iFi Go Link $59 Review

July 8, 2023 Comments Off on iFi Go Link $59 Review

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/ifi-go-link

Rather a lot, as it so happens. The iFi Go Link feels like the perfect device for enhancing your headphones on the move and on a budget, living up to its brief of providing discernible sonic enhancements in a portable package without forcing you to fork out a fortune for the pleasure. Choose your apt analogy – Luton Town FC, Bruce Lee, Peter Crouch – the iFi Go Link joins the pantheon of performers punching well above their weight.

Audiolab HiFi amplifier 6000A vs 7000A vs 9000A

July 8, 2023 Comments Off on Audiolab HiFi amplifier 6000A vs 7000A vs 9000A

TAD CE1TX loudspeaker $32,500 Review

July 7, 2023 Comments Off on TAD CE1TX loudspeaker $32,500 Review

https://www.stereophile.com/content/tad-ce1tx-loudspeaker

My definition of the word “best,” as applied to audiophile speakers, would include expressions like “extremely well-sorted” and “exposes everything” and “flawless tone.” This thought struck me now because exactly these words passed through my head over and over during the hundreds of hours I spent listening with the TAD CE1TX’s. These luxuriously appointed standmounts specialize in converting tiny signal currents into moving air with atomic-clock precision—all by itself, a captivating phenomenon to witness. But what elevated these new TADs to a level of performance I’ve rarely experienced from any speakers, anywhere, at any price is the coexistence of that atomic-clock precision with an innate ability to present instruments and voices in a most agreeable, seductive manner.

AVM Inspiration CS2.3 CD receiver Review

July 7, 2023 Comments Off on AVM Inspiration CS2.3 CD receiver Review

https://www.stereophile.com/content/avm-inspiration-cs23-cd-receiver

The AVM Inspiration CS 2.3 is a delicious example of having cake and eating it. Some out-of-the-box thinking has taken shape in this small, attractively finished box. Designer-owner Besser is proud that many of the subcomponents for AVM are produced nearby his small German town; he told me he can literally call out the window to one of those vendors just next door.

But whether someone is carrying trays of capacitors or steins of beer back and forth is less important than the quality of the resulting products. That quality is patently evident in the AVM Inspiration CS 2.3—real creative excellence. It is not inexpensive, but when you price out everything it does—DAC, streamer, CD player, line and phono preamp, amplifier, headphone amp—and how well it does it, the smallness of that number starts to impress. I’d like to give the CS 2.3 an award. Instead, I’ll reward myself: I’m buying the review sample, to use in the Apartment System. Gut gemacht, AVM!

Astell&Kern SE300 Review

July 7, 2023 Comments Off on Astell&Kern SE300 Review

PS Audio aspen FR20 Loudspeaker £19,995 Review

July 6, 2023 Comments Off on PS Audio aspen FR20 Loudspeaker £19,995 Review

https://www.hifinews.com/content/ps-audio-aspen-fr20-loudspeaker

The industrial design is by Canadian-based Studio 63, which also penned the FR30. In this case the main enclosure is a one-piece design, with none of the adjustability of the two-piece FR30, and is built from heavily-braced MDF finished with 20 coats of hand-rubbed piano-grade lacquer. There’s a choice of Pearl White or Sable Black finishes, incidentally. The planar magnetic tweeter is attached to the rear of the thermoset resin front baffle, the latter with a shaped waveguide to control the dispersion of the midrange driver mounted, like the woofers, to the main structure.

Separate magnetically-attached grilles are provided for the top and bottom portions of the cabinet, as illustrated in our pictures, while the substantial alloy base comes with a set of adjustable milled brass feet. These include detachable spike tips and plastic inserts for use on hard surfaces, plus a set of sliders for ease of movement while the speakers are being set up. PS Audio provides a set of nifty Allen keys for adjustment in addition to a set of jumpers for single-wiring the bi-wire terminals on the rear of the speakers.

OAD Ultrafidelity Vajra Power Amplifier Review

July 6, 2023 Comments Off on OAD Ultrafidelity Vajra Power Amplifier Review

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0423/OAD_Ultrafidelity_Vajra_Power_Amplifier_Review.htm

This was also demonstrated in the echoed repeated staccato of the Scherzo, where Ashkenazy’s left hand mirrors his right. The musical tension was conveyed perfectly by the Vajra. When Ashkenazy then sustains some of the notes a little longer, the gorgeous resonances of the Steinway filled my listening room with sound. There was also another telling reveal of the Vajra’s lack of background noise: before starting in on the Adagio, Ashkenazy takes a longer-than-his-usual pause, and in the silence I could hear his breathing, controlled though it was — something I can’t recall having ever heard before. The sonorities of the Adagio were delivered to perfection by the Vajra, as were the micro-variations in Ashkenazy’s finger-touch… and yet again, those trills!

Garage Box Balanced Headphone Adapter for Chord Mojo / Mojo 2

July 6, 2023 Comments Off on Garage Box Balanced Headphone Adapter for Chord Mojo / Mojo 2

Dan D’Agostino Momentum M400 MxV monoblock power amplifier $19,950 Review

July 5, 2023 Comments Off on Dan D’Agostino Momentum M400 MxV monoblock power amplifier $19,950 Review

https://www.stereophile.com/content/dan-dagostino-momentum-m400-mxv-monoblock-power-amplifier

D’Agostino’s Momentum M400 MxV mono amplifier exceeded my expectations. Its relatively compact size belies its stellar performance: massive bass, mellifluous midrange, and well-measured treble. The clarity and ease with which it handles even the most challenging recordings is remarkable. It is one of the most musical, truthful, satisfying amplifiers I’ve ever heard in my system and one of the most striking aesthetically.

Audiophiles wishing to experience the edge of the hi-fi envelope should visit a dealer or an audio show exhibiting the Momentum M400 MxV and listen to it. Those who audition a pair and are blessed with the wherewithal to seriously consider their acquisition will find it tempting, I suspect, to take them home.

Focal Bathys Hi-Fi Bluetooth $799 Headphones

July 5, 2023 Comments Off on Focal Bathys Hi-Fi Bluetooth $799 Headphones

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2023/5/5/focal-bathys-hi-fi-bluetooth-active-noise-cancelling-headphones

They cost less than the Levinson 5909, and the Bathys sound doesn’t shy away from the audiophile quality of the Levinsons. If you would ask me to decide, I’d probably choose the Levinsons—I like that they’re smaller and the aesthetics and neutral sound are more to my taste. The Bathys can feel a little bit plasticky to the touch and the buttons are a little big, but many people will like this. In general, the Bathys are more fun to listen to as well as more comfortable and have a more user-friendly firmware and app. 

Caroline Shaw’s Partita for eight voices is a beautiful and complex composition that goes from voices in harmony to moments of disruptive chatter and noise. The Bathys developed a unique crescendo to the recording that blew me away. What sets these headphones apart is their dynamic driver’s subtlety and complimentary sound. You wouldn’t think a closed-back headphone could have the ‘air’ to bring out that detail, but it does. With its bass-filled songs, Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories rang through in a crisp and non-fatiguing way. I also tried some Alice in Chains, the best studio album of theirs Jar of Flies, the open chord voicings and Layne Staley’s gut-wrenching vocals were superb. Did I say Levinsons nudging the Bathys?

Where Am I?

You are currently viewing the archives for July, 2023 at Audiophilepure.