Grado GT220 Bluetooth Wireless IEM Review
March 22, 2021 Comments Off on Grado GT220 Bluetooth Wireless IEM Review
Next up, modern pop with “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from the 2018 standout film “A Star Is Born”. I found the GT 220s to have a slight recession in the vocals but remarkable stability and range extending into the upper-midrange. Bradley’s voice was deep and gritty while Stefani’s produced stunning detail as she hit into the upper notes. I would consider the naturalness to be a hair-pin offset from neutral mainly due to the darker tendency of the unit. One area I was hoping for more in would be the energy of the midrange which fell flatter than I was hoping compared to say the Ananda (open back planar). Which speaks volumes to the GT 220 that I’m even bringing up this comparison.
Piega Premium Wireless 701 £5,000 Review
March 22, 2021 Comments Off on Piega Premium Wireless 701 £5,000 Review
https://www.hifichoice.com/content/piega-premium-wireless-701
Going wireless with the Piega Connect box (and using its built-in DAC rather than the Chord) perhaps inevitably robs the sound of some immediacy and resolving power (and takes a further quality hit when streaming with Bluetooth), but the slightly softer and warmer presentation – while less hardcore audiophilic – retains a good measure of the wired setup’s precise, organised and punctual character, underpinned by a reassuring sense of coherence and imaging focus. Enough, certainly, to appreciate the inclusion of a Rega Planar 6 turntable with Ania MC cartridge (HFC 453) and Chord Electronics’ Huei phono stage. There’s plenty going on with Beverley Knight’s BK25 outing with the Leo Green Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall on vinyl, especially the frenetic opener Made It Back. It’s not the greatest recording, but taking its cue from the Rega/Huei combo, the 701 doesn’t labour that but instead expertly mines passion and emotion from Knight’s soulful vocal while portraying the orchestral backing with effortless zeal and crisply defined timbral contrasts.
Anthem STR Integrated Amplifier £5,500 Review
March 21, 2021 Comments Off on Anthem STR Integrated Amplifier £5,500 Review
https://www.hifichoice.com/content/anthem-str-integrated-amplifier
Anthem’s STR Integrated Amplifier is generous yet refreshingly understated. It does exactly what you want, combining plenty of power and connectivity with a completely even-handed and neutral performance. Phono inputs are excellent and the DAC is extremely natural. Straight out of the box it sounds like a pedigree performer, but dive into the advanced Anthem Room Correction measurement and adjustment and you can fine tune the sound qualities to exactly fit your listening space. Anthem’s deft touch on improving real-world listening is seriously impressive and although I thoroughly enjoy playing with the DSP sophistication, make no mistake, the beating heart of this amp is its superb analogue signal handling.
Schiit Audio Sol turntable$955 Review
March 21, 2021 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Sol turntable$955 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-sol-turntable
I’m not going to go into much detail here—just watch the videos—but here’s how the setup process works, in a nutshell. Unpack the box and put the plinth on a level surface. Locate the platter and the bearing shaft and gently press the latter into the center well of the former; twist it slightly to secure. Now lower the platter/shaft assembly so that the inverted bearing goes down over the spindle; make sure that the ball bearing is in place. Attach the two power cables (“in” from the wall wart and “out” to the motor unit). Place the motor about an inch away from the platter then loop the rubber belt around the motor pulley; hold the belt against the edge of the platter and rotate to thread the belt onto the platter.
Woo Audio 22 vs Cayin HA-6A – Tube Amp Comparison Review
March 21, 2021 Comments Off on Woo Audio 22 vs Cayin HA-6A – Tube Amp Comparison Review
Decware Zen Triode Amplifier Review
March 19, 2021 Comments Off on Decware Zen Triode Amplifier Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-46-decware-zen-triode-amplifier
He reminds me of my least favorite teacher, Professor Grausamkeit, who was just like that and said similar things. Every time I smarted back, “Accurate to what?” he’d whack me with a wooden yardstick.
Grausamkeit would twist my ear painfully while scolding me but would never explain what “accurate” sounded like or why it didn’t sound pleasant. Best I could figure, he meant gray and stern, like him, or bland and flavorless like our school lunches. Professor G was constantly reminding us, “Pleasure-seeking is a congenital defect that defines the ignorant classes.”
JL Audio Dominion d110 Subwoofer $3000 Review
March 19, 2021 Comments Off on JL Audio Dominion d110 Subwoofer $3000 Review
The CR-1 crossover/Dominion d110 system made a major difference in the way my room interacted with the ELAC AF-61s, and that difference was even more sonically impactful to the overall sound than the additional headroom and reduced physical stress on the loudspeakers and power amplifier. Shunting the mid- and low bass away from the mains and into the Dominion subwoofer removed a noticeable amount of excess midbass bloat and huffiness coming from interactions between the room and the AF-61s, when ELACs were responsible for generating frequencies below 60Hz. The audible effect was an increase in overall bass clarity and definition and a reduction of overhang and midbass bloat. It was a real surprise to hear the whole room become a better listening environment as a result of the addition of the CR-1/Dominion system.
Audience frontRow Loudspeaker Cables Review
March 18, 2021 Comments Off on Audience frontRow Loudspeaker Cables Review
Application for membership to the club has two requirements. The wire has to be capable of reproducing fine timbral discriminations. Second, it can’t be intimidated by beauty. It sounds crazy, but there are brands so adamant about neutrality and accuracy that anything that smacks of color or beauty is viewed askance, like an invader that needs to be purged. For the fundamentalist, these are manifestations of euphony.
To the extent that gear fails these requirements, each deficit chips away the natural beauty of the sound and the degree of sameness increases, as instruments loose what makes them unique. Your brain kicks in to make up the deficit and figure out what instrument is playing.
Audiophilepure 
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