VITUS RI-101 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
March 8, 2019 Comments Off on VITUS RI-101 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“Many factors make just about any significant purchase a tricky decision and a serious audio amplifier is no different. Price is a prominant place to start. The reputation of the manufacturer is indeed another. The appearance and general presence of the product, its future compatibility with the rest of the system, perhaps the potential for an upgrade and the reality of how it compares with rivals. All these things are likely to play a part. But, maybe the most important thing for me is just whether I enjoy listening to it. A strange comment perhaps. I can’t remember the last time I heard an amplifier that was “bad”. By that, I mean an amplifier that left me emotionally cold and disinterested. ”
PARADIGM PW AMP $499 REVIEW
March 7, 2019 Comments Off on PARADIGM PW AMP $499 REVIEW
“Day-to-Day life with the PW Amp was all I could hope for. There is a connection for a sub and you can even make use of a nice Turntable with a good Phono Stage via the single set of Analog Inputs. What could be better? I love the ease and versatility and I admire the “Tech” contained within our little gem here. This can be the cornerstone of your audio world for a long time to come. Just add speakers – and maybe even a sub should you chose to “woof-woof”. I hope to be able to try some of the powered and wireless speakers Paradigm offers in this Premium Wireless Series. They’ve thought it out for you – and it would be awfully hard to make a mistake within this eco-system. Paradigm is after all… a World Class Company.
I’m not really ready to conclude – but I guess I had better. This is amazing product that offers a very complete solution for modern-day music lovers, including some remarkable DSP Tech. Paradigm serves this all wrapped up in a package that’s approachable and positively yummy in every way. Looks great, sounds incredible… and offers all you could possibly hope for in a package that’s HALF of the kilo-buck you could be paying for this. At $499 this is simply a cannot miss – no mistake product for newly minted audiophiles or seasoned audio veterans.”
VTL S-200 Signature Stereo Amplifier $12,500 Review
March 5, 2019 Comments Off on VTL S-200 Signature Stereo Amplifier $12,500 Review
“Even though my general recommendation would be triode for chamber music and small jazz ensembles (or hard/bright recordings), for a better depth of soundstage; and tetrode for large-scale, wider-dynamic, and wider-range discs that are well recorded—we often won’t know until we sample both.
One interesting example was my well-worn copy of Milstein playing Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for violin [DG]. Here, although I thought I would prefer triode operation, Milstein’s fiddle came across as muffled and rhythmically plodding, less immediate and immersive. Whereas in tetrode there was far more upper-end air, a keener sense of bow on strings, lilt and momentum to his playing, and a conveyance of the instrument’s whiskey-warm sound.”
Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ and Brooklyn Amplifier Review
March 5, 2019 Comments Off on Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ and Brooklyn Amplifier Review
“When a system delivers the music in a way that also slams home the emotion, pain, suffering, or joy, you know you are getting the complete package. When it can do all that, the Mytek duo can for less than $5K, well that just makes it rather a serious bargain. This is what I found with the Mytek Brooklyn duo, and can highly recommend them if this is the type of system you are looking for, and it fits in your budget. Add a nice set of speakers and some front end pieces, and you have a seriously strong budget or entry level system with incredible flexibility”
Bandwidth Audio 288 Monaural Power Amplifier Review
March 4, 2019 Comments Off on Bandwidth Audio 288 Monaural Power Amplifier Review
“Each 288 is made by hand in Austin using locally sourced hardware and US-made parts wherever possible. It features point-to-point wiring throughout, something hardcore enthusiasts love. It ships with all the requisite tubes one would need to get up and running and have the amp(s) sounding their very best, which includes a pair of Electro-Harmonix KT88s as standard. For all this high-end, American-made audiophile goodness you’re going to pay. The 288 isn’t cheap, retailing for $10,000 per pair and sold only through a few dealers. Two to be exact, AV Solutions in Pleasanton, California, and Whetstone Audio in Austin, Texas. Though if no dealer is in your area (which goes for pretty much everyone reading this), you can purchase a pair of 288 amps direct from Bandwidth simply by emailing or calling them directly.”
VTL S-200 Signature Stereo Amplifier $12,500 Review
February 28, 2019 Comments Off on VTL S-200 Signature Stereo Amplifier $12,500 Review
“For example, on Gerhard’s exceptional-sounding Astrological Series: Libra, Gemini, Leo [Decca], the S-200 in triode operation caused the lightning-strike percussive acoustic guitar strums and violin trills to initially sound more expressive, but the remarkable staging effects of this recording weren’t anywhere near as precisely defined as they should have been, and the speed, dynamic snap, and high frequencies were noticeably shorn off, resulting in a relatively dull rendition of this otherwise edge-of-your-seat performance.
