IFI AUDIO XCAN PORTABLE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $299 REVIEW
April 19, 2020 Comments Off on IFI AUDIO XCAN PORTABLE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $299 REVIEW
“As an example, consider the organ bass notes in Felix Hell’s Symphony Concertante, Op. 81: 1. Allegro-Molto Moderato from Barber, Guilmant & Jongen: Orgel & Orchester [perc.pro]. With the aid of the xCAN the low range of the track seemed to be truly unearthed with a weighty, resonant, rock-solid bass performance not unlike what you would expect to hear when listening through a very high dollar desktop headphone amp. Disconnecting the xCAN after this experience revealed an auditory gulf that was painfully evident, so that I think most users would yearn for the added gravitas the xCAN provides.
In summary, while some might scratch their heads for a moment to wonder whether a product like the xCAN is necessary or beneficial, the proof is in the listening. To my ears, the xCAN delivers a sizeable sonic payoff beyond all proportion to its modest price.”
GoldenEar Technology BRX Bookshelf Speakers $1,599 Review
April 18, 2020 Comments Off on GoldenEar Technology BRX Bookshelf Speakers $1,599 Review
“Starting out with test tones, a low-frequency sweep indicated usable bass extending down to, and even below, the 40-Hz limit GoldenEar cites in its specifications. Such a result boded well for playback of a big blues-band track like Van Morrison’s “I Love the Life I Live” from The Prophet Speaks (24-bit/96kHz FLAC, Qobuz), which was presented with lifelike dynamics and a sense of scale that transported me to a close-up table in an intimate club. While the bass on this track didn’t wasn’t particularly deep, there was a marked fullness to the sound that didn’t leave me wanting. Van’s voice, meanwhile, sounded nicely fleshed-out and free of any “shouty” or edgy character; it also integrated smoothly with instruments in the mix like Hammond organ, brass, and guitar, all of which came across as lush, yet detailed.”
Schiit-Hot Integrated Amplifier The Ragnarok 2 Review
April 18, 2020 Comments Off on Schiit-Hot Integrated Amplifier The Ragnarok 2 Review
“When evaluating equipment, I seldom listen to complete LP sides, let alone one after another. But that simple change of gain setting turned the sound from merely OK to really good. When the Ragnarok 2 first arrived, I wondered why the choice of gain settings had been included — most integrated amps lack them. Now they make more sense.
Raves, reservations, recommendations
The Just An Amp version of Schiit Audio’s Ragnarok 2 integrated amplifier isn’t cheap at $1499, or — especially — by the standards of this column, which focuses on components costing under $1000. However, it’s as much of a bargain as anything I’ve reviewed that costs less. From its build quality to its styling to its idiosyncratic feature set to its sound, I loved everything about it — and for a great price. I believe that the only reason the Ragnarok 2 doesn’t cost, say, $3000, or even more, is because Schiit sells factory direct, eliminating the distributor and dealer markups that can easily double the wholesale price. Such an approach scores a big win for the consumer.”
Audeze LCD-1: Portable Reference Planar
April 18, 2020 Comments Off on Audeze LCD-1: Portable Reference Planar
Avantgarde Duo Primo XD Loudspeaker £79,500 Review
April 17, 2020 Comments Off on Avantgarde Duo Primo XD Loudspeaker £79,500 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/avantgarde-duo-primo-xd-loudspeaker
“Another test favourite, Lake Street Dive’s stripped-back take on ‘I Want You Back’, from Fun Machine [Signature Sounds SIG2032], is also well within the speakers’ comfort zone, and they treat it to deep, tight bass and crisp percussion, combining with the lone trumpet to underpin Rachael Price’s vocals perfectly.
So when these speakers are good, they’re very good, as a listen to the opening ‘Funeral For A Friend’/’Love Lies Bleeding’ sequence from Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road [Mercury/Rocket 981 320-5] makes clear with its combination of atmosphere and serious low-end grunt. However, to hear them at their best, you have to choose your recordings very carefully indeed.”
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FINAL A8000 £1999 REVIEW
April 17, 2020 Comments Off on FINAL A8000 £1999 REVIEW
“The tuning and speed/texture reminds me of STAX headphones and the er4 series but the bass isn’t as compromised on the A8000. The cleanliness in the tuning and emotions are well balanced.
As usual, we are letting the earphones to run in and impressions will be made pairing the A8000 with a handful of sources. Final has put some note on their website for the burn-in process and they stated a long time (150-200 hours) is required before the aging effects on this product level off.
I gave the A8000 15 hours a day for roughly 2 weeks with the cables swapped from my burnt-in E5000. From memory, the bass becomes less shy, and the initial treble sparkle is tamed.”
Roon Nucleus+ Intelligent Network Streamer
April 17, 2020 Comments Off on Roon Nucleus+ Intelligent Network Streamer
UNIQUE MELODY MASON V3+ REVIEW
April 15, 2020 Comments Off on UNIQUE MELODY MASON V3+ REVIEW
“According to Unique Melody, they are one of the first and longest-established manufacturer of custom in-ear monitors in China. Since 2007, with over 10 years of research and experience in the industry, they’ve developed a wide range of products from multi-BA, hybrid dynamic and BA, to more recent units containing Bluetooth, planar magnetic, piezoelectric, and bone conducting technologies that also contain various patents.
Fast forward to 2020 and Unique Melody is everywhere, they are more structured, have a clear product line up, better communication, semi up-to-date website and Facebook Page and especially: good representation. MusicTeck in the US really have made it easy for everyone to get familiar with the brand and I want to praise them for the work”
Focal Clear Headphones Review
April 15, 2020 Comments Off on Focal Clear Headphones Review
“I hooked the headphones up to my phone, MacBook, Ponoplayer, McIntosh C712 preamp, the Monoprice Liquid Platinum amplifier, and Focal’s own Arche amplifier. The short story is that these headphones sounded great with every one of those sources. The longer story is that when I fed them more power, the scale and dynamic slam of these cans showed their full potential. An amp is not necessary to drive these headphones, but as one would suspect of a $1500 component, they sing best with some sort of dedicated amplification. The Arche ($2500) provided the most revealing and detailed sound for the Clear, but perhaps my favorite price/performance combo was the Monoprice Liquid Platinum hybrid tube amp ($800), as it got very close to the Arche in terms of detail retrieval, but added some extra slam and tonal warmth to the mix. I decided to use the Liquid Platinum connected via XLR for the individual music notes in this review, as it seemed like a realistic pairing for someone looking at the Clear’s price-point.”
Audiophilepure 
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