Magico A1 $7400 Review

June 8, 2022 Comments Off on Magico A1 $7400 Review

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/magico-a1

Despite their compact dimensions, these speakers are able to convey the scale of the event brilliantly. Within the limitations set by size and science, they deliver the piece with an astonishing amount of confidence. As the music builds, we’re aware of the A1’s unshakable sense of composure; such is their level of control that they never sound stressed even when pushed to high volumes. Dynamic shifts are delivered with verve, though when judged by price rather than size standards it’s not too hard to buy an alternative that has more in the way of absolute punch and attack.

Similarly, when we switch to Bruce Springsteen’s High Hopes set we’re aware that the Magicos are surefooted with rhythms rather than particularly enthusiastic about producing results that really charge along. Still, they sound musically cohesive and manage to capture enough of the energy in The Boss’s performance to keep us listening. The longer we listen, the more we’re impressed that these speakers aren’t about showboating. They don’t hype up the sound to be more exciting or entertaining than it is. If the original recording is good then that will shine through. And if it isn’t you’ll know all about it, despite the speakers having more than enough refinement to prevent things from sounding worse than they should.

PrimaLuna EVO400 integrated amplifier $5595 Review

June 8, 2022 Comments Off on PrimaLuna EVO400 integrated amplifier $5595 Review

https://www.stereophile.com/content/primaluna-evo400-integrated-amplifier

When I asked California tube guru and PrimaLuna importer Kevin Deal about the duo of uncooperative 12AU7s, he said it could simply have been a break-in issue: “Sometimes a new tube that gets a little noisy just needs to be reinserted or moved.” He added that his company, Upscale Audio, has retubed about 75,000 components and that many tubes that people send in as faulty test fine. “A tube that’s noisy in a gain stage may be perfectly quiet as a driver or phase splitter.”

Everything else about the EVO 400 was hunky dory. No hum emanated from the speakers or directly from the amplifier, not even when the room was dead quiet and I placed my ear practically against the drivers of my Tekton Moab speakers, which have a specified sensitivity of 98dB.

TEAC’s enduring budget reel-to-reels – the X3 series

June 8, 2022 Comments Off on TEAC’s enduring budget reel-to-reels – the X3 series

PureAudioProject Quintet15 Speaker System $11,140 Review

June 7, 2022 Comments Off on PureAudioProject Quintet15 Speaker System $11,140 Review

What can I say more about these that I haven’t already covered in the Trio review? They are more of everything! Volume, heft, SPL, and stature. If that is what you’re looking for—you came to the right place. And don’t worry about your room size too much—honestly, due to them being dipoles, you can run them in awkward rooms and get very pleasurable nearfield listening out of them. I can say this with actual experience (they currently are living in a 22′ x 12′ room) so they are quite versatile. If you have the Trios, consider this a major upgrade (if your room allows it) or if you’re considering a PAP system then I say skip the smaller one and just go with these! I can’t recommend the company or the speakers enough. 

NEW Pro-Ject X8 Turntable

June 7, 2022 Comments Off on NEW Pro-Ject X8 Turntable

High End Munich 2022 Day 3

June 7, 2022 Comments Off on High End Munich 2022 Day 3

Perlisten Audio S7t Loudspeaker Review

June 6, 2022 Comments Off on Perlisten Audio S7t Loudspeaker Review

https://www.hifinews.com/content/perlisten-audio-s7t-loudspeaker

Surprisingly, however, I felt I was hearing it in a way I hadn’t before, not in terms of microscopic detail, but in imaging. And at this scale, this resolution and with this dynamic flavour, you remember why it’s a track destined to lurk in every audiophile’s collection. It was spine-tingling, emotional stuff, and I never wanted Gilmour to stop wailing.

As for getting a sense of the recording space, and painting a visual picture, the S7t doesn’t fail. Rogrido y Gabriela’s furious flamenco guitar jam ‘Terracentric’ [Mettavolution, Rubyworks; 44.1kHz/24-bit] had a degree of physicality that was tangible. The feeling of air being shifted by these speakers was palpable, as was the evocation of the duo on a small stage. Again, these speakers do ‘loud’ with real class so, naturally, you wouldn’t buy the S7t (or SE) to play them quiet. But you should definitely think about buying them.

Rega Research io Integrated Amp Review

June 6, 2022 Comments Off on Rega Research io Integrated Amp Review

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/rega-research-io-integrated-amp-built-phono-preamp%E2%80%94-cautionary-tale

Based on my experiences with the Rega io, it definitely makes for a superb headphone amplifier. Headphone listeners will adore the Rega io’s sonic characteristics alongside its small, sleek physical footprint. Those seeking low-level background music may also appreciate the piece’s potential. However, given its relatively low power output one must take great care in choosing loudspeakers. Neither the 85dB efficient KEF LS50 Metas nor the ELAC Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52s were well served by the io. Perhaps driving more efficient speakers the io might not produce the listening fatigue I experienced. Those crafting new systems must carefully pair their new Rega io with suitable and efficient loudspeakers. Those with a preexisting system including higher-output AV receivers likely haven’t thought as deeply about loudspeaker pairing. If you’re ditching your AV receiver for Rega’s io, please ensure your loudspeakers are either efficient or you’ve budgeted for new, more efficient loudspeakers. Pairing inefficient loudspeakers with the Rega io will only send beginner audiophiles back to their AV receivers where a recording’s detail, dynamics, and three-dimensionality often die. What’s certain is that dealers recommending the io to drive the KEF LS50 Metas are doing their customers and Rega Research for that matter a great disservice.

NEW! iFi Audio GO bar [GOLD]

June 6, 2022 Comments Off on NEW! iFi Audio GO bar [GOLD]

Warwick Acoustics BRAVURA electrostatic headphone system

June 5, 2022 Comments Off on Warwick Acoustics BRAVURA electrostatic headphone system

The BRAVURA treads lightly over the same ground, benefitting from that subtle DSP; that ‘modified pseudo-diffuse field’ frequency response curve, which already created a remarkably natural presentation. Having heard what the Sonoma M1 can do, this was the key ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ part of the overall performance and remains unchanged between Sonoma M1 Headphone and BRAVURA. This yields an even greater consistency to a system that is already inherently consistent, but the combination of BRAVURA and the DSP on the Sonoma M1 Amp has an additional level of clarity and tonal precision that most other headphone systems fail to get close to achieving. This comes over as sublime clarity and extension to voices, such as that of Joyce DiDonato [Stella De Napoli, Erato]. Here, she sounds on peak form, which is impressive because she always sounds on peak form, but the BRAVURA just lets her get on with singing with absolute clarity and extension. A true delight… as it was with the Sonoma M1 Headphone.

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