Icon Audio ST40 MkIV 6L6 Integrated Amplifier £2400 Review
March 11, 2023 Comments Off on Icon Audio ST40 MkIV 6L6 Integrated Amplifier £2400 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/icon-audio-st40-mkiv-6l6-integrated-amplifier
As the latter of the two titles proudly proclaims ‘Plus Trumpet’, it was an ideal test for the Stereo 40 MkIV 6L6. Would the strings stay sweet or turn steely? Would the brass have attack, punch and staccato transients?
It was almost a master class in why tape is the superior source, Icon Audio’s ‘austerity amp’ defying the removal of a few (admittedly non-sound-related) functions and a small reduction in power. Still the strings soared, with no edges to set teeth a’grinding, while the vivacious brass bursting from the speakers was enough to impress Al Hirt. This amp may have limitations in power, but used judiciously? It’s only January, but it could be Bargain of the Year.
MBL 101e Temporary Install Before Extremes Arrive
March 11, 2023 Comments Off on MBL 101e Temporary Install Before Extremes Arrive
HiFiMAN EF400 DAC/Headphone Amp $599 Review
March 10, 2023 Comments Off on HiFiMAN EF400 DAC/Headphone Amp $599 Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2023/2/17/hifiman-ef400-desktop-dacamplifier
With the EF400, HiFiMAN has created an impressive-sounding, contemporary-looking and powerful desktop DAC/Headphone amp at only $599. With an emphasis on simplicity of features/use on the one hand, coupled with its ability to easily engage with the complex world of streaming on the other hand, I think HiIFiMAN has a winner on their hands. And they also have headphones to match. Highly recommended.
HIFIMAN SUNDARA CLOSED-BACK HEADPHONE REVIEW
March 10, 2023 Comments Off on HIFIMAN SUNDARA CLOSED-BACK HEADPHONE REVIEW
haven’t listened to the original open-back Sundara headphones for any significant length so I can’t make meaningful comparisons between the two sister models. I also don’t have comparatively priced headphones on hand to make comparisons against the Sundara Closed-Back either. I do have a few slightly less expensive and slightly more expensive headphone models to help frame my impressions of the sound quality for you, however.
How This Drum Beat Changed Hip Hop Forever
March 10, 2023 Comments Off on How This Drum Beat Changed Hip Hop Forever
Clearaudio Innovation Professional Power Supply Review
March 9, 2023 Comments Off on Clearaudio Innovation Professional Power Supply Review
Even in original form with stock power supply and round-section drive belt, the Innovation clearly shows the benefit of its advanced engineering and materials. There’s an overarching sense of ease in its timing and pitch stability, playing acoustic piano for example with such authority that you know that any hint of waver in note modulation is a product of the very piano’s tuning, the master tape transcription or the tiniest of non-concentricities from the record.
While settling in with this arrangement, I came to realise that the SMPS has no place on the same mains as the rest of the system. Sharing the Nordost QBase distribution board with the power amp and phono stage always betrayed a mild HF haze and midband muddle that was easily diminished by running from a separate outlet; in this case an IsoTek Sigma on a different wall socket.
That cleaning-up operation was magnified again with the PP24V now powering the deck. Focusing on the frenetic drumming in ‘Slow Yourself Down’ from Camel’s first album, the new supply gave not just more body to the percussive onslaught, showing the shape as well as placement of tom‑toms, it tidied and made sense of the whole backing track. No wonder drummer Andy Ward got a co-writing credit for the number.
REL No. 31 Subwoofer $7,500 Review
March 9, 2023 Comments Off on REL No. 31 Subwoofer $7,500 Review
Pumping the bass way up, the jumpy, funky bass line in the Average White Band’s “Cut The Cake” pushes my chest cavity in as the volume control goes up. Hunter was headed home at 5 p.m, but I was up with a long list of bass-heavy tracks from RUN-D.M.C., The System, K.C. & The Sunshine Band, and some Prince until about 2 a.m. In the world of stuff, there are a few things I never get tired of, Porsche manual transmissions, the gentle click of a Leica rangefinder camera, and the way a REL subwoofer improves a system. It’s never less than extraordinary.
The following day was reserved for more heavy rock and jazz. Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, and Charlie Hayden all sound more similar than different on a lesser sub, but with the No.31, you can easily hear the distinct sound their instruments and playing styles make. Rather than bore you with a long playlist of tracks, the REL No. 31 excels at its function. Even when playing arena rock at brain damage levels, the RELs never run out of excursion.
At $7,500 each, these are not inexpensive subwoofers. However, if you’ve invested $30k to crazy money in a pair of main speakers, will you bring up the bottom with an inexpensive pair of subs? Whether you choose one, two, or six – you will be impressed by the added dimension the REL No.31s can deliver to your system.
Stage III Concepts Ckahron Ultimate Statement XLR interconnects Review
March 8, 2023 Comments Off on Stage III Concepts Ckahron Ultimate Statement XLR interconnects Review
With the first pair of Ckahorn XLR staying put and adding the second, longer pair of the Ckahron XLR between the Xs Preamp and the XA200.8 monoblocks, alternating with the Bricasti Design M28 monoblocks, there’s a substantial sense of purity in quietness of noise in the Ckahron’s demeanor. In the rarefied space, music takes on the most palpable presence with the signal path laid out by the cable itself from either the Bricasti Design DAC or the Xs Phono to the Xs Preamp, and onwards to the monoblocks.
Playing the Proprius Cantate Domino LP, the Stage III redefined the experience. In speed, the Stage III was expedient and utterly composed. In dynamics, the contrasts between the choir, the brass and the pipe organ were at its most startling and engaging. In tone, it showed the Stage III XLR was every bit as supremely vivid and uncensored as the A.R.T. RCA. I could at once relax and entrust the Stage III in bringing some of the finest music into my life. It was the first time two pairs of balanced cable in my system were showing me how vast the record was in context and emotions. Though featuring a lone trumpet and a pipe organ, the two pairs of Stage III XLR together conveyed unprecedented effectiveness and persuasiveness of palettes of tonal richness, at same time rendering the performance as tonally harmonious and supremely easy on the ear.
Ultimate Guide To The Best Music Streaming Services For Audiophiles! (2023)
March 8, 2023 Comments Off on Ultimate Guide To The Best Music Streaming Services For Audiophiles! (2023)
All audio streaming services offer a combination of formats. Still, you can also rely on the one that’s best for you: – It’s worth noting that even though both AAC and MP3 are considered “lossy” formats, you don’t normally experience any noticeable loss of sound quality.
That said, Lossless (CD-Quality) and Hi-Res streaming (Better Than CD Quality) formats, such as FLAC, WAV, AIFF, and ALAC, usually sound slightly different and offer a clearer, more high-resolution sound with well-recorded material. – Hi-Res streaming, however, is only available on select audio streaming services like the ones we list here.
Audiophilepure 
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