McIntosh C52 Solid-State Preamplifier $7000 Review
June 15, 2018 Comments Off on McIntosh C52 Solid-State Preamplifier $7000 Review
“One of the secrets of the Benchmark’s stellar performance is that it re-clocks the signal to eliminate jitter and timing errors. McIntosh addresses this issue with its own set of proprietary protocols. The C52’s digital engine deploys premium ESS chips configured in a fully balanced mode of eight DACs (four per channel) with fanatical attention to regulating power-supply voltage so precisely that it doesn’t deviate from the exact value the DACs require for optimal performance. I have no means of measuring this, but I did try to confound the C52 by replacing my audiophile-grade coaxial cable (of superb construction and shielding) with a cheap, no-name RCA interconnect. The result? Absolutely no discernable effect upon the reproduced sound. Still not satisfied, I went for the jugular, unbending a coat hanger and using it for the coaxial connection. Same difference: no effect upon the sound quality whatsoever. Suffice it to say that you can safely banish all worries about the C52’s ability to deliver a bit-perfect signal. (The coat-hanger stunt was to simulate a worst-case scenario of timing errors and jitter, but you should never use anything except a shielded cable for all digital connections owing to the sheer amount of RFI digital radiates—enough, say, to interfere with an FM tuner or other equipment used within ten to twenty feet of an unshielded connection.)”
Aurum Cantus Leisure 2 SV MKⅡ Loudspeaker Review
June 15, 2018 Comments Off on Aurum Cantus Leisure 2 SV MKⅡ Loudspeaker Review
“The Aurum Cantus Leisure 2 SV MKⅡ Loudspeaker is all about acoustic atmosphere, clarity, and depth. The typical trade-off for these qualities is a less meaty and a slightly lifted tone. Although not very warm…it has a sweet spectral balance. The music just envelopes you in an exceptionally layered embrace. It’ll dazzle you with vivid transparency and speed while voices are pristinely focused and intelligible.”
MEZE 99 CLASSICS REVIEW
June 15, 2018 Comments Off on MEZE 99 CLASSICS REVIEW
“The 99 Classics have a great low end; they are full with good extension yet without sounding too bloated. There is great articulation of bass guitars, and they sound relatively well controlled too. There is one tiny bit of resonance in the mid-bass that creates a little bloat, but this can easily be fixed with EQ and this is a result of the newer larger earpads. I really like the low end response of these as they have enough quantity to please most, but they are also well behaved for the most part; without bleeding heavily into the midrange. As I said previously, bass guitars have really good articulation, and kick drums have good slam. The lows only fall slightly behind when it comes to very fast and technical passages of some heavy metal where that mid-bass resonance can be a little overpowering.”
Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon turntable Review
June 14, 2018 Comments Off on Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon turntable Review
“The Sumiko Blackbird is a cartridge I’ve been interested in spending time with in my own home environment/context since I first heard it, and their Blue Point cartridge several years ago on a McIntosh turntable/system. I have to say this cartridge tends to the lean side, and required some experimentation with loading to get it to where the sound was what I wanted from it. Sumiko recommends 100 Ohms of loading for the Blackbird Low, but I ended up happiest with 25 Ohms through the Pass Labs XP-15/XP-17, as it fattened-up the bottom end, and added some needed midrange jam. Some might complain that the highs suffered a loss of air, which they did (ever-so-slightly), but it was a balance i was willing to live with for long-term listening enjoyment. I used the “High” setting on the impedance selector of the windings of my Audio Note SUT, which is optimized for cartridges with an internal impedance of roughly 15-20 Ohms (the Blackbird Low is 28 Ohms). The tonearm is an updated 9cc Evolution with an inverted bearing, made of carbon fibre with a dampened-metal counterweight, and a beefed-up C-collar bearing/pivot housing. All the usual suspects are present in the technical adjustment lineup for an ‘arm of this caliber including easily-tweaked VTA, overhang, and azimuth.”
ROON – THE ONLY MUSIC PLAYER YOU WILL EVER NEED
June 14, 2018 Comments Off on ROON – THE ONLY MUSIC PLAYER YOU WILL EVER NEED
“I have been using Roon for nearly 6 months now as my go to media player, it is just so slick and easy to use, yet underneath lies a very powerful platform providing all you need for multi-room setups and much more. The way it cleans up your library and presents it in an immersive and informative view is excellent. Ok, so Roon is not cheap, but if you are looking for a single solution for a media player along with network access and Tidal support, it really is all you need.”
SCHIIT LYR 3 HYBRID MODULAR TUBE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $500 REVIEW
June 13, 2018 Comments Off on SCHIIT LYR 3 HYBRID MODULAR TUBE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $500 REVIEW
“Unlike many tube headphone amps that exhibit the rolled off high frequencies and bottom end that a seeming majority of electrical engineers think is the “tube” sound, the Schiit Lyr 3 produces a true audiophile sound with extreme linearity in both the low bass extending into the subsonic and the upper registers, while retaining the musicality of midrange to tame the occasionally aggressive precision of the Schiit Multibit DAC. Despite the use of a shared tube for both channels, the stereo separation was competitive with many dual mono amps I have heard, and while the soundstage is a bit shallower than I prefer, it does depend a lot on which headphone you listen to, as listening through the Katanas put me exactly where I wanted to be. As to power and dynamic range, I can’t imagine a headphone that the Lyr 3 couldn’t drive easily and produce clean clear concert level volumes for those who wish to damage their hearing. I did find myself listening to higher volumes than I would normally without any fatigue, and could easily get lost in the music for hours.”
Essential Phone Gets MQA Streaming
June 12, 2018 Comments Off on Essential Phone Gets MQA Streaming
“In a press release announcing its partnership with Essential, MQA cited the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)’s recent “Connecting with Music” report, which found that 90 percent of consumers who subscribe to an audio streaming service use their smartphone for music listening.”
Beats Studio3 Wireless Over-the-Ear Headphones Review
June 12, 2018 Comments Off on Beats Studio3 Wireless Over-the-Ear Headphones Review
“Beats headphones have come a long way from my first audition of them back at that fateful Consumer Electronics Show, and they’ve done a lot to provide a new stream of profit to Apple, which was already pretty good at making a profit, thank you very much. The wireless Studio3 is a polite but slightly too-laid-back headphone with sub-standard bass. Will that keep people from buying them and/or owning them with pride? Not a chance. They’ll mate well with your sexy new Apple products, and that goes a long way. They are sold enthusiastically in places where people buy headphones. In the end, I am glad that the sonic signature of these next-gen Beats has changed, but it needs to be more open, refined, and tight to compete in the space. Additionally, the comfort level and dissipation of heat could be better. There are simply many other options that beat the Beats.”
Audiophilepure 
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