Manger s1 active loudspeaker $24,995 Review
September 1, 2020 Comments Off on Manger s1 active loudspeaker $24,995 Review
“I’d sum up the Manger sound like this: fast, pure, more articulate than smooth. The bass is present—all there—but don’t expect to bathe in it. The s1 leans more toward exciting than toward comfortable, but not excessively so. I loved the percussive sound of Ellington’s piano, with more leading edge than I’m used to, but natural—and how all the various ‘phones (xylophone, vibraphone, etceteraphone) rang out in space. I expected percussion instruments to sound good on these speakers, and they did. If there was a surprise, it was the corporeal images and fleshy textures.
Not all recordings sounded good because the s1’s are not, at least as I set them up, particularly forgiving. On “The Man’s Too Strong,” from Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms (FLAC rip from Warner 9 25264-2), I heard a metallic sheen I wasn’t expecting—but should have been. That track should be all wood and leather—no metal.
Indeed, it should be—too bad it wasn’t recorded that way. I still recall the thrill of hearing that pristine, ultraquiet recording for the first time. I was in my early 20s, and I already owned the LP. I had just bought a CD player, and this was the first CD I ever bought. I thought I’d never heard anything so fine—like crystal. Precisely what I was hearing from the Mangers. The Mangers were telling the truth.
Marantz HD-DAC1 Review
September 1, 2020 Comments Off on Marantz HD-DAC1 Review
“In the opening of Kozmic Blues the cymbals sounded like they were out there in the room in front of us, rather than being pumped into our ears by the headphones.
The Beyerdynamic headphones are fairly bright, but not as bright as the Final B3 in-ears. Yet they were somehow an easier listen than usual. We doubt that the amplifier could have done that. Perhaps they are wearing in. Anyway, they have a similar sensitivity – 102dB/mW – to the Beyerdynamic headphones, but they are nominally 19 ohms rather than 250 ohms. No problems. Superb control from the Marantz and, of course, even more power on tap I’m certain, were we prepared to chance it.
We spent most of the time with the Focal Elear headphones. These have a tonal balance closer to what you experience with high-quality loudspeakers. They are also middling in impedance – 80 ohms. Throughout all manner of music from piano to vocals to hard, hard rock, the Marantz delivered perfect control, providing a clear window into the recording.
It’s only those few audiophiles that are experimenting with super-high resolution formats (352.8/384kHz and DSD512 and beyond), or those who use balanced headphones, who may be disappointed that they can’t use these formats or devices.”
MONOPRICE PURE TUBE STEREO AMPLIFIER $359 REVIEW
September 1, 2020 Comments Off on MONOPRICE PURE TUBE STEREO AMPLIFIER $359 REVIEW
“In the bass, the MP amplifier is less than tight and tends to slightly blur bass lines. If you’re a rock music fan, you may never even notice these issues (after all, I’m comparing this modestly priced amplifier against a reference system where cost was of little concern). But if you listen to classical or jazz music, the bass may be more troublesome for you. Because of its output transformer, the MP has a relatively low damping factor (meaning that it may not control the woofer cones as tightly as would a solid-state amplifier that lacks the output coupling transformer).
Now if I’ve given the impression that I don’t like the sound of the Monoprice Pure Tube Stereo Amplifier, I apologize. Despite its sonic shortcomings detailed above, the sound can be captivating, entrancing, and exciting. This will be more so with some program materials than others, but at its best, the MP sounds like a FAR more expensive amplifier! The MP can sound like real music where many (most?) other (solid-state) amplifiers in its price range fall far, far short. This amp will easily trounce many AV receivers that I’ve heard.”
Audio Note UK TT3 turntable system $10,795 Review
September 1, 2020 Comments Off on Audio Note UK TT3 turntable system $10,795 Review
“Turning the TT3 on for the first time I was happy to hear that noise is very low. With three motors spinning, noise is a concern and the old Voyd Reference wasn’t as quiet as compared to other turntables. I detect only slight noise from the motors and the physical operation of the unit. This is only audible when close to the table. There is no audible noise from the seating position or more than about 2-3 feet from the turntable.
Putting on Tom Petty’s “Full Moon Fever” the idea was just to play some albums to let the system warm up. However, my jaw hit the floor. This is not some Analog Productions high end recording – this is a second hand LP from a second hand bin that I purchased for $2 or so. Wow. I couldn’t get the grin off my face for the next 5 hours. I had liked the table in auditions at audio shows and at Elephant Holdings (Audio Note’s Hong Kong dealer), but having the ability to audition with my own system and with my music is a different animal.”
Kings of Affordable Hi-Fi! Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UB5 Review
September 1, 2020 Comments Off on Kings of Affordable Hi-Fi! Elac Uni-Fi 2.0 UB5 Review
Yamaha A-S3200 integrated amplifier $7499 Review
August 30, 2020 Comments Off on Yamaha A-S3200 integrated amplifier $7499 Review
“The handsome front panel’s two output meters can be set to display either “Peak” or “VU”; the latter, says the manual, “shows an effective audio output value that represents the way sound is perceived by human ears.” If you want to, you can dim the meters or turn them off entirely. On the chance that meter operation and illumination could negatively affect sound, I turned both off during serious listening.
Input can be selected by either the large input knob—there’s another large knob to control volume—or the lightweight plastic remote that controls those functions and more. According to the manual, the “Audio Mute” toggle “reduce[s] the current volume level by approximately 20dB and lights up when activated.” Add in a balance control and another toggle for choosing the type of phono cartridge in use (MM or MC), and you’ve got everything on the A-S3200’s exterior deserving of attention.”
Mark Levinson No.36 D/A converter $3995 Review
August 29, 2020 Comments Off on Mark Levinson No.36 D/A converter $3995 Review
“As to HDCD, the performance of the No.36 remained top-class. Pop an HDCD into the transport, and the letters “HDCD” light up the No.36’s LED display screen. But color me undecided when it comes to HDCD vs standard CD. To date, there’s simply not enough material available in both formats (make that almost none) to make a really intelligent comparison. Sure, the HDCD recordings I’ve heard have been uniformly terrific in sound. But they’ve been excellent with and without decoding. Comparisons between their undecoded or decoded playback are not only invalid—because the coding results in subtle changes to the sound of an undecoded disc over that which might be expected from a conventionally mastered one—but also nearly impossible to make. You can’t shut off the HDCD processing in any HDCD decoder I know of, and comparing the modes using two processors—one HDCD, the other not—requires that the processors be otherwise identical: an impossible condition to meet.”
Cayin N3Pro Review
August 29, 2020 § 1 Comment
“The N3Pro is consistent with the N6ii and N8 and kind of looks like a miniature crossover of both. One thing for certain is that the build quality is a massive step up on the old N3 if also the size.
At 195g it is not the heaviest nor the largest at 115.2 x 63.5 x18.9 (mm) and overall, fairly easy to operate single-handed with some nice smooth cornering. It’s CNC-machined aluminum black housing is bulkier than both the R5 and the DX160, however, but allowances need to be made to fit those tubes.
To that effect, it has that same N8 glass protected front panel design with a smallish touch-sensitive 3.2″ IPS panel to the top and a fairly large black ‘expanse’ from about 2/3’rds of the way down where the tubes are located. This expanse has a semi-transparent design so when the tube operational mode is activated you will see them light up with a reddish glow which is a pretty cool effect.”
Audiophilepure 
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