Audiophilepure

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“Because I evaluated the STR full range, without a subwoofer, and only with a digital input, my setup was far simpler than the above discussion might imply. But with its ability to set up different inputs separately, use more than one setup for any input, pass along an analog input unaltered or convert it to digital for processing, and more, the STR is exceptionally flexible. I left most of the controls at their factory default settings, which meant that it took me about five minutes to get the STR up and running. Setting up ARC will take a little longer.”

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“he TToby is a stunning achievement by John Franks and the Chord Electronics team. He obviously wasn’t willing to compromise sound quality for size or design. Most designers won’t consult with other ears when designing products, which baffles me. Mr. Franks, on the other hand, gets the team together for listening tests and takes feedback seriously. I have no doubt this is one of the reasons why the TToby is voiced so beautifully.”

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“Cyrus also keeps intact its reputation for an even balance. There isn’t heaps of low end shaking the floorboards, but it’s far from being lightweight. The sweetness is mirrored in a typically rich and unrestrained treble.Switching to digital via its SPDIF connection, each of those facets appears to have been improved upon.The performance is generally more confident and more assertive, with the assuredness to dig deeper into the detail while concurrently giving the record more space to breathe.”

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“This pattern of less-than-ideal bass and a toned-down top end continued through a wide range of recordings. In the sublime aria “Se potessero i sospir’ miei,” from Handel’s opera Imeneo, from Philippe Jaroussky and Artaserse’s The Händel Album (24/96 WAV, Erato 33572994), timbres were true, but the high extension was darkened. As much as I appreciated the tanginess of theorbo and violins and the subdued tinkle of harpsichord, and could hear slight changes in the weight and color of countertenor Jaroussky’s voice during one long-breathed phrase, nothing shone. Jaroussky is an exquisite artist, but a key element of his brilliance was dimmed due to the Bricasti’s darker range of colors.

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“As a for-hire Stereophile scribe, my job is to communicate my impressions of the sound of the audio component I’m assigned to review, warts and all. If I can’t describe an amplifier’s sound in a clear, concise, convincing, and hopefully somewhat entertaining manner, I’m not worth what Stereophile pays me. I like to think that, most of the time, I get it right—my 22 years of hi-fi reviewing put me in good stead: in the black, not the red. But for all my juggling of sources and speakers, spinning numerous LPs, and quizzing Gary Dews until he was ready to bust, any characteristic sound that the BorderPatrol P21 EXD may have had evaded my ears, at least at first. Its standout trait seemed to be its unerring transparency. But is any audio component truly transparent, imposing on the music no personality of its own and thus influencing the listener’s perception of that music not at all? Balderdash, I say. Nonetheless, I heard what I heard—or didn’t hear

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“One of the toughest parts of the musical spectrum for tube power amplifiers to reproduce is the lowest register. More often than not, tube amplifiers don’t have that last bit of grip that the best solid-state amplifiers do, yet some solid-state designs can come across over damped at times. Hair-splitting for sure, yet the 75SE produces a hefty amount of bass extension, combined with control and definition. Listening to Jaco Pastorius tear up and down the fretboard on his self-titled album, the 75SE gives an exciting and engaging performance, full of low bass grunt, combined with the harmonics of Pastorius’ complicated technique.”