AAVIK ACOUSTICS U-150 UNITY INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
August 12, 2018 Comments Off on AAVIK ACOUSTICS U-150 UNITY INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
” If anything, the Aavik U-150 falls into the inviting sounding presentation, although that makes it sound like its a bad thing. Actually, it just makes music sound like it’s the kind of thing you’d want to listen to, rather than analyse. It’s dynamic and exciting, accurate, and yet not bland or sparce. It’s just a damn good amplifier, and a perfect ambassador for Class D.
What the Aavik U-150 does so well (as the U-300 does so well) is deliver a consistent and integrated performance. Some amplifiers are a great DAC with a mediocre amp attached, or a fine line-stage with an afterthought of a phono section. The Aavik platform is none of those things. It is an exciting performer regardless of whether you are using the line stages, the DAC or the phono. And, also like the U-300, the Aavik platform really ties the music together well. Music flows well with Aavik, and the sound easily moves from theme to theme and from beat to beat.”
Micromega M-150 Integrated Amplifier Review
August 11, 2018 § 1 Comment
“Thirdly, the mobile app for the M-150 can be a little hit or miss. At least on iOS. Some days it’s all, “Hey, there’s your amp! Here’s some internet radio you might enjoy!” Other days it’s more along the lines of, “Dude, you sure you own one of our products?” And on other days still it just craps the bed and dies. That might have something to do with my enterprise-grade network, which I know some audiophile products just don’t get along with. But the inconsistency of its reliability makes me think probably not.”
Pass Laboratories XA200.8 monoblock power amplifier $42,000 Review
August 8, 2018 Comments Off on Pass Laboratories XA200.8 monoblock power amplifier $42,000 Review
“The XA200.8s’ reproduction of air around individual instruments was fine, but through Wilson Audio’s Alexia and Alexia 2 speakers the Progression Monos topped it in the presentation of the entire acoustic spaces of recording venues. The D’Agostino also excelled in dynamic contrast—hardly a surprise, given the Progression Mono’s greater power into these 4 ohm Wilson speakers: 1000W vs the XA200.8’s 400W.”
Moon by Simaudio 888 monoblock power amplifier Review – $118,888/pair
July 31, 2018 Comments Off on Moon by Simaudio 888 monoblock power amplifier Review – $118,888/pair
“Not having heard Simaudio’s less costly Moon 880M monoblock, which was reviewed by Brian Damkroger in June 2013, I can’t be sure, but I’d bet the Moon 888 sounds similar, albeit with greater nuance, grace, and finesse, especially in the upper octaves, and greater transparency overall. Of course, if the recording is poor, you’re going to hear that poorness in all its awful glory—but that’s not the amplifier’s fault. However, with the best recordings, regardless of genre or whether it was on LP, CD, or hi-rez file, the Moon 888s produced the highest level of sound quality in my system, passing along warmth or chills, transparency or sludge, grain or greatness, as dictated not by the electronics but by the recording itself.
To say that the Moon 888s delivered what I’d expect and demand for $118,888/pair is not to say that it will necessarily meet the expectations of every audiophile, especially those who prefer warmth and, perhaps, a more fleshed-out harmonic presentation even if it’s not on the recording. But they sure met mine.”
Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/moon-simaudio-888-monoblock-power-amplifier-page-2#BeBegP7Hdek1clEm.99
Burmester Phase 3 System
July 28, 2018 Comments Off on Burmester Phase 3 System
“he sophisticated app for iPad, which came already downloaded on the iPad Mini that Burmester supplied, connected to my local WiFi network easily enough but presented some configuration issues that unfortunately impeded the 161’s functions requiring WiFi connectivity, such as streaming and Internet radio. A support call with a leader from Burmester R&D Digital confirmed that I was following the correct set-up steps but couldn’t determine why the 161 didn’t “accept” my local WiFi to complete and exit the app’s configuration mode. Fortunately, entering a few codes on the remote allowed me to bypass the home WiFi and run the iPad app and network player in “source” mode. Soon after, however, Burmester provided a more recent firmware update that resolved the local connectivity issue and allowed me to stream via my Tidal account. The app has a wonderfully user-friendly interface with intuitive navigation. You can build and edit playlists by tapping on selected albums and tracks, and sort and search easily. You can adjust phase and gain levels for different outputs. You can import files from an external USB drive and rip CDs. Essentially you can do it all within the app. Although the robust iPad Mini app presented some challenges as noted, these /should be fixable. The app really provides all you could ask for and, once all is connected, is blissfully easy to use.”
