Audiophilepure

Kharma Exquisite-Midi Loudspeaker

The Exquisite-Midi is staggeringly compact for its level of performance. At 40″ tall, 12″ wide, and 20″ deep (not including stands), its 180-pound weight hints at the quality, density of materials, and complexity of its construction. The combination of high-gloss black and high-gloss wood finishes with gentle curves screams fine craftsmanship and luxury. As with a Ferrari or McLaren, every line is purposeful and graceful. Every curve and seam is masterfully executed and finished. Tap on the top and all you get are sore knuckles and all you hear is a dull thud. The cabinet is designed, inside and out, to get out of the way of the music and to optimize phase behavior and minimize time delay. I will stay away from the great debate over which speakers are truly time and phase coherent, and which say they are and aren’t. Nor will I address whether time or phase coherence is more important. What I can say is that this speaker is among the most phase and time coherent transducers I have ever heard—at least to the extent I credit myself for being sensitive to such things. Speaking of coherence, the proximity of the four drivers lends itself to amazing driver integration, which is easily affirmed by listening. The crisscrossing support structure on the speaker’s base employs 1″ threaded spikes and 3″ floor plates. The 1″ threads allow for easy adjustment of the Exquisite-Midis’ 180-pound mass, and the 3″ floor plates permit relatively easy movement for setup. Around back are two pair of Cardas clamp-style speaker posts. Banana-terminated cables need not apply—they won’t work, period. Embrace the spade.

The SR25 is a stunningly-packaged little device, both in terms of its one-of-a-kind looks, and its over-achieving capabilities. There are certainly some cheaper options out there in DAP-land that will get you into audiophile-grade sound for less, but they’re not really as interesting as the SR25. I found that what the SR25 does so well is the fact that it delivers an incredible overall experience in terms of sound, sight, and feeling – it really does deliver emotional engagement in spades, and for that reason, it’s well worth it as a ticket into high-end, portable sound. Highly recommended

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/fyne-audio-f501sp

Once positioned with care, these speakers image well. They have a focused and precise sound that captures low-level detail well. It’s an organised presentation, one that pulls every instrumental strand together to produce a cohesive and musical sound.

Tonally, this Fynes aren’t the smoothest performers. That IsoFlare array has many strong points, but in our experience it doesn’t tend to produce the sweetest highs or offer the even-handed neutrality of the best alternatives.

It’s important to note that the F501SPs remain more than acceptable in these respects, provided the partnering electronics are chosen with care. Equally, rivals that do better in those aspects invariably fail to match the Fynes in their areas of strength.”

Flagship Focal Utopia Phones

Listening to Frank Zappa’s Freak Out! reveals what makes the Utopias worth the price. Their ability to disentangle complex recordings is fantastic. Anyone who happens to be a student of Zappa knows how much he packs into any tune. The massive bass riff in the opening of “Who Are The Brain Police?” is kept in balance with all the tinkly percussion bits, surrounded by layer upon layer of vocals – with Zappa staying front, center, right inside your brain as you listen.

The Utopias do and equally enticing job with sparse musical selections. Moving all the way through Twin Peaks (Music From the Limited Event) I’m stopped dead in my tracks on Sharon Van Etten’s “Tarifa.” If you aren’t/weren’t a Twin Peaks fan, at the end of the new episodes (produced around 2017) there is a different band playing in the bar. David Lynch had an incredible sensitivity for the music featured in the original series, and continues this trend here. It’s worth a spin on your favorite streaming service, you might find a few good test tracks!”