Astell&Kern AK T8iE In-Ear Headphones Review $1,000 – Video
March 24, 2016 Comments Off on Astell&Kern AK T8iE In-Ear Headphones Review $1,000 – Video
Shure KSE1500 Electrostatic earbuds $3,000 Review – Video
March 23, 2016 Comments Off on Shure KSE1500 Electrostatic earbuds $3,000 Review – Video
An audiophile’s conversion from vinyl to digital, then back again to loving LPs
March 23, 2016 Comments Off on An audiophile’s conversion from vinyl to digital, then back again to loving LPs
” Mark now believes that the original recordings’ sound quality is more important than the format, and the quality of the mastering is more important than the release format. As he plays through his collection of old LPs he feels they were, for the most part, better recorded and mastered than most new albums. He also believes that most newly remastered high-resolution files don’t sound as good as the original LPs. He doesn’t blame high-res for that, he just thinks that tastes have changed. I agree, newly remastered albums are almost always more compressed and equalized to make them sound more “contemporary” than the older versions. Better sound is, as always, a matter of taste.”
AUDIO ALCHEMY DDP-1 PREAMP/DAC/HEADPHONE AMP, DPA-1 STEREO POWER AMP, AND DPA-1M MONOBLOCK POWER AMP
March 23, 2016 Comments Off on AUDIO ALCHEMY DDP-1 PREAMP/DAC/HEADPHONE AMP, DPA-1 STEREO POWER AMP, AND DPA-1M MONOBLOCK POWER AMP
“The Alchemy products threw a large and well-defined soundstage, with outstanding depth, dimensionality, and separation of individual instrumental lines. On “Mars” from The Planets (Mehta, LA Philharmonic, Decca), the insistent snare drum that drives the rhythm was well back in the stage, with a real sense of air and space around it. The call-and-response lines of the tenor tuba and trumpet were well differentiated from each other and from the rest of the orchestra. The sense of size and scale was outstanding. Other hallmarks of the products were clarity and transparency—the sense of nothing between you and the music. The soundstage lacked the veiling that diminishes the sense of realism of instruments at the back of the stage.”
HiFiMan HE-560 Over-the-Ear Headphones Reviewed
March 23, 2016 Comments Off on HiFiMan HE-560 Over-the-Ear Headphones Reviewed
“The HE-560 has gone through a couple of small design changes since its introduction. The most noticeable cosmetic change was the enclosure, which was originally made of wooden cups; however, they were prone to developing cracks, so the company replaced the wood with a laminate and completely redesigned the enclosures. The earpads were also changed both in composition and physical structure. The current earpads are softer with a slight wedge-shaped angle that puts the back of the headphone slightly farther away from your ears than the front. My review sample had the current earpads and cup design, but the older cable connection. The headband design has not changed. It depends on the spring tension of its metal section for side pressure. My preference would be for slightly less pressure.”
Paradigm Prestige 95F Floorstanding Speaker Review
March 22, 2016 Comments Off on Paradigm Prestige 95F Floorstanding Speaker Review
” Each tessitura is in a solid relationship with each other — nothing juts out, nothing jars. I threw on Track 1, ‘the’ Track 1 that should be in all audiophiles’ arsenal — Thomas Newman’s soundtrack to American Beauty. You all know of my fascination and admiration for this chart and its composer. Unique, catchy and made up of untuned and tuned percussion and synths. I use it to test driver speed. Do you hear all of the resonance inside the Latin Percussion (noun, not adjective), the true timbre of marimbas numerous and the super low, tight synthesized bass? This CD should be on all your ‘to purchase’ lists. If your system is dialed in, you’ll hear subterranean bass utterly removed from the mid range and treble (Newman wants it this way) and a myriad of struck and bowed percussion, each in its own time and space. Don’t forget to listen carefully to the synth gliss shortly after the opening. How many layers can you hear? The Paradigm held its own and replicated the colours and dynamics well, if not in primary colours. There was a little builder beige, if I’m being completely honest”
HiFiMan Edition X Headphones $1,800 Review
March 22, 2016 Comments Off on HiFiMan Edition X Headphones $1,800 Review
” To my ears, the obvious difference between the Edition Xes and the HE1000s was in the treble. So I put on “Airpower,” from Larry Coryell and Philip Catherine’s Twin House (16[-bit]/44.1[kHz] WAV, Wounded Bird), an album of acoustic-guitar duets that’s especially revealing of treble quality. The HE1000s got “Airpower” pretty much right, with extremely clear but not overemphasized sounds of picks on strings, and fingers sliding up and down fretboards. The guitars’ bass notes also sounded wonderfully resonant through the HE1000s; I got a real sense of the instruments’ soundboards vibrating. “It might be just a tad bright, but it still kicks ass,” I wrote in my notes”
Klipsch R-15PM powered speakers – Video
March 22, 2016 Comments Off on Klipsch R-15PM powered speakers – Video
Miyo DAC/Amp
March 22, 2016 Comments Off on Miyo DAC/Amp
” Just over a year ago, a bunch of audio nerds launched a Kickstarter to get a new digital-to-analog converter and headphone amp into the hands of fellow high resolution music lovers. The Colorado startup promised backers that the palm-friendly Miyo would deliver the same kind of audio quality and sonic detail found in a professional recording studio. The campaign proved successful and the aluminum brick has since started shipping to consumers. We’ve spent the last few weeks rocking out with this useful audio toolbox, while also feeling the warmth radiating from the device itself.”
The Pass Labs HPA-1 headphone amplifier
March 21, 2016 Comments Off on The Pass Labs HPA-1 headphone amplifier
” The Pass Labs HPA-1 is a reference-grade component designed with well-heeled headphone enthusiasts in mind — ones that already own at least one world-class headphone. If that describes you, I hope you can get to hear the HPA-1. For everybody else, there’s a fair chance this level of performance will come down in price, in 5 or 10 years.”
Audiophilepure 
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