Klipsch RP-1600SW 16″ Ported Subwoofer $1,799 Review
November 6, 2023 § 1 Comment
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/klipsch-rp-1600sw-16-ported-subwoofer-review
If I’m honest, there was a time when I wouldn’t consider recommending a Klipsch subwoofer to anyone. That time is no more, the RP-1600SW surprised me; it can play very loud without losing composer, has impressive dynamics, it’s almost impossible to trip up this thing. The protection mechanisms are all but bulletproof, you can experiment with impunity. Even at the limit it sounds totally in control, composed despite your best efforts to force it not to be.
Bass was always sharp and distinct, each note and effect clearly defined. There was no overhang, nothing sounded out of place. When it wasn’t necessary to do anything the RP-1600SW didn’t, when it was time to get serious it could and did. The Klipsch Reference Premier line of subwoofers is definitely worth adding to your short list
Audiophile Visit
November 6, 2023 Comments Off on Audiophile Visit
An impressive ultra-high-end audio system and dedicated listening room with the iconic Gryphon Poseidon speaker system and matching components.
Woo Audio WA23 FLAGSHIP | First Impressions
November 5, 2023 Comments Off on Woo Audio WA23 FLAGSHIP | First Impressions
B&W 801 D4 Signature Loudspeaker £45,000 Review
November 5, 2023 Comments Off on B&W 801 D4 Signature Loudspeaker £45,000 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/bw-801-d4-signature-loudspeaker
Both voices are richly characterised, and there’s tight, rich and weighty bass, as indeed there is on the cover of The Pet Shop Boys’ ‘It’s A Sin’. Here I’ll admit to preferring the version on the PSB’s recent Smash compilation [Parlophone 5054197296215], and the replacement of Elton John’s mannered vocals with Neil Tennant’s. The voice is just as affected, but much less of a drag on the rhythmic drive of the track, which still sings through the oddly ‘brickwalled’ production.
There’s no such problem with the mystical, deeply moving sound of Paul Simon’s Seven Psalms [Sony/Owl Records 19658779112]. Via these speakers it’s going to grab and hold you throughout its more than 30-minute running time, the seamless music punctuated with temple bells and bowls seemingly hanging in three dimensions in the soundstage. The imaging is wonderful, and the effect hypnotic.
LampizatOr Horizon DAC Review World Premiere
November 4, 2023 § 1 Comment
https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0723/LampizatOr_Horizon_DAC_Review.htm
One of the more discernable failures of other competing DACs is their inability to faithfully recreate the space, and the subtleties of the physical placements and interrelationships, of the instruments spanning the soundstage. So many of even the most well-regarded offerings deliver a decidedly more dimensionally flattened instrumental image and limit the depth and breadth of their layering, presenting something that resembles more of a cardboard cutout propped up in front of you rather than offering the sense of the more real spherical wave launch and presence you so lucidly experience when hearing live instruments played in a real space. This near-consistent weakness of many DACs has been one of the most crucial factors fueling my ongoing resistance to digital music playback over the years.
Grado Labs Sonata3 Low-Output Phono Cartridge $600 Review
November 4, 2023 Comments Off on Grado Labs Sonata3 Low-Output Phono Cartridge $600 Review
Would Aristotle consider the low-output Grado Sonata3 cartridge virtuous? His head might be spinning at the mere wonder of our ability to record and reproduce sound with such faithfulness to the original. That said, the low-output version of the Sonata3 has certainly found the electromechanical mean between moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges, if not the sonic mean. Like other Grado products, the Sonata3 has a distinct sonic character and a few analog lovers out there may absolutely hate it. But I think most will love its treatment of tonality and separation. The Sonata3 isn’t quite a perfect cartridge, but considering its sound, its look, and the care Grado’s put into its production, it’s a solid deal. The bottom line is that the Sonata3 is worth comparing against the many options in its price class, whether you’re considering a moving-magnet or a moving-coil cartridge. And the fact you can choose the output level most appropriate to your existing equipment? That kind of versatility is a virtue that even the philosophers among us have probably never imagined.
HIFi Rose RS130 Flagship Music Streamer
November 4, 2023 Comments Off on HIFi Rose RS130 Flagship Music Streamer
CLEARAUDIO OVATION TURNTABLE AND UNIVERSAL TONEARM REVIEW
November 3, 2023 § 1 Comment
Late in the audition an Acoustic Signature Montana Neo arrived. With all the accessories, the entire Ovation kit costs less than half of the cost of the Montana Neo without a tonearm. The sound of the Montana Neo is bigger and bolder, more dynamic, and with a larger, better-defined sound stage. Incrementally better, for sure. But what surprised me more than any specific improvement is that none of these upgrades in the sonic presentation reflected poorly on the excellent performance of the Ovation turntable. If the Montana Neo gets an “A+” rating, the Ovation is not far behind with a solid “A” rating. The Ovation simply blew the tonearm off a Technics SL-1200G, when the direct drive table sounded significantly inferior.
The Clearaudio Ovation, with options, is an excellent music maker, simple to operate, easy to set up, and reliable in long term use. I am happy having the Montana Neo, specifically for its ability to support two tonearms. But knowing what I know now about the apparent but small improvements attainable with more than double the cost, it is without reservation that the Clearaudio Ovation is recommended as a very high performance and enjoyable turntable.
Audiophilepure 
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