Spatial Audio Lab M3 Sapphire Loudspeaker $5000 REVIEW

December 13, 2020 Comments Off on Spatial Audio Lab M3 Sapphire Loudspeaker $5000 REVIEW

I pulled the Sapphires another foot out away from the wall and, voilà, something magical happened: tonal balance evened out, a rock-solid and articulate low-end seemingly emerged out of nowhere and a cavernous and finely layered soundstage dissolved the front wall. “Now we’re cooking,” I said, smiling.

A subsequent conversation with Clayton convinced me that there are two reasons that my revised positioning brought the speakers into their own. First, put the Spatial Audio Lab M3s too close to the wall, and the bass energy coming out of the rear of the M3 Sapphire may create out-of-phase bass reflections off the wall that cancel out bass response, resulting in the kind of “leanness” I had experienced. In other words, unlike most box speakers, placing an open baffle speaker too close to the front wall behind them tends to diminish rather than reinforce bass response.

Ayre AX-5 Twenty Integrated Amplifier £14,750 Review

December 13, 2020 Comments Off on Ayre AX-5 Twenty Integrated Amplifier £14,750 Review

https://www.hifinews.com/content/ayre-ax-5-twenty-integrated-amplifier

The last aspect of the AX-5 Twenty’s performance that caught my ear is its soundstaging. This is highly impressive, and goes back to the amplifier’s overall sense of grip and effortless power. It drove my big NS-1000Ms like they were tiny little Wharfedale Diamonds, absolutely commanding them. This in turn made for a superb rendition of the recorded acoustic of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s ‘Country Girl’ [Deja Vu; Atlantic 7567-82649-2].

By no means would you call this an audiophile recording, yet the AX-5 Twenty picked through the murky soundscape to give a really clean, architectural sound with everything neatly in its place. There was no sense of instruments being placed in the mix incorrectly, or indeed vaguely. Instead, everything was practically nailed down to the floor. Depth perspective was impressively good too, giving a really immersive feel to this classic track.”

Sade – THIS FAR

December 13, 2020 Comments Off on Sade – THIS FAR

FOCAL ARCHE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER/DAC/PREAMPLIFIER 2,495 REVIEW

December 12, 2020 Comments Off on FOCAL ARCHE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER/DAC/PREAMPLIFIER 2,495 REVIEW

http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/focal-arche-headphone-amplifierdacpreamplifier-1/

“With the vast majority of headphones and in-ears I attached to the Arche I found no mismatch issues except with the highly sensitive 119 dB Earsonics EM10 CIEM. With EM10 there was a slight, low-level, hiss. With my most inefficient headphones, the Beyer Dynamic DT-990 600 ohm version, the Arche had more than adequate drive to produce high volume levels with lots of juice left over.

While not ergonomically perfect, the Focal Arche does most things right, both in terms of sonics and due to its built-in headphone profiles and amplifier options, making the Arche an impressive first-time electronic offering. 

Audience frontRow powerChords $6700 Review

December 12, 2020 Comments Off on Audience frontRow powerChords $6700 Review

“Quite out of character, you’ll find me sporting a silly grin these days. I’m engaged in a project I have wanted to do for the longest time: rolling the power cords on my amps. My silly grin is because both rounds so far have seriously upped my game, and I’m not done yet—there’s at least one more round coming up. The price point I’m looking at (MSRP between 6-9K/2m) is chock-a-block with exciting contenders. I knew I should have done this a long time ago!

The frontRow powerChords from Audience excel in every performance parameter you might deign to focus on, with particular distinction in two areas: timbres that bring a splash of exciting color and texture; and a low-end that is tuneful and dynamic as hell. They sound delicate and bold at the same time. Try as I might, there is nothing to quibble about their performance, let alone criticize.

The frontRow powerChords from Audience ascend to the power cord executive suite and deserve a seat at the chairman’s table. Definitely a contender—they have proven themselves worthy.”

Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UF52 Review

December 12, 2020 Comments Off on Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UF52 Review

YG Acoustics Hailey 2.2 Loudspeaker $46,800 Review

December 11, 2020 Comments Off on YG Acoustics Hailey 2.2 Loudspeaker $46,800 Review

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/yg-acoustics-hailey-22-loudspeaker/

The Hailey 2.2 is a musically expressive, revealing speaker capable of deep-reaching, tuneful bass and agile, wide-ranging dynamics. It creates focused images within an expansive soundstage into which the speakers sonically disappear as sound sources. It reproduces power musiclike grand orchestral passages and hard-driving rock very well, as is also the case with subtle solo acoustic works (and all other kinds of music, for that matter). The Hailey is the lowest-priced model in YG’s line to offer all of the company’s defining engineering features except the cabinet-in-cabinet enclosures found in all the models above it. As such, it is a compelling way for listeners to enjoy most of YG’s technology at a significantly lower price. It is a fine example of trickle-down technology yielding good results. The Hailey 2.2 deserves to be on your audition short list at its price level. Another fine loudspeaker from YG and another recommendation.

PARASOUND A23+ STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER $1595 REVIEW

December 11, 2020 Comments Off on PARASOUND A23+ STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER $1595 REVIEW

“Parasound’s tradition of offering good quality and high value audio components continues in the A23+ amplifier. This amplifier is well built and looks stylish with its gold accent lines and lettering. In general, the sonic attributes of the A23+ score highly in my scorecard. The A23+ delivers neutral-character vivid sounds with excellent dynamics. Sonic presentation seems well balanced across the audible frequency spectrum with extended treble and punchy bass. It is capable of portraying satisfying soundstage too. While the A23+ may not be the best in every respect, it can deliver well above average in all aspects of the sonic performance. Overall, the A23+ amplifier brings a lot of value to the table that easily justifies its $1595 price tag. This amplifier should be on the audition list for someone who is in the market for sub $2000 stereo amplifier.”

Denafrips Terminator-Plus R-2R ladder DAC

December 11, 2020 Comments Off on Denafrips Terminator-Plus R-2R ladder DAC

PMC twenty5.26i Loudspeaker £8495 Review

December 10, 2020 Comments Off on PMC twenty5.26i Loudspeaker £8495 Review

https://www.hifinews.com/content/pmc-twenty526i-loudspeaker

AC/DC’s ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)’ [High Voltage; EMI 494 6712] does not have the holographic imaging of other compositions, but while the speaker did not have to dig deep, neither did its midrange driver gloss over the distorted guitar riffs, retaining the distinctive layering. The wide soundstage also stood out, with Malcolm and Angus Young’s guitar parts enjoying a breadth that mirrors their on-stage setup.

There’s a cohesive nature to the twenty5.26i’s performance that’s addictive. The effect is that you can lose the sense you’re listening to a set of speakers, the sextet of drivers instead forming a balanced, even whole, from pure-sounding bass at the bottom to grit-free highs.

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