyone with the necessary budget and listening room space. Its sound might be better suited to some musical flavours than others – I had more fun listening to Marika Hackman’s ‘Claude’s Girl’ [We Slept At Last; Dirty Hit DH00063], with its dulcet vocal and light, sparkly acoustic guitar accompaniment, than I did the punkish rock of Velvet Revolver’s ‘She Builds Quick Machines’ [Libertad; Sony/BMG 82876888592] – but that’s not a criticism. Every audiophile, excluding perhaps those with a penchant for heavy metal, must hear this amp in action.

Slide that off, and the inner box switches gears. It is more minimal, less flashy. The top has that subtle LETSHUOER branding and a clean layout, and then you get this dual-door flap design in the middle, sealed with the brand’s logo badge. It feels nice to open, even if it is simple.

Once you open it up, the layout is straightforward and tidy. The IEMs sit on the top left in a foam cutout. Right below them is the carry case, round and clean, sitting snug in its own slot.

On the side, you have the accessory packet and the ear tips tray, stacked neatly so nothing is floating around.

A few accessories, such as a cleaning cloth, a cleaning tool, etc., are not present, so it is not like you are unpacking ten layers of stuff.

The included accessories themselves feel complete enough, but I still think the box is bigger than it needs to be. The box is half air with a lot of foam and a lot of space doing nothing. It could have been packed in a more compact, tighter way without losing that premium feel.

The Hornsolutions Masterpiece Series is the undisputed pinnacle of horn loudspeaker engineering – the culmination of more than 20 years of obsessive refinement, relentless innovation, and an absolute refusal to make even the smallest compromise.

I am not a heavy believer in tweaks for their own sake. What matters most is system synergy, and I’ve carefully assembled a combination of D’Agostino, dCS, CH Precision, and Wilson components that work exceptionally well together in my room.

After running the C2 in stock configuration for several months, I made three changes that resulted in clearly audible, non-subtle improvements. These are optimizations I apply to every component in my system, including the Momentum HD it replaced.