Cambridge Audio CXA61 review
December 5, 2021 Comments Off on Cambridge Audio CXA61 review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/cambridge-audio-cxa61
This is made clear when we listen to the Olafur Arnalds set, which relies on the system having a high degree of subtlety. It’s easy for an amplifier to sound ham-fisted when playing this recording, but it’s a trap that the Cambridge avoids. Instead it is confident and composed, but never overplays its hand.
This Cambridge is a rhythmic performer too, delivering Prince’s 3121 with verve. There’s plenty of entertainment to be had here from thumping basslines to intricately shifting rhythms with Prince’s distinctive vocals at the centre. The CXA61 ticks all the hi-fi boxes without forgetting that all the detail and tonal neutrality in the world doesn’t matter if the emotional content of the music is ignored.
Fyne Audio F700 Loudspeakers Review
December 5, 2021 Comments Off on Fyne Audio F700 Loudspeakers Review
https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1067-fyne-audio-f700-loudspeakers
Let me be clear up front: Fyne Audio’s F700 is a riot. I queued up Seinabo Sey’s “Younger [Acoustic Version]” from her debut album Pretend (24-bit/44.1kHz MQA, Universal Records/Virgin EMI Records/Tidal) and laughed out loud when I heard the finished product. The Swedish singer’s voice emerged from between these stylish two-ways in commanding fashion. The Fynes were decidedly not shy, propelling Sey’s closely-miked vocal into my room with a forwardness and immediacy that was impossible not to admire. The flanking piano lines were marked by a similar vibrancy; the aforementioned lower treble prominence is quite real, so careful equipment partnering is a must to ensure that this quality doesn’t become too much of a good thing. I need to emphasize that while I was sitting unmistakably front row, center seat for “Younger,” both Sey’s voice and her piano were utterly refined and silky smooth. This is not a bright-sounding loudspeaker, just forward. The F700 is so much more than a quick thrill. Stereo imaging of Sey’s vocal was terrific, with strong spatial definition; not exactly a shock given the Fynes’ coaxial driver arrangement. And detail retrieval was excellent for the price point. I easily picked up Sey’s mouth movements and inhalation of breath before she delivered her opening lines, and the track was as engaging at low volume as it was when I cranked my Hegel’s volume dial. It all sounded so effortless, yet hugely expressive and invigorated.
NAD C 298 Class D Power Amp Review
December 4, 2021 Comments Off on NAD C 298 Class D Power Amp Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/nad-c-298-class-d-power-amp
I’ll not fall into the ‘but it’s a Class D amplifier’ trap. There’s no elephant in the room here, just a relatively compact black box sat on a kit rack. Yes, NAD’s C 298 might not bring the mug-of-cocoa warmth and smoothness one might expect (or demand) from a hot-running transistor or tube amp but that’s because it’s voiced for a very direct sound, presenting the music without gloss. In this instance there’s no fear the experience becomes clinical or dry, turning listening from a relaxed pleasure into something more demanding. There’s so much excitement to be had from its exuberance, power and rhythmic ability that any craving for something mellower doesn’t last for long.
I finished with The City Of Prague Philharmonic’s performance of Elmer Bernstein’s ‘The Magnificent Seven’ [100 Greatest Film Themes; Silva Screen Records SILCD1309]. Here, the brass instruments and rat-a-tat snare drums emerged from silence with the speed of an Old West sharp-shooter, but there was a light touch to the proceedings too. The C 298 didn’t overstate its power, and the sweeping string notes that followed were writ both large and lush. The amp also let the piece’s warmth and energy shine through. Magnificent? At this price, I’d say so.
WELLS AUDIO DRAGON HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
December 4, 2021 Comments Off on WELLS AUDIO DRAGON HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
Some general comments first. The Wells Audio Dragon sounded excellent with the out-of-the-box settings. Most of my auditioning was on the Focal MG headphones, which are very revealing, and let me tell you, they reveal just about everything right or wrong with a recording.
