PS Audio AirLens and DirectStream DAC Mk2 Review
September 17, 2024 Comments Off on PS Audio AirLens and DirectStream DAC Mk2 Review
PS Audio’s rationale for that decision is because the company feels that USB is a noisier carrier to SPDIF or I2S. While that may be true, I caution the reader to take any blanket statement of standards with a grain of salt. During the AirLens and MK2 review, I had an in-depth conversation with a designer of a dedicated NOS (non-oversampling) DAC that has only one output – USB. That designer considers an external I2S connection to be redundant and inefficient and refuses to use it! That how the audio industry rolls; one designer swears off USB and the other promotes it! The audiophile is left scratching their head. I have encountered such contradictions consistently, so it no longer shocks me. In one sense, I could care less whether the favored connection is USB or I2S, may the best sounding connection in my system win!
Record Doctor X Record Cleaning System
September 17, 2024 Comments Off on Record Doctor X Record Cleaning System
Zanden Audio Systems 8120F Stereo Amplifier $30,500 REVIEW
September 16, 2024 Comments Off on Zanden Audio Systems 8120F Stereo Amplifier $30,500 REVIEW
For all this quality and excitement, I have yet to cite Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring; Scherzo à là Russe for Two Pianos LP, featuring Michael Tilson Thomas and Ralph Grierson (Angel S-36024). I played it on the Helius set-up with Koetsu Gold MC cartridge. “Part I: The Adoration of the Earth” was absolutely thrilling with diverse tonalities, crystalline trillings, complex chordings, rapid arpeggios, bombastic and lyrical passages, and startling clusters of high-pitched notes of tremendous energy and stunning effect. There was the anticipation of suspense and dread intermingled through much of the movement, which was an aural feast in full frequencies and dynamic range, characterized by the speed and precision of each pianist. There were a plethora of pleasing dissonances and swift changes of eccentric tempi, and it seemed as though every note from each measure of the orchestral score was anticipated in this earlier score for pianos. Deep bass drum strikes, screeches from an overblown piccolo, the sautillé of double basses, timpani strikes, horn and trumpet parts were all rendered on the keyboards for the four hands of two pianos
Wells Audio V8 Level II Tube Headphone Amplifier Review
September 16, 2024 Comments Off on Wells Audio V8 Level II Tube Headphone Amplifier Review
Once again Jeff Wells has shown that he can make a great amplifier whether solid-state or tube, and the Wells Audio V8 Level II Tube Headphone Amplifier has proven to be one of the better OTL amplifiers I have heard, with excellent detail, solid imaging, a linear tonal balance, a large soundstage, fantastic dynamic range and above all musicality. It works well with a broad spectrum of headphones, bringing out what that headphone does best.
Like most OTL amplifiers, the V8 is not particularly forgiving of source working best with high-resolution musical DACs rather than analytical DACs. What you put in is what you will get coming out, in that sense the V8 does exactly what a reference amplifier should; alter the sound as little as possible while providing dynamic range and sufficient power and damping to drive any headphone.
B&W 702 S3 Signature £7000 Review
September 15, 2024 Comments Off on B&W 702 S3 Signature £7000 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/bw-702-s3-signature
Switch to ‘The Smoke’, however, and the performance was more about unpicking the track’s many layers. There was a great sense of resolution noticeable in small details, such as Yorke’s voice reverberating into space and in the intricacies of the bass playing that carries this song.
Gritty guitars? On ‘Thin Thing’ these were enjoyably crunchy – perhaps a strange adjective but one that fits perfectly with Greenwood’s particular mix of distortion pedals. The speakers impressed here with their drive and power, but their strongest moments were with the more dreamlike tracks on this album where they showed off an ability to envelop, seeming to discover new details even in familiar songs.
Canor Asterion V2 £6000 Review
September 15, 2024 Comments Off on Canor Asterion V2 £6000 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/canor-asterion-v2
This turned out to be fortuitous, as the result was excellent as it stood, and PM’s Lab Report [opposite] indicated the single-ended/lower gain route would be the better choice with this cartridge anyway. And when a replacement Pro-Ject Connect it Phono DS cable was eventually delivered, I still preferred the single-ended connection for its more fluid sound and natural high-frequency detail.
Anyway, the tunes on …Cosmic Sofa were originally created for the milestone anime series Cowboy Bebop – not the derivative Netflix version – but Kanno re-recorded them last year for this vinyl release. ‘The Real Folk Blues’ made for especially satisfying listening, the Asterion V2 giving the carefully plucked guitar plenty of presence just as A-Sha Mai Yamane’s crooning was both gritty and packed with emotion. Yet what really stood out – and pardon the audiophile cliché – was the black background, testament to the vanishingly low noise of the Asterion V2 and to the Pick it MC9’s tracking prowess.
NEW HiFi Rose RS130 vs RS150B – a deep dive
September 15, 2024 Comments Off on NEW HiFi Rose RS130 vs RS150B – a deep dive
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