Cambridge Audio Edge A $6000 review
June 18, 2020 Comments Off on Cambridge Audio Edge A $6000 review
“Stereo imaging is nicely expansive. This integrated renders an expansive sound stage and populates it with well-defined and focused instruments. There’s a pleasing amount of stability here, and the amp locks sounds in place even when the music becomes demanding.
We switch to Nick Cave’s rambunctious Babe, I’m On Fire and the Cambridge is right at home. It’s an enthusiastic listen with plenty of rhythmic drive and punch. The production is as dense as they come yet the Cambridge maintains just the right amount of control without diluting the track’s frantic feel. That’s a neat trick most rivals can’t manage.
Turn the volume up and the Edge A creates a wonderful wall of sound that makes it virtually impossible not to get engrossed in the track. We play a great deal of music from the hauntingly beautiful Found Songs by Olafur Arnalds through Bruce Springsteen’s High Hopes set and Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring and at no point does the Edge A sound unconvincing. ”
HEDD AUDIO HEDDPHONES REVIEW
June 18, 2020 Comments Off on HEDD AUDIO HEDDPHONES REVIEW
“. The tonality of this work was spot-on and I was very confident that I was hearing this song as The Hip had intended. Bass again hit hard and quickly, but never lingered more than the recording called out for. The blend into the mid-range was seamless and effortless. What truly grabbed my attention with this recording (along with the expansive sound-staging) was just how coherent and balanced the treble was. Simply put, these headphones offer some of the very best treble extension, detail, shimmer around (regardless of price point) and never once seem strident or harsh. Moving on to “New Orleans is Sinking”, the raw energy of the guitar and bass were perfectly captured by the HEDDphones and had my head bopping up and down within only a few seconds. Gord’s vocals were equally laid bare with such a high level of transparency and clarity that I was thoroughly delighted throughout the track.”
D’Agostino Momentum HD Preamplifier £47,998 Review
June 17, 2020 Comments Off on D’Agostino Momentum HD Preamplifier £47,998 Review
“That’s by-the-by. This preamplifier has, to my ears, no rivals in dynamics nor in the bass. The tubas on the various Dukes Of Dixieland tracks blasted from the speakers with all of the force of the Salvation Army Band that performs in Canterbury on most Saturdays. I hear brass bands all the time – the HD put them in my listening room, with the mass, the power and above all the extension of the actual instruments in reality.
There is danger in using the word ‘best’. But I can tell you this much: the Momentum HD is one the greatest preamps I have ever experienced. If you own a TechDAS Zero turntable, Wilson Audio WAMM Master Chronosonics, or other components of that elevated calibre, you have to hear the D’Agostino Momentum HD. It’s that simple.”
GOLD NOTE IS-1000 DELUXE NETWORK STREAMER/AMPLIFIER REVIEW
June 17, 2020 Comments Off on GOLD NOTE IS-1000 DELUXE NETWORK STREAMER/AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“If I’m honest about things, products like the IS-1000 Deluxe make a bit of a mockery of the whole review process. A review of the Gold Note amplifier taken early in its life will discuss the product in the context of an app that is completely different to the one used today, and as that app may form most of the way you interact with the Gold Note amplifier, that early review is almost completely invalid, and yet we live in a world of ‘exclusives’ where a follow-up six months later is lost in a sea of ‘now, now, now!’ reviews. The same applies to any streaming device.”
xDuoo TA-30 Tube Headphone amp and DAC
June 17, 2020 Comments Off on xDuoo TA-30 Tube Headphone amp and DAC
Innuos • ZENmini Mk 3 Music Server and LPSU Power Supply Review
June 16, 2020 Comments Off on Innuos • ZENmini Mk 3 Music Server and LPSU Power Supply Review
“USB ended up as my favorite connection for the ZENmini Mk 3, so I need to add a word about cable choice. In my system, the USB output was quite sensitive to the cable used, and you may not hear the ZENmini Mk 3 at its best without some experimentation. The inexpensive but good Oyaide Neo d+ Class A USB has always been an easy recommendation, but with the ZENmini MK 3 and the BorderPatrol DAC SE, the treble became spitty and harsh with an unmistakable glare. The wonderfully good and super-expensive Shunyata Sigma USB delivered a deep and rich soundstage with excellent image placement. But its cheaper stablemate, the Venom USB, was slightly cleaner in the lower treble in my system, so I settled on it for long-term listening. It’s nice to know that the ZENmini Mk 3 could resolve these differences while not costing more than the cable’s itself.
What are the disadvantages of the ZENmini Mk 3 and LPSU? The absolute need for Ethernet might be a small impediment, but Ethernet over either A/C devices or WiFi extenders worked great. The lack of Bluetooth or AirPlay could absolutely be a non-starter for some audiophiles, as would the inability to use portable hard drives as playback devices. I have heard more expensive units do a better job at fleshing out images in the back of the soundstage and, while the ZENmini’s bass was nimble, it certainly lacked some slam and body behind the initial bass hit. Finally, if you own the ZENmini Mk 3 but use it without the LPSU, you are missing out on much of its magic and you’ll need to find the funds to complete the pair.
Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblock power amplifier $16,990/pair REVIEW
June 15, 2020 Comments Off on Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblock power amplifier $16,990/pair REVIEW
“Michael Fremer concluded his review of the original Halo JC 1 by saying “There was nothing solid-state-sounding about the JC 1. . . . There was an honesty to the overall tonal and harmonic presentation that transcended technological stereotypes. Powerful, refined, smooth, organized, dynamic, transparent, and rhythmically supple, the JC 1 offered a combination of attributes that added up to many weeks of listening pleasure.”
After several weeks auditioning the Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks, I don’t really have anything to add to what Mikey wrote in 2003, other than to note that even with its significant increase in price, the improvement in its sound quality and the explosion in recent years in the prices of high-end, high-power amplifiers keep the JC 1+ competitive. This is a superb-sounding amplifier that will get the best from every loudspeaker with which it is partnered. Well done, Mr. Curl.’
Audiophilepure 
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