Wilson Audio Specialties Sasha V loudspeaker $48,900 Review
February 9, 2024 Comments Off on Wilson Audio Specialties Sasha V loudspeaker $48,900 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-audio-specialties-sasha-v-loudspeaker
Are female jazz vocals one genre or two? It was time to stop classroom grading and start appreciating the Sasha Vs on their own merits. A longtime go-to for me and others is Ella Fitzgerald’s definitive album Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!, from 1961. My LP copy is a fine, 200gm vinyl remaster from the late Classic Records (Verve V6-4053). The standout heartbreaker here has to be “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most.” Listening to the Sasha Vs, I heard more subtle interplay between the softly mixed piano and the guitar than I’ve heard before. As for Ella, there was much velvet skin on the bone as she descended step by step from the first to the last statements of the refrain. When she lands on the word “most,” she is in alto territory, an E-flat below middle C. Delicious!
Sure, I’ve got some hard rock. I had preordered the four-LP box set of the freshly remastered Who’s Next (Polydor/UMC 35858531). The first LP is the original album, sequenced as it was released. The other three LPs contain a complete live performance by The Who at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium, on December 13, 1971. The live recording allowed me to continue playing my very own version of “Where’s Waldo?” I was there for that show, presented by Bill Graham, but I had never heard any of it on record until now. Glyn Johns, who mixed the studio album, was on hand to record the live performance to 16-track tape using the Wally Heider remote truck.
Denon DNP-2000NE Networked -Attached DAC Review
February 9, 2024 Comments Off on Denon DNP-2000NE Networked -Attached DAC Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/denon-dnp-2000ne-networked-attached-dac
What about that HDMI input? Well, there’s a lot of good music content to be found on your smart TV. One of my favourites is Bruce Springsteen’s Letter To You, a sweet and poignant Apple TV documentary covering the recording of the artist’s 2020 album of the same name, and touching upon Springsteen coming to terms with his advancing years.
I’ve watched it many times in its Dolby Atmos incarnation, but in stereo through the DNP-2000NE and the rest of the Denon separates it was equally delightful – crisp, enveloping and intense. Everything about the production – the black and white imagery, Springsteen’s voice-over, the excellent recording of the band – is made to pull you in. The well-featured DNP-2000NE was up to the challenge.
Woo Audio WA7e Fireflies Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier and DAC Review
February 9, 2024 Comments Off on Woo Audio WA7e Fireflies Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier and DAC Review
SMSL AO300 Headphone Amplifier REVIEW
February 8, 2024 Comments Off on SMSL AO300 Headphone Amplifier REVIEW
As for the headphone output itself, SMSL stayed vague but announced conservative numbers. With a 32 ohm Load, the SMSL AO300 harmonic distortion reaches 0.003 while maintaining an average signal-to-noise ratio (107dB). A league below the DO400 and even DO200, but the brand top that with the all-new Infineon MA5332MS, which makes the AO300 very interesting.
Why? Because this Class D chip makes the AO300 one of the most powerful speaker amplifiers available in this category, outputting no less than 165W per channel at 4 ohm, and 85W per channel at 8 ohm. Numbers that make the AO300 battling with mid-range amps like the Teac TN-303 – that shares a lot of common traits, but at 2-3 times the price.
ROGUE AUDIO RP-5 V2 PREAMPLIFIER REVIEW
February 8, 2024 Comments Off on ROGUE AUDIO RP-5 V2 PREAMPLIFIER REVIEW
The RP-5 v2 required a fairly long break-in period before it sounded its best. So please be patient with it. I do wish the upgraded remote was the included remote but the one that comes with it worked fine and is probably pretty reliable. I wanted to hang on to the review unit to toss around the idea of purchasing it, but Rogue has asked me to return it so they can upgrade the firmware as this was a very early production unit. This should resolve an issue where the display would freeze and the only way to fix it was through a power reset.
This preamplifier may not be for everyone, but its build quality and musical prowess make it a must- audition for anybody in the market for a new preamplifier. I may very well request one for purchase in the coming weeks. Either way, I will always remember this as a fun and fluidly musical component that is highly flexible with its myriad hook-up options, phono stage, and headphone amp.
Estelon Aura Loudspeakers $19,900 REVIEW
February 7, 2024 Comments Off on Estelon Aura Loudspeakers $19,900 REVIEW
The thought 25 years ago of a speaker as sophisticated in both design and performance was merely a daydream. In 1995 dollars the Aura would have cost a whopping $36,000. And even at that price the Aura’s abilities today were barely touched upon at any price then. While Estelon offers value at each tier they offer, I proffer the Aura is THE value among them.
It’s a wonderful time to be an audiophile. For under 30K one can put together a system that was bank account draining ultra -reference level a couple of decades ago. Estelon is uniquely positioned as a groundbreaking cutting edge manufacturer to continue leading the way while redefining what great sound reproduction is. Rarely does a manufacturer, especially a speaker manufacturer, hit home runs from the get-go. With the Aura, we have a bases loaded, game 7, two outs in the ninth inning, down by 3, 3-2 pitch crushing grand slam.
Trafomatic Rhapsody Integrated Amplifier Review
February 7, 2024 Comments Off on Trafomatic Rhapsody Integrated Amplifier Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/trafomatic-rhapsody-integrated-amplifier
Trafomatic’s Rhapsody ensured that I wallowed in the room-filling, full-blown orchestral readings of ‘White Christmas’, ‘Sleigh Ride’ and ‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’, some wholly (or holy) instrumental, others with multiple voices to the fore. What was not compromised, despite the Rhapsody amplifier eschewing lushness for the sake of it, was that silky sheen which endears SET designs to the faithful. The best way to describe it is an inherent antidote to listener fatigue.
If there is any limit to this amplifier’s sheer command, it might prove to be the wattage, but that only affects your choice of loudspeaker. When paired with high-sensitivity models, the Trafomatic Rhapsody earns the most glowing testimony I can bestow on a product by simply stating one fact: my first listening session ran for seven uninterrupted hours. Yes, seven. The only downside? Looking at the smart meter in my listening room.
Simaudio Moon 791 Streaming Preamplifier $16,000 Review
February 5, 2024 Comments Off on Simaudio Moon 791 Streaming Preamplifier $16,000 Review
Simaudio’s Moon 791 has received much attention and much praise on SoundStage! Network sites during 2023, as did the Moon 740P ten years earlier. In the December 1 review, the 791 earned a Reviewers’ Choice award, as the 740P did in 2013. The next accolade came on December 15, when the 791 was recognized as one of the Products of the Year for 2023, as was the 740P before it. Now, the Recommended Reference Component award is yet another formal recognition the 791 shares with its predecessor. And while garnering the same accolades, the 791 far surpasses its predecessor with its DAC, streaming module, phono stage, and broad connectivity. That it does so without compromising performance is a stunning achievement fully deserving of every honor that the SoundStage! Network can bestow
Audiophilepure 
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