Canton Reference 7 Floor-Standing Speakers Review
May 17, 2025 Comments Off on Canton Reference 7 Floor-Standing Speakers Review
In my listening evaluation, the Reference 7 speakers sounded as good as their measurements suggested. The speakers exhibited neutral sonic characteristics without emphasizing or de- emphasizing certain frequency bands. Consequently, the Reference 7 speakers sounded well balanced across the audible frequency spectrum with perceptively accurate tonal presentation. Their midrange was coherent and solid, treble was detailed and airy, and bass was punchy and articulate. Their sonic presentation was full of texture and consistently engaging. The speakers were highly transparent and, in a proper setup, capable of effortlessly projecting a wide and deep soundstage. Overall, these Reference 7 speakers impressed me with their refined sonic performance and lack of apparent deficiencies.
Top 20 Mono Albums
May 17, 2025 Comments Off on Top 20 Mono Albums
https://www.hifinews.com/content/top-20-mono-albums
Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane
Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane
Craft Recordings CR00720 LP 180g vinyl (mono)
From the Original Jazz Classics Series [see Red Garland], this LP from 1958 sounded so wide, I had to check if it was stereo, even contacting Cohearent Audio’s Kevin Gray. Again, expecting stereo at the hands of Rudy Van Gelder, Gray and Craft confirmed the masters were mono. No matter: guitarist Burrell and sax god Coltrane, along with Tommy Flanagan (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Jimmy Cobb (drums), fill the room
MartinLogan Summit X ESL Speakers Review
May 16, 2025 Comments Off on MartinLogan Summit X ESL Speakers Review
The Summit X is the Charles Barkley of loudspeakers. It plays better than it will probably ever get credit for and it would have been a superstar if Michael Jordan (the CLX) hadn’t come along at about the same time. But it’s still able to mop up everyone else on the court. Well, I can’t compare speakers to cars all the time, can I?
The good news is that the Summit X is about $10,000 less than the CLX, it has a lot more flexibility and it doesn’t require a pair of subwoofers to really give its all. It is a better value for all but the most demanding listener. The Summit was one of my favorite speakers of all time, and the new Summit X is even better. Properly setup with electronics to match, these speakers will paint a huge musical canvas for you to enjoy.
If you currently have the Summit, I’m guessing you will probably pass on the upgrade unless you can easily absorb the price difference. For those new to MartinLogan or trading up from further down the range, it is truly a fantastic speaker and a very worthy competitor in its price range.
NAD Masters M66 Streaming Preamplifier Review
May 16, 2025 Comments Off on NAD Masters M66 Streaming Preamplifier Review
Using BluOS with either the PSB Alpha iQ speakers or the NAD Masters M66 Streaming Preamp allows easy high-res audio streaming from any of several integrated streaming sources directly to either component. As it stands, the BluOS platform is the only real direct competitor to something like ROON. There are differences and it isn’t as brand agnostic as ROON is, but BluOS is free when you purchase compatible hardware, and it integrates with far more streaming services and online music sources.
Speaking of hardware, I found the NAD Masters M66 Streaming Preamplifier to be a world-class analog preamp that has extensive digital resources and “Swiss Army Knife” flexibility in the bargain.
The PSB Alpha iQ BluOs Streaming speakers are a fun and great-sounding turnkey streaming solution for small to moderate spaces. Both are great examples, at different ends of the spectrum, of what the BluOS platform can do.
Will you mistake them for B&W 801D? Oatlon M3 speakers review
May 16, 2025 Comments Off on Will you mistake them for B&W 801D? Oatlon M3 speakers review
Audeze CRBN2 Electrostatic Headphones Review
May 15, 2025 Comments Off on Audeze CRBN2 Electrostatic Headphones Review
I really enjoyed my time with Audeze CRBN2 Electrostatic Headphones. With the CRBN2 Audeze have transformed their electrostatic flagship offering from a headphone I appreciated to a headphone I loved. It has the linearity of the better Planar Magnetic headphones with the speed and detail of an electrostatic, and frankly a dynamic range and deep bass response often only associated with dynamic headphones. If you are a CRBN owner and an audio purist like me you are definitely going to want to pay for the upgrade, though you may want to hear them first as they are a fairly radical departure from the standard Audeze sound, much in the way that the MM-500 is.
The FX-Audio L-07 Integrated Amplifier $200
May 15, 2025 Comments Off on The FX-Audio L-07 Integrated Amplifier $200
With one balanced and one unbalanced input, it’s easy to connect a phono preamplifier and your favorite DAC (or the great L-07). It also proved to be a great match for my vintage ESS AMT-1b’s out in the garage system. Bass is tight and controlled, and the highs are reasonably smooth. The amplifier also manages to throw a very wide soundstage. We’ll go into further detail and explore some more speaker combinations in the full review.
I love the L-07 because it’s a great place to start your audiophile journey on a reasonable budget. I bought the review samples to keep around as an example of what can truly be accomplished at this level. If you’re a well-heeled audiophile and want to get a friend or a friend’s kid into the game – buy them one of these, and away you go.
Audiophilepure 
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