MONOPRICE MONOLITH™ THX AMPLIFIER & DAC REVIEW $499 Review
October 25, 2019 Comments Off on MONOPRICE MONOLITH™ THX AMPLIFIER & DAC REVIEW $499 Review
“The Monolith 788 offers an extremely pure feeling bass experience, one that would require massive amounts of DSP to alter into the realm of warm feeling. Again, this is a great trait to have for clinical enthusiasts out there.
Liquid and crystalline in physical tactility, the Monolith here pairs exceptionally well with the Sennheiser HD800, especially so in balanced mode. The extra fullness is very appreciated with proper driving power behind it, top that off with the potential to dial-up or down some problem areas via the EQ onboard and you have a great recipe for some truly amazing dynamism.”
AME Custom Argent Electrostatic Driver IEM
October 25, 2019 Comments Off on AME Custom Argent Electrostatic Driver IEM
RAAL-REQUISITE TRUE RIBBON SR1A EARFIELED HEADPHONE MONITOR REVIEW
October 24, 2019 Comments Off on RAAL-REQUISITE TRUE RIBBON SR1A EARFIELED HEADPHONE MONITOR REVIEW
“The RAAL-requisite SR1a Earfieled Headphone Monitor is a crowning achievement of what is possible in headphone design. The beautiful sound coming from the ribbon monitor was sensational. The exceptional imaging made all performers come alive and made the equipment get out of the way.
The SR1a created a midrange that was as good as I have heard regardless of price. The soundstage was wide and deep with exceptional space and air between the performers. The 299D was able to throw off a 3D stage that was sensational. Imaging was among the best that I have heard in any system. The SR1a was so special that at times I felt as if I were actually at the performance.”
Schiit Audio Aegir power amplifier $799 Review
October 24, 2019 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Aegir power amplifier $799 Review
“What makes the Schiit Audio Aegir so special is how it generates class-D-like force and clarity plus the information-dense refinements of class-A. And how, at $799, it could dare to sound as trippy and lifelike as it does.The Aegir struck me as a design that will withstand and even rejoice in the scrutiny of time—much like the affordable Wharfedale, KEF, Harbeth, and Magnepan loudspeakers I tested it with.”
Brainwavz Audio Alara Planar Magnetic Headphone $399 Review
October 23, 2019 Comments Off on Brainwavz Audio Alara Planar Magnetic Headphone $399 Review
“However, when it comes to soundstage width and, especially, depth, the HD6XX handily bests the Alara. The Alara pulls Lenny Zakatek charmingly histrionic vocals on the aforementioned “I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You” to the front, whereas they stage deeper on the HD6XX, making what sounds like a light chorus effect slightly more apparent. Likewise, on Miles Davis’s Live-Evil’s “Funky Tonk,” Jack DeJohnette’s masterful drums, which transition between scattershot madness and tight grooves and back again throughout the opening to a 23-minute track, have more front-to-back depth on the HD6XX than the Alara, leaving more room in the center of the sound field for Davis’s wah-inflected trumpet.
Given this soundstage versus extension tradeoff, is the Alara an all-around better headphone than the HD6XX? In a word, no. However, for listeners put off by the HD6XX’s somewhat polite sound or those who wish for the brighter signature and up-front detail found in the Clear or Sennheiser’s own HD800S, the Alara offers a sound signature that edges toward those pricier cans at a fraction of the cost.”
Amazon Music HD With iOS, macOS, Windows 10
October 23, 2019 Comments Off on Amazon Music HD With iOS, macOS, Windows 10
“I tested iOS with my iPhone 11 Pro running version 13.1.3. I connected my phone to the same Alpha USB and Alpha DAC RS3 for testing. Setting a baseline, I played all sample rates via Qobuz bit perfectly through my iPhone 11 Pro. Just browse, click, and play. Switching to Amazon Music HD for iOS showed a major design flaw in this app. The Amazon app queries one’s audio device, in my case the Alpha USB, EMM Labs DV 2, and dCS Rossini, for its highest sample rate and sets the audio output to 192 kHz if the highest rate is at or above 192 kHz. Thus, whatever music was played via the Amazon app, it was sampled at 24/192 because that’s the max of the Alpha USB, and the other two DACs support higher rates. This same behavior can be witnessed using an AudioQuest DragonFly as well. The Amazon Music HD iOS app will set the DragonFly to 96 kHz no matter what’s playing.
In this configuration, playing Neil Young’s Greatest Hits worked perfectly. The album streamed bit perfect through my iPhone. Switching to any other album that wasn’t available at 24/192 meant that the audio was altered / resampled before getting to my audio system. There’s no way to manually set this sample rate int he app, like there is in macOS. I suppose one could get a D to D converter that supports a max rate of each sample rate and connect it to an iOS device based on the music selected. Oh wait, audiophiles are a strange bunch, but that is a bridge too far”
High End Wilson Audio, dCS, Dan D’Agostino
October 23, 2019 Comments Off on High End Wilson Audio, dCS, Dan D’Agostino
Woo Audio WA11 Topaz Portable Amp/DAC $1399 Review
October 22, 2019 Comments Off on Woo Audio WA11 Topaz Portable Amp/DAC $1399 Review
“Similarly, on “Gibraltar” from Weather Report’s Black Market [Columbia, DSD64], the Woo shows how the brilliant keyboardist Josef Zawinul has used multiple synthesizers to lovingly shape individual imaginary instruments to fit the needs of the song. Through the WA11, Zawinul’s brilliance is on full display. But even more of the track’s emotional content is expressed through the highly interactive “conversational” interplay between Zawinul, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, bassist Alphonso Johnson, and percussionists Chester Thompson and Alex Acuña. Again, the Topaz shows the meanings and intentions underlying the notes.”
50 Greatest Bargains in High-End Audio – 2019
October 22, 2019 Comments Off on 50 Greatest Bargains in High-End Audio – 2019
Cables, Power Products, and Accessories
AudioQuest conductive fiber record brush, $22.95
Caig Deoxit contact cleaner, $32.95
Shunyata Research Venom 14 AC power cord, $95
Synergistic Research Foundation Series, $499/$599
Mid-Priced
Excel Sound Corporation Hana SL phono cartridge, $750
GoldenEar Technology SuperSub X subwoofer, $1249
Monitor Audio Silver 300 loudspeaker, $2000
Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC, $2399
Bowers & Wilkins 705 S2 loudspeaker, $2500
Vandersteen Audio Model 2Ce Signature II loudspeaker, $2700
First Watt F7 power amplifier, $3000
Wyred 4 Sound SX-1000R monoblock amplifier, $3598/pr.
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo, $4000
Audiophilepure 
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