FIIO M23 REVIEW
June 3, 2024 Comments Off on FIIO M23 REVIEW
And if the brand began as a chi-fi maker, with cheap but nice products, FiiO has been constantly moving upmarket and, nowadays, it’d be hard to truly label them as “chi-fi”, rather than Hi-Fi – especially with TOTL players like the FiiO M17.
An amazing player, I considered “one, if not the best player you can get in this price range – as long as you’re okay to carry this little brick with you – that was gifted an “Headfonia Award” for best DAP, thanks to its amazing performances, sheer power, and unrivaled versatility.
Rotel Michi X5 Review
June 3, 2024 Comments Off on Rotel Michi X5 Review
https://www.hifichoice.com/content/rotel-michi-x5
The X5 comes across as rather more programme-dependent tan the X3, even if it’s hard to pinpoint exactly why. With the Jared Sacks recording of the Oyster Duo’s Stolen Pearls recital there’s the odd effect of Nicky Schwartz’s double-bass dominating the piano of his wife, Anna Fedorova, and for all the weight and resonance of the double-bass here, the two sound like they’re playing some way away with the surrounding acoustic tending to swallow them up. Of course, sometimes this slight lack of ambience can help – or at least change – the sound of a recording. For example, John Challenger’s beautiful Salisbury Meditation recital is curated from 270 hours of live recordings made while the newly-restored organ was played in Salisbury Cathedral during the on-site Covid-19 vaccinations – the ambience of the instrument accompanied by the hushed bustle going on down in the cathedral’s nave. Via the X5, there’s still a fine sense of the instrument in the lofty space, but that rustle of atmosphere is somewhat diminished, which is a good thing for focus on the playing, but it may rob the recordings of a little of their magic.
Dan Clark Audio E3 Planar Headphones Review
June 3, 2024 Comments Off on Dan Clark Audio E3 Planar Headphones Review
Chord Ultima Integrated Review
June 2, 2024 Comments Off on Chord Ultima Integrated Review
The power button sphere is also something very special: a translucent ball that can be freely rotated and which functions as a button, and power status indicator light, and, I presume, an IR receiver window. I found that direct sunlight from the side windows on the front panel can affect the IR operational range, and on one very bright day in my room with no curtains, I had to get up from the couch and move forward to get the amp to respond. In that single case, the range was 3 meters. On every other day of my testing, though, the range was normal, and I had no issues operating the amp.
After reading about this, Chord commented they have done countless audio shows using the Ultima Integrated and have never had an issue with the remote’s range under normal circumstances. A range of up to 8 meters is considered normal.
In use, the amplifier typically consumes 45 Watts and becomes only mildly warm. In standby mode, it consumes just 1 W and can, therefore, be left in this mode at all times if desired. The amplifier is available in Black and Silver (as reviewed). As standard, it comes complete with Integra Legs, which emphasize the amplifier’s beautiful industrial look. If desired, these legs can also be substituted for side blocks, for a more classic look.
PS Audio aspen FR10 Loudspeaker Review
June 2, 2024 Comments Off on PS Audio aspen FR10 Loudspeaker Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/ps-audio-aspen-fr10-loudspeaker
Where the music is inherently more restrained, however, the level of low-end detail, generous weight and enveloping warmth offered by the FR10s is hugely appealing. Relaxed and with my eyes closed, the double bass on the Holly Cole Trio’s version of ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ from Don’t Smoke In Bed [Manhattan Records CDP 7811982] seemed right in front of me, its performance deep, rich and deliciously resonant. Add in Miss Cole’s exquisite vocals, and I was one very happy listener.
Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition! Review
June 2, 2024 Comments Off on Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition! Review
Reed Muse 1C/3P Turntable Review
June 1, 2024 Comments Off on Reed Muse 1C/3P Turntable Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/reed-muse-1c3p-turntable
The Reed combination also demonstrated its own personality in the bass. So rich was it, so free of artifice, that I wanted to simply keep on playing Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul. But instead it was time to present the Reed package with a challenge: hard rock, – nay, nascent heavy metal – but of a dark, murky sound. It was begging the question asked of all high-performance gear – can it render a so-so recording more listenable… or simply less objectionable?
The hugely underappreciated guitarist Leslie West released a staggering debut called Mountain [Windfall 4500] before he created the band of that name. I have never heard a pressing that isn’t thick-sounding, even when his searing leads break through. While the Reed Muse 1C deck and 3P arm could not remix the album, the benefits were not dissimilar to that sort of makeover for this 1969 release, as if a layer of muck had been removed or a better-generation tape had been found. Something else Reed’s combination unveiled was low-level activity I hadn’t heard before, benefitting in particular the bass and percussion which were otherwise responsible for the murk.
Sonus faber Lumina V Amator Loudspeaker Review
June 1, 2024 Comments Off on Sonus faber Lumina V Amator Loudspeaker Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/sonus-faber-lumina-v-amator-loudspeaker
The drivers here are the same as those found in the standard Lumina models: the tweeter is the company’s 29mm DAD (Damped Apex Dome) unit, derived from the Sonetto range [HFN Nov ’18] and with its hand-coated silk diaphragm damper carried on the vertical crossbar in front of it. Meanwhile, the 150mm midrange driver blends fibre and paper, also used in the Sonettos, while the twin 165mm bass drivers employ a sandwich paper cone and were designed specifically for the Lumina.
While Sonus faber’s floorstander looks imposing in the pictures, the speaker is neither huge nor massively weighty, standing just under 105cm tall and, at 22.5kg, about light enough for one-person set-up, adding convenience to the room-friendliness. Positioning is no trickier, in no small part due to that downward-firing port. I spent some time moving the Lumina V Amators backwards and forwards in the room, finding very little difference wherever I placed them, and concentrated instead on experimenting with toe-in for the most coherent stereo image. Again, I was unable to effect any huge changes in this department, so stuck to my usual positioning with the cabinets aimed just slightly in front of the listening position.
Audiophilepure 
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