In tetrode mode, not only was the music a thrill from the get-go—that magical sense of instruments being played in real space (the absolute sound, after all)—surrounded by halos of air, with split-second interplay between the musicians, but the performance was now rendered as musically riveting throughout.”
Schiit Vidar Review
February 26, 2019 Comments Off on Schiit Vidar Review
“Bass tests proved perhaps the most impressive of the spectrum, where control was exceptional, even at high volumes and heavy load. Listening to Marcus Miller’s Miller Time from Live In America reaction times and shove were outstanding. Firm control of the situation was everywhere, with no excess flab to be found. But mids and highs were not to be outdone. The experience of listening to the system is close if not on par with many of the other front ends I’ve heard the TAD MEs partnered against at audio shows. That’s something considering the least expensive comparison totaled $6k, with higher end offerings topping much more than even that. That smooth purity of energy and tone from the very high end is hinted at here and there along the way.”
Bandwidth Audio 288 Monaural Power Amplifier Review
February 26, 2019 Comments Off on Bandwidth Audio 288 Monaural Power Amplifier Review
“$10,000 for a pair of anything, let alone a pair of tube-based amplifiers possessing a mere 60 Watts of output, is a purchase not to be taken lightly. But I would argue that anyone with ten grand to spend on audio equipment is accustomed to a certain level of risk and is in search of a certain something, something that not everyone is going to have–nor even be privy to. If this is you, then I would urge you to take a good long look at Bandwidth Audio’s 288 monaural amplifier. Seek them out, audition them for yourself, for they are one of those products that possess that something special. The 288 is rarified air in that it has all of the traits a good, reference, cost-no-object amplifier must have, with virtually no discernable downside, sonically speaking, apart from either not having enough power for all speakers, or simply being too large or too expensive for some.”
VITUS RI-101 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
February 25, 2019 Comments Off on VITUS RI-101 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“Many factors make just about any significant purchase a tricky decision and a serious audio amplifier is no different. Price is a prominant place to start. The reputation of the manufacturer is indeed another. The appearance and general presence of the product, its future compatibility with the rest of the system, perhaps the potential for an upgrade and the reality of how it compares with rivals. All these things are likely to play a part. But, maybe the most important thing for me is just whether I enjoy listening to it. A strange comment perhaps. I can’t remember the last time I heard an amplifier that was “bad”. By that, I mean an amplifier that left me emotionally cold and disinterested. Desirability though is a different matter and carries a lot of intangibles that are personal to each of us. This new integrated Vitus knocks it out of the park on so many levels, and the ability to supplement its capabilities with a genuinely excellent onboard retro-fittable DAC or streamer shouldn’t be underestimated, especially taking into consideration the extra costs concerning space and cabling that a separate DAC will incur. It also has that sense of drive-anything power and stability and a seriously engaging sense of very fine detail with something of an iron fist behind it. Musically it has all the Vitus hallmarks of really elastic rhythmic focus and precision coupled with excellent tonality and balance. I can see it being an excellent investment for the serious music lover for years and years. When an amplifier is this good, it has to get a recommendation from me. ”
Dynaco ST-70 Series 3 Tube Power Amplifier $3000 Review
February 25, 2019 Comments Off on Dynaco ST-70 Series 3 Tube Power Amplifier $3000 Review
” Its ability to resolve individual threads within a complex musical passage was highly evolved over that of most vintage tube designs. And it was able to latch onto transient decay down to what is an impressively low noise floor for a tube amplifier. Its spatial presentation and microdynamic conviction equaled or exceeded that of any comparably powered push-pull tube amp I’ve auditioned over the years, even when driving a 96dB-sensitive loudspeaker. That’s quite a testimonial for the purity of its first watt. In fact, I had just spent some quality time with a new 300B amp acquisition, and it hit me that the Dynaco approached the sound of a fine single-ended triode amp, actually sounding better at the frequency extremes, and nearly as refined in the midrange. I can say with confidence that the bass demons that afflicted the original ST-70 have been exorcised. Upright jazz bass was nicely defined with good pitch definition. However, deep bass performance was typical for a low-power tube amp, lacking current delivery into low-impedance loads.”
Audiophilepure 
You must be logged in to post a comment.