HIFIMAN HE-R10D DYNAMIC HEADPHONE $1299 REVIEW
August 7, 2021 Comments Off on HIFIMAN HE-R10D DYNAMIC HEADPHONE $1299 REVIEW
HIFIMAN has done well with the R10D headphones. It’s clear the company is going to make more dynamic drivers for a variety of price points, but they have not sacrificed audio quality with the R10D. I continue to have some reservations about the smoothness of the middle frequencies, which do not sound as smooth as comparably priced headphones from the same company. It may be the response curves of dynamic drivers versus planars, but whatever it is to my ears, especially on acoustic instruments, the mid-range needs some tweaking. The Bluetooth connectivity is most welcome, freeing listeners from the headphone cord while giving away little of ultimate sound quality.
Grado SR325x Review
August 6, 2021 Comments Off on Grado SR325x Review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/grado-sr325x
Grado’s Prestige series models have rarely felt like luxury headphones, and nothing has changed with this new generation. It’s an impression that starts with the packaging, which is still a basic cardboard box, and extends to the rather coarse foam used for the also new thinner earpads. If you’re looking for a premium feel you’re not going to find it here.
But you will find ruggedness and durability. We have used numerous pairs of Grado Prestige headphones over the years and they have needed little more than semi-regular earpad changes to keep going. Those foam earpads don’t last forever, but they are easily changed and don’t cost much to replace. The basic structure of the headphones and materials chosen are impressively robust and deal with day-to-day use superbly.
Line Magnetic LM-845IA integrated amplifier $4950 Review
August 6, 2021 Comments Off on Line Magnetic LM-845IA integrated amplifier $4950 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/line-magnetic-lm-845ia-integrated-amplifier
Rubens came to mind while I was searching for a way to explain the abundance brought into my life by the Line Magnetic LM-845IA, an integrated amplifier that has altered my understanding of how hi-fi components work together. Everything about the Line Magnetic is Rubenesque: It weighs 77lb, crowds most equipment racks, and its 845 tubes—each the size of an ear of corn—glow brighter than some table lamps. It replaces the company’s LM-518IA amplifier, which Herb Reichert reviewed in 2015 and still uses, happily. What sets the LM-845IA apart from most other commercially manufactured amplifiers is that it uses a single output tube per channel—a topology that many audiophiles revere for its pellucid sound, rich tone, and textural detail—while generating enough power to effectively control speakers of only average sensitivity. As it happens, it has much more to offer, but more about that in a moment.
Line Magnetic is a decidedly unusual company, having gotten its start manufacturing replicas of classic American audio equipment by the likes of Altec, Jensen, and Western Electric. Made in Zhuhai, in China’s Guangdong Province, the LM-845IA is part of Line Magnetic’s more affordable line of original circuit designs with a more contemporary look, though the company’s devotion to prewar tube equipment is apparent here. The LM-845IA relies on a single 845 tube per channel—first released by RCA in 1931 for use in AM radio transmitters—to produce a whopping 22 watts.
Thorens TD 124 DD Record Player Review
August 5, 2021 Comments Off on Thorens TD 124 DD Record Player Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/thorens-td-124-dd-record-player
The new TP 124 tonearm consists of an internally damped aluminum armtube with a heavy brass counterweight to balance the SPU 124 cartridge’s 30gm weight. The effective tonearm length is 9.17″. A second, lighter counterweight is included (along with a headshell) for use with more typical cartridges, which have less heft than the SPU 124. The TP 124 tonearm is a “cardanic suspended tonearm with Löfgren geometry.” Chiarella explained, in an email: “‘Cardanic” is a bearing arrangement whereby there are two ball bearing races in the vertical plane—above and below the arm tube—and another two ball bearing races to the left and right of the arm tube.” Tonearm support rod, cueing lift, and antiskate filament sleeve are made of aluminum, as is the tonearm’s cylindrical bearing housing.
DYNAUDIO HERITAGE SPECIAL STAND-MOUNT LOUDSPEAKER
August 5, 2021 Comments Off on DYNAUDIO HERITAGE SPECIAL STAND-MOUNT LOUDSPEAKER
DYNAUDIO HERITAGE SPECIAL STAND-MOUNT LOUDSPEAKER
Sometimes, good audio gets so wrapped up in the medium that it overlooks the message. The Heritage Special is one of those rare beasts that does both equally well. There will, of course, be those who can’t see the (nicely-finished) wood for the trees and never be able to get past the small box with a £5,500 price tag. Then there are those who heard them. Yes, you get a lot of the way there with the Special 40, but the difference between the two is marked. A rare pleasure to hear; you’ll regret it if you don’t.
PS Audio Stellar Strata Integrated Amplifier Review
August 4, 2021 Comments Off on PS Audio Stellar Strata Integrated Amplifier Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2021/7/16/ps-audio-stellar-strata
I relied on the assumption that the version available on streaming services came from the same master as my CD. Ohio is impeccably produced and sounded great through the analog outputs of the Yamaha, just as it always has. But switching to coax instantly via the remote was a revelation. At first I thought the Stellar Strata’s DAC must somehow add more gain than analog inputs. Even after playing around with volume matching the sound was bigger, bolder and warmer. It’s not that the Yamaha was missing anything outright, the Stellar Strata’s DAC just created a sound with real meat on the bones. Streaming the album gave the same overall presentation as playing the CD through the DAC. Slightly less realism, perhaps, but close enough that without an A/B comparison they would be indistinguishable. Why exactly they sounded different is beyond me but the experiment was a victory for both the DAC and streamer
Magico A5 Loudspeakers $8600 Review
August 4, 2021 Comments Off on Magico A5 Loudspeakers $8600 Review
In the “Conclusion” section of his review, Jeff summed up his listening impressions as follows: “The A5 produces deep, linear, weighty, detailed bass; clear, neutral, present mids; and highs that always reveal and never detract from the music. The A5s produced soundstages that could be vast, and images on those stages that were precisely placed and sized just as you would imagine they should be. I loved listening to all types of music through these speakers for hours on end, and at wildly varying volume levels. In all those hours, I heard no weaknesses in their sound.” It was the sound quality Jeff described that earned the A5 its Reviewers’ Choice award when his review was published, and has merited the Recommended Reference Component award this month.
Audiophilepure 
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