Gryphon Audio Designs Apex Stereo Amplifier $99,000 Review
May 16, 2022 Comments Off on Gryphon Audio Designs Apex Stereo Amplifier $99,000 Review
Next, I moved on to something more delicate: Esther Abrami’s eponymous album (Esther Abrami, 24/48 MQA, Sony Classical/Tidal). The 25-year-old violinist has introduced classical music to thousands of new listeners through her TikTok and Instagram posts, and her first album on a major label, released in March of this year, is a wonderful listen. It was made even more so with the Gryphon Apex anchoring my system. The fourth track, “Tomorrow,” is one of my favorites, particularly for the interplay between violin and piano, which combined to pour rich sound into my room through the Apex. The piano that begins the track was weightier and more tonally saturated than I’ve heard it, and the French player’s violin was satisfyingly resonant—that word again—and textured, yet silky smooth and present in my room. I could not believe how much better this track sounded over my system with the Apex. It honestly made my old setup sound like the dreaded “hi-fi” by comparison: clean and precise, yet still lacking in realism.
Warwick Acoustics Bravura M1 Headphone System Review
May 16, 2022 Comments Off on Warwick Acoustics Bravura M1 Headphone System Review
The Bravura’s midrange is as close to harmonically neutral as any headphone (or loudspeaker) that I’ve heard recently. Not too dry or too lush, the M1’s midrange characteristics are ideal for its primary intended use—as a reference monitor. Listening to my recording of the Matt Flinner Trio from a live concert at the Salina Schoolhouse through the Warwick Acoustics system was both a delightful listening experience and a very accurate rendition of the event. Listening through the Bravura system brought me back to the moment I made the recording.
MEZE AUDIO IEM $699
May 15, 2022 Comments Off on MEZE AUDIO IEM $699
On the outside, the solid stainless-steel chassis design was inspired by various raw shapes found in nature, such as the rounded surface of minerals like hematite. Following the same comfort principles as all other Meze Audio products, this sinuous, ergonomically contoured shape allows the earphones to be inserted and removed with ease, reducing discomfort during longer listening sessions.
Copland CSA70 $3900 Review
May 15, 2022 Comments Off on Copland CSA70 $3900 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/copland-csa70
We’re left with an amplifier that sounds impressively clean and precise; one that errs slightly to the cooler side of neutral but never enough to cause issues. Listening to Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, we’re aware of the pleasing sense of space in the presentation and the amplifier’s ability to layer the soundstage in a focussed and stable manner. It’s an expansive image with a fine sense of depth where the recording dictates.
Detail levels are good, and as with other Copland products we’ve heard, there is a definite feeling of a product that’s a little self-effacing. The CSA70 clearly prefers to let the recording take centre stage rather than deliberately add flavour to make things more exciting. It has a good sense of scale and can deliver the slowly building intensity of the Arvo Pärt piece well.
Pro-Ject X8 Turntable | Unboxing and set-up
May 15, 2022 Comments Off on Pro-Ject X8 Turntable | Unboxing and set-up
Kronos Discovery turntable £100,000 Review
May 14, 2022 Comments Off on Kronos Discovery turntable £100,000 Review
There isn’t much to dislike with Discovery, save for its size and Captain Nemo physicality. The speed controllers on the front panel are not marked, so conceivably you’ll spend some time turning the Discovery on and off when you think you are simply stopping the platter for a record change. You’ll also tend to forget whether twisting the left-hand knob ‘up’ gets you to 33.3rpm or 45rpm. There were more than a few ‘oh… bollocks!’ moments when on returning to the listening chair I was met with a fast, high-pitched voice, but you quickly learn. It’s also an intricate and complex piece of equipment to install, so unless you can field-strip a Sparta blindfolded in 20 seconds flat, it’s best left to the experts, and if you live on the fifth floor and in a room accessed by rickety, narrow stairs… those experts better include a few piano movers. In great fairness to the Discovery, though, once installed it’s pretty much fit and forget, and the tonearm is easy to use and even easier to swap cartridges.
NAD C 399 Integrated Amplifier Review
May 14, 2022 Comments Off on NAD C 399 Integrated Amplifier Review
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/nad-c-399-integrated-amplifier-review
I connected the C 399 to a pair of System Audio Saxo 5 powered bookshelf speakers and a JL Audio Dominion d-110 subwoofer via the C 399’s single-ended RCA pre-outs and one of its sub outs. To test the C 399’s internal amplifier, I connected the C 399’s speaker outputs to a pair of Polk audio bookshelves.
I mainly auditioned the C 399 by using the BlueOS app to stream music via Tidal, Qobuz, internet radio, and several connected USB thumb drives. To test the C 399’s ARC feature, I connected its HDMI eARC port to an LG OLED TV. My TV doesn’t support eARC, so I made do with the older HDMI ARC protocol, which is compatible with eARC.
Transmission Line Speakers DIY Floorstanding Build
May 14, 2022 Comments Off on Transmission Line Speakers DIY Floorstanding Build
Mission QX-2 MKII Review
May 13, 2022 Comments Off on Mission QX-2 MKII Review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/mission-qx-2-mkii
Now it’s time to answer the big question. Do the new Missions still have the magic of the old pair? Well, they’re still a very entertaining and fun-sounding pair of speakers. They waste no time punching out the lively piano play found in Kate Nash’s Foundations. Upbeat guitar strums and percussion also combine to get the track rolling along at a rapid rate of knots. There’s a good sense of solidity to the overall sound and the Missions do a fine job communicating the sarcastic, slightly annoyed tone of her vocal.
Switch to Kanye West’s Black Skinhead and the QX-2 MKII construct a robust soundstage, flexing their muscles from the very first note. In Hulk terms, they’d be looking for a new shirt and pair of shorts. The Missions are capable of delivering a big, muscular sound – they not only summon an impressive amount of bass weight to hammer home Kanye’s stompy bass arrangement but they also probe surprisingly deep too, painting notes with a nice amount of texture.
Audiophilepure 
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