Aavik Acoustics U-380 integrated amplifier $39,000 review
June 9, 2020 Comments Off on Aavik Acoustics U-380 integrated amplifier $39,000 review
“Without question, the Aavik Acoustics U-380 integrated amplifier delivered the finest class-D sound that I’ve ever heard in my system. Beyond the strong and superbly controlled bass that I’ve come to expect from amplification of its class, it also exhibited an uncommon range of color, dynamics, and detail. While a slight dryness of timbre and lack of ultimate brilliance were evident, they manifested in a context so musical as to render their ultimate effect perfectly suited for extended listening. To put this in some sort of context, speaking from direct experience, the difference in timbre, color, liquidity, and brilliance of the San Francisco Symphony in SF’s Davies Symphony Hall and Seattle’s Benaroya Hall is far greater than the sonic differences between the Aavik U-380 and the other integrateds I’ve auditioned.”
McIntosh Laboratory C1100 Preamplifier $14,000 Reviews
June 8, 2020 Comments Off on McIntosh Laboratory C1100 Preamplifier $14,000 Reviews
McIntosh Laboratory’s C1100 is a captivating-sounding preamplifier, and a worthy successor to the C500 and C1000. Designed to be the center of any high-quality audio rig, the C1100 offers myriad analog and control connections, MC and MM phono stages, exemplary build quality, luxurious yet intuitive ergonomics, and a rich, inviting sound. Moreover, the C1100 is very competitively priced; at $14,000, it costs $3000 less than the C1000, and to get the same level of functionality from other preamplifiers of this ilk, you’d likely have to pay more. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the C1100; it spoiled me every time I touched it, and captivated me every time I listened to it. Highly recommended.”
Audiovector R1 Arreté $5500 review
June 8, 2020 Comments Off on Audiovector R1 Arreté $5500 review
“It really is impressive just how bold and confident these speakers are when challenged with the music’s savage dynamics and dense instrumentation. The R1s stay composed even when pushed hard and barely harden-up in such circumstances.
Detail levels are as high as the price point demands, but the Audiovector’s musically cohesive way of assembling all that information really impresses. These are the kind of speakers that allow you to analyse the production of a recording if you want to, but they’d rather you step back and enjoy the musical experience.
When we listen to this Stravinsky piece we’re wrapped up in the musical drama rather than wondering about the mechanics of the recording. That’s just as it should be in our view”
Von Schweikert Research VR-4 Loudspeakers Review
June 7, 2020 Comments Off on Von Schweikert Research VR-4 Loudspeakers Review
“Play most any recording taken from a concert hall or other large acoustic space and you will “feel” the pressurizing of the room with these speakers. It’s amazing how much ultra-low low bass information there is on many of these recordings and how much that information enhances the illusion of your room being that same concert hall. There is a down side, though. It can get a little disconcerting when you can plainly hear the rumblings of the air ventilation system or the traffic outside the recording site. I hear way too much of this on Chesky’s Johnny Frigo with Bucky and John Pizzarelli and the other recordings made at the RCA Studio “A” site in New York City.
Another down side is that a speaker that goes this low with real authority, will excite room resonances and standing wave problems much more than speakers that don’t move as much air or that have limited range. I don’t have resonance problems in my “audio bunker,” my room being underground with concrete under the floor and on all four walls, but I do have a standing wave problem at about 34 and 37Hz due to the long straight and diagonal lengths of my room. With the Wilsons, they’re heard as only minor peaks—with the VR-4s, they’re quite a bit more prominent. Not to worry though, the problem is nicely solved with a few of ASC’s 20″ tube traps or some of Tyll Hertsen’s (Mr. Headroom’s) home brew frequency specific cancellation tubes. Let’s face it, you have to pay your dues if you want killer bass with no peaks.”
JADEAUDIO EA3 IEM REVIEW
June 7, 2020 Comments Off on JADEAUDIO EA3 IEM REVIEW
“They performed equally well with most music genres though admittedly I don’t go in much for the “House” or EDM sound that might, in fact, prefer a boomier bass-heavy headphone, of which there are plenty out there for less discriminating tastes.
What the EA3s are is an exceptional, well balanced, everyday use IEM, that won’t insult your music or sources and that won’t break your heart and pocketbook if you lose them, with a look and sound that will fool the uninitiated into believing they are much more expensive than they actually are, a definite thumbs up recommended product.”
Acoustic Solid Wood Round MPX Turntable Review
June 7, 2020 Comments Off on Acoustic Solid Wood Round MPX Turntable Review
“Acoustic Solid has done it again with the Wood Round MPX turntable. The plinth layout adds a dash of style while the engineering ‘under the bonnet’ is top drawer. The package with the WTB 370 arm and Ortofon Quintet cartridge is sonically very well judged yet the turntable itself will give even more if treated to an arm upgrade when the mood or funds arrive. Solid by name, it’s a solid choice too.”
MARK LEVINSON NO. 515 TURNTABLE REVIEW
June 6, 2020 Comments Off on MARK LEVINSON NO. 515 TURNTABLE REVIEW
“Mark Levinson makes the No. 515 with the company’s customer base in mind, and ML amplifiers now have seriously good phono stages onboard (which put paid to my suggestion that they make a stage that could fit under the plinth of this turntable). The opportunity to buy a matching record player will appeal to that base. For the rest of us, the No. 515 is a substantial turntable with many appealing qualities and a sound that is as physical as the record player itself. It would be interesting to contrast cartridges that you can get for the £2,000 premium for the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze to the turntable, This Ortofon is competent and revealing, but there may be alternatives that are a little easier to love, and the turntable is more than capable of handling a more up-market cartridge. But such things are often in the ear of the beholder so don’t discount it by any means. ”
ACCUPHASE E-370 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
June 6, 2020 Comments Off on ACCUPHASE E-370 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“So what we have here is an amplifier which uses considerable technical skill to interfere with the music signal as little as possible. Protection of phase relationships and almost obsessive preservation of fine detail pays enormous dividends when it comes to the rendering of the musical experience. Large-scale is more than adequately catered for: the LSO/Alwyn Tchaikovsky ‘Capriccio Italien’ [Decca] has some phenomenal dynamic swings and leans towards bombast in places, and there was no question the E-370 was up to the task at hand. My listening notes just read: ‘Bloody hell!’, which is shorthand for ‘a rollicking ride, which nevertheless preserved an excellent sense of the passing of thematic material around the orchestra – something often lost in translation’. It’s no one-trick pony, either. I’ve already praised the amp’s felicity with contemplative Scandy jazz, and now ‘When I am laid in earth’ from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas [Apex] was almost unbearably poignant. The phrasing, the way the searing melodic line plays against the implacable ground bass, and the precise spatial placement of solo, choir, and orchestra, all contributed to a deeply affecting performance.”
Audiophilepure 
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