Air Tight ATM-300R power amplifier $16,995 Review
February 17, 2019 Comments Off on Air Tight ATM-300R power amplifier $16,995 Review
“After spending so much time listening to George Bernard Shaw’s two favorite composers, I found myself in the mood to hear something from Brahms, whom the playwright and occasional music critic—the latter under the name Corno di Basseto—held in contempt. The Air Tight did a lovely job with Rafael Kubelik and the Vienna Philharmonic’s recording of Brahms’s Symphony 1 (LP, London CS 6016). String and woodwind tones throughout were lusciously textured and colorful, but not pushed to unrealistic extremes in those regards: tones were beautiful and faithful. The kettledrum in the introductory measures had realistic force, and a convincing increase in intensity leading to that portion’s climax. In the scherzo-like third movement, both the clarinet’s tone and the believability of the air surrounding it in the recording space were remarkable—and the ATM-300R conveyed the rhythmic change as the bubbly first part led into the more accented rhythms of the Trio section. The sound was consistently involving, and held my attention right through the smooth transition into the final movement, with the swooping strings allowed a believable sense of scale: Here, as in Das Rheingold, the Air Tight was capable of letting the music sound big.”
R
Focal In-wall Speaker Dolby Atmos 5.2.4ch
February 17, 2019 Comments Off on Focal In-wall Speaker Dolby Atmos 5.2.4ch
FIIO FA7 $300 REVIEW
February 16, 2019 Comments Off on FIIO FA7 $300 REVIEW
“I ran the FA7 on an iPhone6, an AK120, and FiiO’s own M6 DAP as these are popular lower powered devices. On these pairings, I am hearing good resolution especially on the upper vocal range. The dynamic range is good with decent texture in its low-end and excellent articulation and detail in its treble performance despite it rolling-off at the very top-end.
The FA7 performs well technically, yet the low-end quantity can be a bit overwhelming at times. To me, lower pitched vocals are a bit laid back, particularly male vocals which, at times, compete with that stronger bass bias. You may find equalizing down the midbass by 2-3dB effective in delivering more clarity to the FA7’s vocal presence.”
YouTube Music arrives on all Sonos speakers
February 16, 2019 Comments Off on YouTube Music arrives on all Sonos speakers
“YouTube Music Premium (£10/month) offers ad-free music streaming as well as downloads for offline listening, while the £12-per-month YouTube Premium (formerly YouTube Red) subscription offers ad-free, background and offline viewing across all of YouTube, in addition to all YouTube Originals.
Naturally, owners of the smart Sonos One and Beam will be able to control playback of the YouTube streaming services through voice commands once Google Assistant arrives on the speakers, which should be very soon.”
Gold Note PA-1175 MkII solid-state stereo amplifier $6,295 Review
February 16, 2019 Comments Off on Gold Note PA-1175 MkII solid-state stereo amplifier $6,295 Review
“One last design characteristic must be addressed, and it is important enough to mention, though not technically a design flaw. The effort to make the amp balanced through and through – remember, even to the operations of the back panel – causes a logistical connection problem for speaker cables when the amp is in BTL mode. The red/positive posts only are used to connect the + and – leads of the speaker cables when the amp operates in BTL (Mono). There is a serious shortcoming, and the word “shortcoming” is a propos to describe the frustration of discovering that not a single speaker wire I have on hand had long enough leads to reach breach the approximately 14” gap between the two red posts!
I love stereo amps that go mono, but this issue drove me crazy! For some time I could not use the amps in BTL mode because the leads of the speaker cables would not stretch a necessary 15-16”. I had, just days before, returned the last of the TEO Audio Liquid speaker cables on loan following review – it figures, as they were the ones with individual positive and negative runs for each channel.”
Best Headphone Amps & DACs To Buy In 2019
February 16, 2019 Comments Off on Best Headphone Amps & DACs To Buy In 2019
Abyss AB-1266 Phi CC Edition Planar-Magnetic Headphone $4995 Review
February 15, 2019 Comments Off on Abyss AB-1266 Phi CC Edition Planar-Magnetic Headphone $4995 Review
“To appreciate what the Phi CC headphone does so well, try listening to a well-made live recording such as the track “Anabasis” from Dead Can Dance’s In Concert [PIAS America, 16/44.1], and note the adept way in which the headphone handles textural, transient, and spatial details in the music. “Anabasis” features a recurrent, very low frequency percussion motif juxtaposed against a shimmering and also recurrent treble percussion figure. The Phi CC Edition headphones beautifully capture the weight, depth, and incisive attack of the low-pitched drum being struck, while simultaneously rendering all the delicate, finely filigreed textures and harmonics of the higher percussion instruments. Perhaps best of all though, the headphone conveys the myriad low-level spatial cues (including subtle crowd noises, and stage and hall reverberations) that together give this track the uncannily realistic sound and “feel” of a live concert event. It’s this engaging and engrossing quality of vivid realism that sets the AB-1266 Phi CC Edition apart from competitors.”
ExaSound PlayPoint DM Review
February 15, 2019 Comments Off on ExaSound PlayPoint DM Review
“As I listened to Brenda Navarette’s album Mi Mundo (192/24), I experienced stunning realism and immediacy to this Cuban singer/percussionist’s performance – it left me grinning at the beauty of the recording. The sound spread beyond the outer borders of my speakers with excellent focus and clear reproduction of the voices and percussive instruments while always sounding natural and effortless. The dynamic qualities of the percussion and bass were reproduced with a transient quickness and impact that were a real treat for this listener.
One recording that will challenge the best of systems is Don Grusin’s live album The Hang; a 96/24 presentation that combines the musical skills of Don Grusin with a host of top-flight musicians including Patti Austin, Ernie Watts, and Sadao Watanabe. I decided to open up the volume level to allow me to feel the dynamic impact reproduced by my Wilson Alexia Series 2 speakers. If this recording sounds congested during the dynamic passages, it’s something in your system. The PlayPoint DM sailed through this album with a “you are there” presence with absolutely no layer congeal. There was terrific weight and slam to the bass and percussion with impressive reproduction of instrumental textures. The powerful rhythmic drive of many of the selections were reproduced with a lively, upbeat sound that was an absolute pleasure to experience.”
Audiophilepure 
You must be logged in to post a comment.