NAIM ND5 XS 2, NDX 2, ND 555 STREAMERS REVIEW
April 9, 2018 Comments Off on NAIM ND5 XS 2, NDX 2, ND 555 STREAMERS REVIEW
“We then moved from the NDX 2 to the ND 555 in the same system, this time moving over to Lyle Lovett. Once more, there was a greater sense of physical presence of singer and musicians, with at once more separation and – not as paradoxically as it sounds – more cohesion between the players in the band. After this we played a number of tracks (not just alt-country) through the ND 555, and it retained a sense of richness and organic depth to the sound, but not at the expense of the pace of the music (understandably, given the company it hails from). This was just a slice of how these players perform and the sound of the system wasn’t giving the kind of stereophony or bottom end definition I would necessarily seek on any of the tracks, but it did show up the good-better-best differences well. One for more investigation, I suspect.”
Klipsch Heritage HP-3 Headphones $1199 Review
April 8, 2018 Comments Off on Klipsch Heritage HP-3 Headphones $1199 Review
“While Brent described the Klipsch HP-3s as being “very competitive” for the price if used only in a home setting, he emphasized their versatility: “Unlike with so many headphones, there’s simply no reason not to like the HP-3s — no troublesome sonic colorations, no discomfort, and nothing to worry about in choosing partnering gear. . . . If you want a great set of audiophile headphones you can easily carry with you and use with any source device you happen to have in your bag, the HP-3s, in my opinion, have no serious competition.”
Chord Poly Review
April 8, 2018 Comments Off on Chord Poly Review
“Can you see where we’re headed? The Chord Mojo-Poly is battery powered. It can play music from a microSD card. Instead of playback control coming from a touch screen, our wifi-direct-connected smartphone does the talking. iPhone users wanting to dig into offline Spotify or Tidal content get the bonus benefit of Airplay. In other words, Mojo-Poly is a DAP without a screen or customised (read: functionally hamstrung) operating system, its control revolving around the smartphone, no USB cable required.”
SiriusXM 360L satellite radio meets 4G LTE streaming in the 2019 Ram 1500 – Video
April 8, 2018 Comments Off on SiriusXM 360L satellite radio meets 4G LTE streaming in the 2019 Ram 1500 – Video
McIntosh MC611 World Premiere $7500 each Review
April 7, 2018 Comments Off on McIntosh MC611 World Premiere $7500 each Review
“200Hz to 20Hz is stunning. Of course with 600 Watts per monoblock continuous, and peak power output of 1143.2766000000001 Watts, there was at least a two-fold of headroom to drive my speakers. Deep bass transients shows zero compression. Very impressive definition too; grip of the Gods capable of energizing the listening room without breaking so much as a drop of sweat. If anything, the woofers gave out at higher SPL levels/peak before the amp could get near 300 Watt continuous, let alone the 600 Watt rating. Thus this amplifier’s peak output limitation is not a factor at all… one would naturally assume.”
FOCAL KANTA NO.2 FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER REVIEW
April 7, 2018 Comments Off on FOCAL KANTA NO.2 FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER REVIEW
“I wrapped up with a track that combines sweeping orchestral work with guitar, mandolin, and male vocals; ‘The Last Goodbye’ performed by Billy Boyd from the soundtrack to The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies [2014 Warner Bros]. Once again vocals were incredibly smooth and natural. Billy was front and centre and sized appropriately. After a strong EDM track, it was fun to hear massed double basses creating powerful bass from string and bow. Mandolin and guitar had great tone and resonance. The sense of scale from the orchestra was sweeping and a true delight. This recording offers a nuanced vocal performance in the midst of orchestral grandeur and the Kanta N°2’s were able to serve it up in as good a presentation as I have heard for this song (I have played it with every pair of speakers I’ve had in the room, some far more expensive than the Focals). That the Kanta No2’s could deliver music as enjoyable as this is a true testament to the skills of the designers and engineers at Focal.”
Blue Hawaii HeadAmp GS-X mk2 $3000 Review
April 6, 2018 Comments Off on Blue Hawaii HeadAmp GS-X mk2 $3000 Review
“I was visiting The Source A/V in Torrance, CA, for the World Premier presentation of the MrSpeakers VOCE Electrostatic Headphones being auditioned on a gorgeous Blue Hawaii Headamp. The brilliant Dan Clark was personally presenting them. The Source is the only dealer in America authorized to sell HeadAmp products outside of Virginia. I brought along my trusty pair of Grado PS2000e Headphones to plug in around the store in the dozens of incredible headamps on display. As I listened to the marvelous(!) VOCE, I asked if there was a phone plug I might use to check the Grados. Right there was a very red finished GS-X mk2 with the identical musical source. I plugged in only to hear my Grados come to life like protoplasm was super injected into the drivers. The BIG Grado PS2000e have the biggest drivers ever utilized by Grado, and the ability of the GS-X to make them sit up and take notice with up to 6 watts of power is rather compelling!”
Raidho Acoustics XT-5 Loudspeakers $28,000 Review
April 6, 2018 Comments Off on Raidho Acoustics XT-5 Loudspeakers $28,000 Review
“The bass was round and, as I’ve said, deep, but didn’t devolve into muddiness or sloppiness. The midbass wasn’t of the super-tight variety I typically favor, but, like the XT-5s’ soundstaging characteristics, it was a change I could easily appreciate, and made many songs that I enjoy sound more relaxed. The title track of Donald Fagen’s Morph the Cat (16/44.1 FLAC, Reprise/Tidal) didn’t have quite the visceral impact I feel from some other speakers, but the bass was still deep and tuneful, if a bit rounder than what I’ve heard from, say, Magico and YG Acoustics speakers. The Raidhos found their groove in the way they could swing with the rhythm of the music, without locking it down with an iron fist. I could easily imagine the XT-5s overloading a small room — proper matching of speaker to room size will be important, but of course that’s true of any speaker that can produce low bass.”
COWON PLENUE J REVIEW
April 6, 2018 Comments Off on COWON PLENUE J REVIEW
“Aside from a higher amount of hiss compared to the Plenue D and Onkyo’s DP-S1, there is very little bad to say about the J. It’s loaded with Cowon’s typical bevy of sound enhancements, including BBE Mach3Bass, which currently is giving my head a Russian massage. Not counting user settings, are dozens and dozens of sound enhancements possible, my favourite of which is called BBE Headphone. It presses the sound stage wider and rounder, enlarging lateral stage enough to give you a double take around the room. As much as I appreciate what Sony have done with the ZX300, Cowon’s sound enhancements are better, or at least better able to get do crazy things to music without forcing buzz and other errors. And again, there are so many to choose from. Unfortunately, user settings are pains in the arse to fix. This is because, from EQ to BBE+, to SE reverb models, settings are stored in tiny cards that you have to tip up or down, and must be adjusted individually. Because the UI is laggy, it is frustrating.”
Schiit Audio Magni 3 Headphone Amplifier $99 Review
April 5, 2018 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Magni 3 Headphone Amplifier $99 Review
“If desktop use will be the primary application for your headphone amplifier (and if you also need or want an analog preamplifier) I feel the Magni 3 would be a better option. But if you require a headphone amp for portable and travel use, the Objective2 has a far more useful feature set. Finally, the Magni 3 comes with a five-year warranty, while the Objective2 has a two-year one.”
Audiophilepure 
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