VINCENT AUDIO SV-237MKII HYBRID INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
April 26, 2024 Comments Off on VINCENT AUDIO SV-237MKII HYBRID INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
Vincent Audio has built a reputation for making amplifiers that sound great, are reliable and that can serve as the anchor of a well-performing stereo system. When our editor-in-chief, Carlo Lo Raso, asked if I could make time to review an integrated amplifier from Vincent, the answer was a rousing YES! There is no audio dealer within 200 miles of our home that carries Vincent, and over the last two decades, I have been curious to find out just how good their amps are.
The Vincent SV-237MKII goes well beyond being a high-value audio component. It can serve as the centerpiece for a high-end audio system. It can hold its own with a variety of high-end speakers. Its performance on both the Diptyque 140 Mark II planars and the DALI Oberon 9’s demonstrated a versatility that is hard to find for such a modest price.
The included remote operates all inputs with complete silence. The build quality is excellent. I have worked hard to come up with something I don’t like about this amplifier, and cannot think of anything except that it only has two digital inputs. Everything about the Vincent 237MK II is first class. Think of it as a five-star performer with a three-star price!
Sony MDR-Z1R Premium Closed-back Headphone Review
April 26, 2024 Comments Off on Sony MDR-Z1R Premium Closed-back Headphone Review
Noble Audio New Wireless $369 Earbuds
April 25, 2024 Comments Off on Noble Audio New Wireless $369 Earbuds
Dubbed Cowell, the solid-state tweeter is billed as the world’s smallest micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) microspeaker and said to deliver “exceptional sound quality, phase coherence, and treble extension,” according to Noble.
Tuned by one of the company’s top acoustic designers, the FoKus Triumph earbuds are based on Bluetooth 5.3 and support high-quality streaming through aptX Adaptive, LDAC, and Snapdragon Sound in addition to supporting. The earbuds also support Siri and Google voice assistants and multipoint connectivity in addition to featuring two Qualcomm technologies: TrueWireless Mirroring for seamless swapping and cVc noise-canceling for phone calls.
Naim Audio NSS 333 Streaming DAC $10,999 Review
April 25, 2024 Comments Off on Naim Audio NSS 333 Streaming DAC $10,999 Review
https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1224-naim-audio-nss-333-streaming-dac
The NSS 333 is based on the latest-generation NP800 streaming platform, which Naim claims to be futureproofed via software upgrades. In my experience, Naim is superb at updating its player and app software. This platform was originally developed for Naim’s second-generation Uniti models, and proved extremely dependable during my lengthy evaluation period. The only issue I noticed was that it seemed incapable of accessing the UPnP playlists I had created for my first-generation Naim NDX streamer. Tidal playlists worked fine, but those involving locally stored files were problematic. It’s an annoying limitation for users of Naim’s first-generation streaming hardware who want to upgrade to the new platform, assuming mine was not an isolated case. My recently acquired NDX2, which uses the same streaming platform, has no issues in this regard.
The DAC features Naim’s favored Burr-Brown PCM1791A chip running in external filter mode. There are two separate digital boards; the first fitted with an ARM microcontroller for system control, while the second contains SHARC digital signal processing circuits. Discrete class-A op amps are used with custom Naim filters. The circuit uses custom polystyrene ultralow-dielectric-absorption post-DAC filter components. Two fixed-frequency 44.1kHz/48kHz synchronous master clocks are employed for ultra-low jitter. The NSS 333 uses Naim’s proprietary DSP 705.6kHz/768kHz integer oversampling digital filter. Although not considered exotic, the 1791 DAC was chosen after extensive listening tests because Naim found it sounded superior to more expensive options.
Audiovector QR 5 SE Loudspeaker Review
April 25, 2024 Comments Off on Audiovector QR 5 SE Loudspeaker Review
Goldmund Unveils Telos 690 Integrated Stereo Amplifier $36,250 Review
April 23, 2024 Comments Off on Goldmund Unveils Telos 690 Integrated Stereo Amplifier $36,250 Review
As with all Goldmund products, the Telos 690 is crafted with attention to detail and reflects Goldmund’s commitment to precision mechanics. The upgraded panel structure enhances the mechanical grounding and vibration dispersion capabilities of the amp. It also comes in Goldmund’s custom-designed, robust flight case. Goldmund isn’t just about style, but substance, too.
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Denon DP-3000NE Turntable £2299 Review
April 23, 2024 Comments Off on Denon DP-3000NE Turntable £2299 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/denon-dp-3000ne-turntable
On the album’s title track, which is a simple vocal piece with minimal instrumentation, Harriet’s vocals were clear, lifelike and projected wonderfully out into the room. The echo picked up from the recording studio was almost uncannily realistic. The DP-3000NE doesn’t throw images extravagantly wide or into the far distance, instead being content to offer a properly ordered soundstage within the confines of the loudspeakers, and out into the room by a well-judged amount.
This presentation might lack the initial pizzaz of some competitors but, ultimately, it affords better focus on the subtlety of a recording. At the same time, while the DP-3000NE seems a paragon of sophistication with high-quality material, it also proves more than capable of thundering out thumping dance beats, such as ‘Padam Padam’ from Kylie Minogue’s Tension LP [BMG 538927931], with heady abandon. A direct-drive turntable with a lack of ‘drive’ just doesn’t seem right – fortunately Denon’s DP-3000NE is in top gear all the way.
MoFi SourcePoint 888 Speakers at AXPONA 2024
April 23, 2024 Comments Off on MoFi SourcePoint 888 Speakers at AXPONA 2024
Estelon Aura Loudspeaker $19,900 Review
April 22, 2024 Comments Off on Estelon Aura Loudspeaker $19,900 Review
https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1857-estelon-aura-loudspeaker
That splendid tonal balance was not perfectly neutral, but it was as neutral as I’d want it to be. Listening to female vocals, I could detect a slight emphasis in the upper midrange regardless of amplification. This bias, in the 1000Hz to 4000Hz range, both on- and off-axis, was also revealed in our measurements. But this isn’t a bad thing. Lana Del Rey’s wispy vocal on “White Dress,” the opening song on her Chemtrails Over the Country Club (16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC, Interscope / Polydor Records / Tidal), was perhaps a touch more prominent than usual, but it had dazzling immediacy and a wonderful clarity I did not sense with other speakers. A less obvious effect of the heightened upper midrange, albeit still noticeable, was on Stevie Nicks’s vocal in “Dreams.” With most systems, her voice seems buried in the mix. Through the Auras, however, with either amplifier, her voice was more present, and the whole song sounded a little more spacious in the midrange. Not all female vocals were boosted in this way, though. Tracy Chapman’s singing voice is a bit lower in pitch than Nicks’s and Del Rey’s. Playing “Fast Car” and “Baby Can I Hold You” for some friends one afternoon, from her eponymous debut album (16/44.1 FLAC, Elektra Records / Tidal), I was taken aback by how natural her voice sounded—it was as natural as I’ve ever heard it.
OCTAVE AUDIO V 110 SE INTEGRATED TUBE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
April 22, 2024 Comments Off on OCTAVE AUDIO V 110 SE INTEGRATED TUBE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
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