MARANTZ SACD 30N NETWORK SACD PLAYER $2500 REVIEW
December 16, 2020 Comments Off on MARANTZ SACD 30N NETWORK SACD PLAYER $2500 REVIEW
I think the only thing the Marantz SACD 30n lacks is surround playback of SACDs. About half of the SACDs released had surround tracks. It’s a crime I can’t play them back. For my money, they could kill some of the streaming stuff and give me analog surround outputs. I’m sure those discs would sound great through that Marantz Musical Mastering technology.
Still, I give this player high marks. The build quality is impeccable. It looks modern, yet it honors the Marantz designs of the past. There are esoteric CD/SACD players that touch $20,000. I’ve heard a few of them a long time ago, and my memory is not perfect, but I’ll bet this Marantz would challenge the best of them. To sum up, the Marantz SACD 30n accomplishes what it set out to do, which is play physical discs as well as they can be played. Its sound quality and styling are both superb.
Vimberg Amea Loudspeakers | REVIEW
December 16, 2020 Comments Off on Vimberg Amea Loudspeakers | REVIEW
Are the Vimberg Ameas the best two-way stand-mounted loudspeakers I’ve heard? Maybe. I’m not sure I’ve heard them all yet. Plus, the very idea that there’s a Vimberg Amea out there with the optional diamond tweeter makes me a little crazy. I need to hear that soon. I need to know how much better it can possibly get.
Once again, please don’t ask me how the Vimberg Amea compares to another two-way monitors out there. This is a beautifully made and meticulously engineered loudspeaker that needs to be evaluated and classified by one important criterion: sound quality. Is the price of this speaker justified by the sound quality? Big time. Do you need a big massive tower with a 12” woofer array to experience full-range sound in your listening room? I don’t. I can’t imagine needing anything that these “2-way bookshelf monitors” can’t supply.
Tri-Art Audio B Series 4 Open Speaker $3,840 Review
December 15, 2020 Comments Off on Tri-Art Audio B Series 4 Open Speaker $3,840 Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2020/8/19/tri-art-b-series-4-open-speaker
But you don’t have to spend an outrageous amount of money to achieve what we all want: the satisfaction of hearing 3 dimensional sound come through 2 points of light with a level of clarity, transparency that removes all sound fatigue. And if it is true that our brains, in listening to music, are constantly trying to match what we hear to our own understanding of the world, of humanity’s ability to create sound, then we need speakers that translate the source as authentically as possible. These speakers do this.
AURALIC ALTAIR G1 DIGITAL AUDIO STREAMER M £1,999 REVIEW
December 15, 2020 Comments Off on AURALIC ALTAIR G1 DIGITAL AUDIO STREAMER M £1,999 REVIEW
AURALiC ALTAIR G1 Digital Audio Streamer
There isn’t a ‘game changer’ at the moment because so many aspects of the game of hi-fi are taking a bit of a rest right now. But I feel strongly that the nearest we get to a game changer is the AURALiC ALTAIR G1. Sure, it’s a more modest proposal next to the digital big guns (including the big guns from AURALiC itself), but I can’t help but feel it’s the right proposal for the job right now. Best of all, that ‘more modest proposal’ makes few concessions to performance in absolute terms. It’s easy to set-up, easy to use, fun to listen to, and is priced to appeal to a wider audio enthusiast base than many of its contemporaries. In the audio world of 2020 and beyond, it makes all the right noises and ticks all the right boxes.
TOP 5 Record Players for Christmas 2020
December 15, 2020 Comments Off on TOP 5 Record Players for Christmas 2020
STAX SR-007A ELECTROSTATIC HEADPHONE $4500 REVIEW
December 14, 2020 Comments Off on STAX SR-007A ELECTROSTATIC HEADPHONE $4500 REVIEW
In my conclusions, especially as I get older, I try to avoid heaping superlatives when I review a product that I genuinely like because I never know when that next better product will come along and take me by surprise. However, I’m finding it really hard not to just openly gush about the STAX SR-007A and both of the SRM-700 series headphone amps. Yes, it is a roughly $5000 dollar personal listening set and you may be saying, A- That’s crazy! Or, B- Well it’s $5000 dollars and who wouldn’t rave about a personal toy that cost that much? Both would be missing the point. Electrostatic headphones sound like nothing else out there and anyone who is serious about their headphone listening should experience a pair for themselves to understand what I mean. The STAX SR-007A themselves hit that sweet spot for me in terms of comfort and performance unlike anything else, from a headphone standpoint, that I have experienced thus far. They produce pure, weightless musical energy seemingly devoid of distortion and effort and at a volume that can well surpass reasonable need. And they produce all the bass I could want in the bargain. Combined with either one of the STAX SRM-700 amplifiers, one is presented with a reference level home listening setup that could ruin a person to accept anything less. Is there something better out there? Perhaps, but I’d wager not without a significant increase in cost and for an incremental gain at that. If budget were not an issue I would purchase these outright and use them as a reference. I find them to be outstanding in every regard and that I had every right to be in awe of their ancestors in my youth.
Rogers LS 3/5a Classic mini-monitors $3,350 Review
December 14, 2020 Comments Off on Rogers LS 3/5a Classic mini-monitors $3,350 Review
Small speakers are limited by their physique and I have yet to audition one that is of such superlative design and performance that a separate, outboard crossover box is utilized. But two-way small speakers are not expected to deliver the same volume as full-range floorstanders, and that very limitation is a blessing in disguise. Even then, I have auditioned bookshelf speakers from companies big and small in the past few years and the Rogers is the first pair that warrants a formal review.
Accurate speakers are an essential editing and mastering tool, and some designs I auditioned were revered by professional studios but tonally boring to my audiophile sensibilities. Food without flavor is not nice. The new Rogers LS 3/5a 15-ohm is accurate enough to reveal changes upstream and is full of flavor, and listening to it play music is quite an experience. Speakers of the Rogers caliber and stature selling for $3,350 the pair accords everyone the opportunity to experience the BBC sound at least once in your lifetime.
Audiophilepure 
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