Pass Laboratories XA200.8 monoblock power amplifier $42,000 Review
July 25, 2018 Comments Off on Pass Laboratories XA200.8 monoblock power amplifier $42,000 Review
“Few power amplifiers I’ve heard have sounded as beautiful as Pass Laboratories’ XA200.8 monoblock. Having to stick to Stereophile’s policy of not commenting at length on a product’s sound quality until that product has been reviewed in our pages, when all I wanted to do was wax ecstatic about the sound of these amps, has been frustrating indeed.”
Cary Audio DMS-500 Media Center Review
July 23, 2018 Comments Off on Cary Audio DMS-500 Media Center Review
“The DMS-500 not only comes with a quite serviceable dedicated remote control, but also an extremely good control app for both iOS and Android devices. The dedicated remote’s layout is clean and easy to navigate, despite the fact that it was designed to work on multiple Cary components. I especially like the mute button placement–right at the top right corner of the remote–because when you need to mute, you need to mute right now. The iOS version of the app proved to be rock-solid and fully-featured. My only complaint is that it looks much better and is easier to use on a tablet than on my iPhone SE’s smaller display.”
DAN D’AGOSTINO MASTER AUDIO SYSTEMS PROGRESSION PREAMP AND STEREO AMPLIFIER REVIEW
July 22, 2018 Comments Off on DAN D’AGOSTINO MASTER AUDIO SYSTEMS PROGRESSION PREAMP AND STEREO AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“I am of two minds about the D’Agostino Progression, both of them good. First, I can’t help feeling that the Progression is just that – progress by D’Agostino. This series is not simply D’Agostino making more attainable products; it’s adding things to the amp concept, some of which I can’t help thinking will end up in the top line. Second, I have a distinct impression that these amps sound ‘almost’ as good as the big guns. In some respects, they may even sound better. Far from being Momentum-lite or MyFirstD’Agostino, the Progression amplifiers are well-matched, well engineered, and well nigh endlessly powerful for most modern systems. What’s great here is not just that D’Agostino managed to make something as attractive and as good sounding for almost half the price, but that for most people those more attainable Progression models are more than enough. In a straight fight, the D’Agostino Momentum models are the better products, but their biggest rivals are their little brothers.”
PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP Review
July 17, 2018 Comments Off on PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP Review
“My experiences with the HP versions of the DiaLogue Premium amps have further solidified my opinion of this brand, which is that these really are excellent amplifiers that are widely applicable. One can do better, but it will cost multiples to beat them on all accounts.In case of these PrimaLunas, big transformers mean great bass control and lots of slam, but this does seem to come at the expense of some refinement. The Audio Research Ref75SE, with its smaller transformers, on the other hand, has an excellent low-level resolution but not nearly the fullness of sound, the dynamic reserves or the amount of slam that even the smaller PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium amp has, let alone the HP version”
Ypsilon Hyperion Monoblock Amplifier $93,000 Review
July 16, 2018 Comments Off on Ypsilon Hyperion Monoblock Amplifier $93,000 Review
“At the very same time, I would caution that all its power doesn’t simply mean that the Hyperion will blow down the walls of your listening room. Even more impressive in some ways is its ability to convey soft passages without a loss of resolution or immediacy. It was quite entrancing to listen, for example, to a Harmonia Mundi CD of Javier Perianes playing Schubert’s piano sonatas in B flat major and A major. The Hyperion helped to unveil Peraines’ supreme craftsmanship in the andante movements, where the music seems to hover in the air for what feels like an eternity before resolving into a new chord. This very ability to convey the pianissimo passages with such palpability—a kind of reach-out-and-touch-me character—meant that the monumental passages (and they are there, believe you me) came across with even greater conviction and force. The ability of the Hyperion to deliver the rolling thunder of the left hand on the piano was truly something to hear. Obviously, the Wilson WAMM has something to do with this as well. But the Hyperion does an excellent job of maintaining pitch stability in the bass region, which is something that I think tends to get lost in less ambitious systems.”
Audiophilepure 
You must be logged in to post a comment.