I found the Schitt Valhalla 2 and the Dragon very close in sound. What the Valhalla lacked was any ability to tune the audio output by the flip of a switch and bring another tube into the circuit. Still, both amps sounded a bit mellower, especially in the mid-range on all recordings. This warm midrange is especially notable with vocalists and acoustics instruments. I found both amps to be accurate in the high frequencies, and there was ample bass.
Listening to the solid-state headphone amps (the output of the FiiO M15, and the output of my MacBook Pro outputting my Roon library through the Questyle M12 was also satisfying. The solid-state amps sounded like the tube amps but lacked the slightest bit of midrange warmth. In my listening tests, vocals always sounded better on the tubed-amps, and I could detect a slight bit more of the sound of the room (reverberation) in recordings done in a large venue.
Active Speakers from Cabasse: The Pearl Pelegrina €25,000 MSRP
December 3, 2021 Comments Off on Active Speakers from Cabasse: The Pearl Pelegrina €25,000 MSRP
https://stereo-magazine.com/article/exklusiv-active-speakers-from-cabasse-the-pearl-pelegrina
At the heart of the new speakers is the tri-coaxial TCA driver, also found in Cabasse’s La Sphère and Baltic V speakers, which combines woofer, midrange and tweeter into one driver. A built-in 30-cm subwoofer with Cabasse’s HELD technology is added to that. Thanks to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, DAC and active technology, the Pearl Pelegrina can be used as a complete streaming system; additional digital and analog inputs are also available.
The Pearl Pelegrina additionally offers DSPs and room correction – which works via a built-in microphone – to further optimize the music signal. The wireless speakers are also multi-room capable via the StreamCONTROL app, and can be controlled with the included Bluetooth remote.
The Cabasse Pelegrina are limited to 70 pieces and are said to cost €25,000 (MSRP for Germany including stand). Each model also features a numbered aluminum plaque.
Wells Audio Cipher DAC $5000 Review
December 3, 2021 Comments Off on Wells Audio Cipher DAC $5000 Review
I tend to find that ESS based DACs have a sound that I describe closer to etching than to painting when it comes to how they present the sound stage. The Cipher is not an exception to this. It etches the sound stage in front of you, with incredible detail, space, and depth. While the Mytek Brooklyn does this as well, I find that the Mytek is drier and more forward in its presentation. This creates too much of a good thing depending on the recording. Said a different way, give the Brooklyn the wrong material in the wrong signal chain and it can sound overly sharp and bright to my ears.
Unlike the Brooklyn, the Cipher never sounded overly harsh or dry to my ears. I assume that a big part of the reason why is Jeff’s output stage. I found that every recording has a minimum amount of body or weight. This weight when combined with the extremely detail of the ESS chipset balanced the sound and created something really special.
World Premiere Review reel to reel tape deck
December 3, 2021 Comments Off on World Premiere Review reel to reel tape deck
Magico A5 $24,800 Review
December 2, 2021 Comments Off on Magico A5 $24,800 Review
The A5, as I said, is built to NASA tolerances, and it performs like it. It offers micro-resolution, yet never approaches sounding analytical. Treble extension is near stratospheric, while dancing on the razor’s edge but never falling off. The tweeter is light, extended, airy, detailed, and delicate without any ringing, breakup, shoutiness, or fatigue. It’s quite remarkable, and it’s got dynamics to spare. I can understand why Alon chose this particular 28mm dome tweeter even over his diamond-coated variant for the A5; it just suits the overall voicing so well. The tweeter does offer near the same level of complexity and depth as the M2 tweeter, but seems to lack its sense of finesse and faster-than-light speed. If memory serves, the M tweeter may be a touch warmer overall. Yet the A5 tweeter is lightning fast, like a Maggie with laser-accurate image specificity. It presents the upper registers with an almost mystical weightlessness and fantastic acceleration, yet cushions them with mellowness without ever truncating extension. Details in the treble and midrange come through totally without restriction. With the rare combination of higher volumes and poor (or low-resolution) recordings, the A5 can blossom to the point of sounding tipped-up. A step or two lower on the old volume knob, or skipping that particular track, solves the problem post haste. This speaker does not, in any way, sugarcoat a miserably compressed file, offensive recording, or poor source.
Audiophilepure 
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