Engström ARNE Tube Amplifier Review
October 26, 2022 Comments Off on Engström ARNE Tube Amplifier Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/engstr%C3%B6m-arne-tube-amplifier
Ahead of those 300B power tubes, used in push/pull configuration, is a quartet of D3a driver/ phase-splitter triodes – again two for each channel – which are direct-coupled to the power section. The designer explains that ‘the driver stage has a symmetrical ± power supply so the DC level on the output of the driver is zero, making it possible to connect the driver stages directly to the grids of the power tubes which have individual cathode bias’.
The intent of this design, which is entirely in-house Engström thinking, is aimed at extending headroom and reducing distortion without compromising transient performance. Quite apart from the impressive output for a 300B amplifier of this kind, the ARNE promises real speaker-driving capability, without the need to seek out ultra-high-sensitivity ‘made for valves’ loudspeakers to make the most of usually tiny – often single-digit – power outputs. This is a world away from the ‘purist’, though not necessarily ‘pure’, single-ended single-300B amp
Astell&Kern SP3000 DAP Music Player Review
October 26, 2022 Comments Off on Astell&Kern SP3000 DAP Music Player Review
Icon Audio LA4 MKIII Signature Preamplifier $3295 Review
October 25, 2022 Comments Off on Icon Audio LA4 MKIII Signature Preamplifier $3295 Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2022/8/20/icon-audio-la4-mkiii-preamplifier
The same for streaming. I have lots to say about streaming quality in upcoming reviews. But, when streaming thickly scored Brahms symphonies or the astringent scoring on Steely Dan’s Gaucho, the LA4 did the music proud. If system basics are in place in your well-balanced system and appropriately sized room, you won’t be wanting for more. There is an admirable separation of instruments, even on 1960s CD-quality classical recordings. Voices sound very beautiful—Elizabeth Schwarzkopf singing Strauss songs, for example. Because of the LA4’s clarity, the orchestral accompaniment was laid out perfectly with Schwarzkopf’s soaring soprano above the orchestra, her exquisite voice intact and more importantly, in place, even at a loud volume.
AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt Review
October 25, 2022 Comments Off on AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt Review
https://www.hifichoice.com/content/audioquest-dragonfly-cobalt
The DragonFly Cobalt might at first appear to be an odd addition to the range on paper, and if you need support for very hi-res PCM and DSD you will need to look elsewhere. In more real-world terms, though, this is a fantastic DAC that elevates the go-anywhere, work-anywhere abilities that the more affordable models do so well, providing an extra level of performance
Willsenton R300 Integrated Amp Review
October 25, 2022 Comments Off on Willsenton R300 Integrated Amp Review
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless $349 Review
October 24, 2022 Comments Off on Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless $349 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sennheiser-momentum-4-wireless
Play Waxahatchee’s Oxbow and immediately the cymbals crash over the top of the rightfully booming drum beat and scatty electronica with impact and purpose. As the song settles into its piano- and vocal-led melody, everything in the mix is explicit and precise in a soundstage that’s nicely layered and spacious, never feeling cramped or one-dimensional. There’s a nice feel and flow to the song as, being about the writer Katie Crutchfield finding sobriety, it musically treads a fine line between wistfulness and optimism. We only have to let the next track seep into our ears to be sure of the Sennheisers’ musical talent, which fervently laps up the boppy, country-infused instrumentation.
The Sony XM5 are comparatively richer, with a more prominent bass, though their added midrange clarity and transparency is what really pulls them away from the Sennheisers (and other competition at this level) and justifies their greater expense. The gap isn’t huge exactly, but the Sony’s detail-on-tap does make an instrumentally dense and texturally diverse piece like Oneohtrix Point Never’s Long Road Home unarguably more compelling, and is able to tug on the heartstrings a little harder when playing an intimate track like Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ grief-laden Girl In Amber. The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2’s analytical nature surfaces subtleties in similar class-leading fashion, but the livelier Sennheisers reply with greater get up and go.
2022 Golden Ear: Metaxas & Sins Tourbillon T-RX Reel-to-Reel Tape Deck
October 24, 2022 Comments Off on 2022 Golden Ear: Metaxas & Sins Tourbillon T-RX Reel-to-Reel Tape Deck
Over and above its astonishingly “cool” looks, the Tourbillon T-RX is a sonic wonder. I’ve heard a lot of tape decks over the years—from huge studio Ampexes and Studers to smaller-scale gems made by Nagra, ReVox, Otari, etc. I’ve also heard just about every iteration of Greg Beron’s marvelous United Home Audio Tascams, and (except for Greg’s latest, ultra-expensive SuperDeck), not a one of them outdoes the Tourbillon. It is the very quintessence of neutrality and completeness—those twin household audio gods that make ersatz sound like real.
Alongside the UHA SuperDeck, the Metaxas Tourbillon T-RX is the highest fidelity audio component I’ve auditioned, consistently making the musicians on well-recorded tapes into near-visible presences and music sound as you hear it in life. Like my other Golden Ears, the Metaxas & Sins Tourbillon T-RX will also be a nominee for TAS’ annual Product of the Year Awards—and this one would be a Product of the Year in any decade, past or present.
GRYPHON KODO SYSTEM INSTALLATION TIME LAPSE VIDEO
October 24, 2022 Comments Off on GRYPHON KODO SYSTEM INSTALLATION TIME LAPSE VIDEO
Shunyata Research Sigma V2 Cables $4000/1m Review
October 23, 2022 Comments Off on Shunyata Research Sigma V2 Cables $4000/1m Review
Shunyata has really improved its signal cables with the new v2. The performance advances in both the Sigma v2 interconnect and speaker cable over the already-very-good v1 are substantial, especially in areas such as overall resolution, dynamic agility, and soundstaging and imaging. The sonic improvements wrought by the Sigma v2 cables in my system are closer to what one would expect from a major electronics upgrade, rather than from new cables alone.
Building upon the original Sigma’s technologies and construction, Caelin Gabriel and his team at Shunyata have brought to market some truly fine signal cables that, while fairly expensive, are not priced anywhere near the upper end of the market. I highly recommend Sigma v2 cables, even if you can afford the more expensive stuff.
McIntosh MX1375 & Jeep Grand Wagoneer
October 23, 2022 Comments Off on McIntosh MX1375 & Jeep Grand Wagoneer
The average age of the driver is 40 and they are schlepping around 4-5 kids from Yeshiva or private schools here on the Jersey Shore. Spending $100,000 to $200,000 on a vehicle is part of the lifestyle.
I can barely navigate the parking lot of my local Target without counting more than 4-5 new Jeep Grand Cherokees, so it is not really that surprising the the McIntosh MX1375 was designed around the Grand Wagoneer. Jeep is really popular again.
The typical Jeep owner is also younger — and let’s not forget that the McIntosh MX1375 is also a marketing opportunity for a brand that never misses an opportunity to make a really strong impression.
Audiophilepure 
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