Floridia Audio Expo 2022, show highlights
March 21, 2022 Comments Off on Floridia Audio Expo 2022, show highlights
MayFly MF-201 loudspeaker Review
March 19, 2022 Comments Off on MayFly MF-201 loudspeaker Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mayfly-mf-201-loudspeaker
The 201s’ internal skyline diffuser succeeds not just as an intriguing novelty but as a factor in the excellent sonics these speakers produce. How big that factor is, only Trevor May knows. It would be impossible for the rest of us to say until we listen to the standard MayFlys as well as to a neutered version, with that complex wave trap cut out and replaced by, say, fiberglass or acoustic foam.
Not that it matters. For all anyone cares, the enclosures can be filled with tea leaves and old sneakers, as long as it sounds good.
Happily, the sound of the 201s—diffuser and all—varies from very good to stellar. Though slow to quicken the pulse, these speakers are not shy or retiring, but you may have to take the time to find the right placement. Yes, sometimes I found myself wanting a little more bite from the MayFlys, to really convey the brainstem-shaking power of Led Zeppelin’s “The Lemon Song” or Rage Against the Machine’s “Bombtrack.” Then again, with 95% of the recordings I played, muscular rock included, the MayFlys were satisfying and often beguiling. I won’t compose an Iliad to sing their praises, but they garner an easy recommendation.


darTZeel NHB-108 model two power amplifier $53,000 Review
March 19, 2022 Comments Off on darTZeel NHB-108 model two power amplifier $53,000 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/dartzeel-nhb-108-model-two-power-amplifier
DarTZeel’s NHB-108 model two, the latest iteration of darTZeel’s first product, is among the most satisfyingly musical amplifiers to ever sing in my system. Rather than hit you over the head with its strengths, it seduces with its exceptional embrace of music’s essence. Details frequently submerged in the sonic fabric surface with a delicacy and rightness that illumine what you’ve previously been missing. This holds true for intimate solo vocals, classical chamber music, and big-boned rock, jazz, orchestral music, and opera. Especially when paired with its matching NHB-18NS preamplifier and top-line Zeel 50 ohm BNC interconnects, the NHB-108 model two sounds disarmingly transparent, real, present, and alive.
When matched with speakers that present challenging loads to amplifiers, the NHB-108 model two’s bass can’t equal that from more powerful amplifiers. Some who fall under its spell may be tempted to follow Delétraz’s advice and change their speakers. There is an inherently nonmechanical, organic flow to the NHB-108 model two’s golden sound that will keep enticing many a music lover back for more.


Magnetostatic Headphones “Apollo”
March 18, 2022 Comments Off on Magnetostatic Headphones “Apollo”
https://stereo-magazine.com/article/sendy-audio-apollo-headphones-top-technology-cheaper-price
The headband is made of goatskin leather, and its ergonomical design is said to be comfortable to wear and counteract fatigue, even after long periods of use. The earpad is made of protein materials together with memory foam, and has a bowl-like design, aiming to enclose the entire ear. The L and R markings are clear and easy to see. Both ear cushions are removable and can be easily and conveniently replaced; the cable is also detachable. Forward-facing connection terminals aim to ensure that the cable does not fall onto your shoulders when wearing the headphones.


Devialet Phantom II 98dB – Stereo Wireless Speaker Review
March 18, 2022 Comments Off on Devialet Phantom II 98dB – Stereo Wireless Speaker Review
https://www.stereonet.com/au/reviews/devialet-phantom-ii-98db-stereo-wireless-speaker-review
In the Phantom II 98dB, Devialet has succeeded in taking all the quality and character that made the original Phantom speaker so good, and managed to significantly shrink it while still retaining its very high performance. The Phantom II has been elevated to true wireless hi-fi status by introducing the ability to stereo-pair these units. Incredibly, despite the ear-pleasing performance, it’s still the striking aesthetic and unconventional bass driver design that makes it a talking point in any room – and thanks to its wireless integration, every room.

Astell&Kern A&ultima SP2000T – Vacuum Tube
March 18, 2022 Comments Off on Astell&Kern A&ultima SP2000T – Vacuum Tube
ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE MONTANA NEO TURNTABLE REVIEW
March 17, 2022 Comments Off on ACOUSTIC SIGNATURE MONTANA NEO TURNTABLE REVIEW
The entire sonic presentation is detailed, 3-dimensional, and consistent. Every sound has a solidity and dynamic forcefulness that mimics life. This is not a perception that one or more veils has been deleted, but instead, that a direct connection to the recording microphone has been locked in. Where lesser turntables have noticeable differences – a little more of this, a little less of that – the Montana Neo raises the bar in every parameter for a significant system upgrade for all types of music. Just as the Origin Live tonearm expands the performance envelope of the Clearaudio turntable, the Montana Neo upgrades the sonic potential of the Origin Live tonearm. The combination of the Montana Neo turntable, Origin Live Agile tonearm and ZYX UNIverse Optimum moving-coil phono cartridge is stunning! The AS TA-7000 NEO tonearm arrived late in the audition and will be covered in a future article. Initial impressions are positive.

Questyle Audio M12 portable USB D/A headphone amplifier Review
March 17, 2022 Comments Off on Questyle Audio M12 portable USB D/A headphone amplifier Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/questyle-audio-m12-portable-usb-da-headphone-amplifier
Hart starts Copland’s “Billy’s Bounce” (16/44.1 ALAC file, unreleased) with a quiet dotted pattern on snare and hi-hat but gradually increases the complexity of the accompaniment, exploring the different textures of his ride and crash cymbals as first Abercrombie then Copland take solos. When Hart takes his own solo, the sounds of the toms, snare drum, and kickdrum were well-differentiated. The final rimshots on the snare almost took my head off when, seduced by the clarity, I set the M12’s volume to “100”!
The M12 handled DSD data with aplomb. An album I have mentioned several times in my reviews is violinist Christian Tetzlaff and pianist Lars Vogt’s superbly idiomatic performances of the Brahms Violin Sonatas (DSD128 files, Ondine ODE1284-2D/HDtracks), especially the first sonata. Pressing “Play” in Roon turned the data status LED red, and the violin sounded appropriately delicate and the piano suitably majestic when required, both instruments suspended in a subtle ambient halo.

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