Audiophilepure

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” Mr. Ahn also thoroughly stress tests each of his amps when he completes them. And with respect to testing, it should be noted: Mr. Ahn is a firm believer in measurements. His lab is full of test equipment, and he places a higher emphasis on getting solid measurable results, and prefers to leave the listening comments to the end user. This is part and parcel of his EE background”

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” After extended listening sessions, I have found that a buzz came up in one of the channels sporadically, the first time this ended up being the early signs of a drive tube failure. This gave me an opportunity to utilize the fantastic built in biasing mechanism, not automatic, but not far from it. It is easy enough that anyone could perfectly bias the tube, while giving you the confidence they are all set perfectly. I preferred this technology to any auto biasing tube amp, I just never quite trust those things The second time was right before I finished the review, but I am just making note of this for transparency, I am sure CJ would take care of you just as well as they took care of me.”

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Imaging through the SX-1000R was laterally precise to the point that on some cuts I could not only pinpoint each primary instrument accurately, but the secondary and tertiary players also occupied distinct locations across the soundfield. On the 192/24 MQA version of the Cars’ “Just What I Needed,” I could not only hear Elliot Easton’s muted rhythm guitar on the left, but also the secondary rhythm guitar that was nestled just to the right and behind Ric Ocasek’s lead vocals, in front of the drum kit in the center of the soundstage. Unlike most versions I’ve heard in which that center rhythm guitar track gets buried by the drums halfway through the cut, on this MQA version that guitar remained distinct throughout.

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“Considering that a decent, stand-alone headphone amplifier alone will set you back $1,500 these days, getting a power amplifier too makes the Mk. II a stone-cold bargain. Running through the gamut of headphones at our disposal, (Audeze, Grado, Koss, Pryma and OPPO) reveals the Mk. II has no difficulty driving any of them. Blume reveals that instead of an inexpensive op amp, the output of the amplifier drives the headphones directly, so that the output available is huge. This also gives the benefit of your favorite phones having the same sonic signature delivered to your speakers.”

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” When I popped the RE800 earbuds in for the first time I had a “show me” attitude. I used my iPhone 6S for most of these early auditions, and the RE800s’ transparency was readily apparent, even in the noisy NYC subway. That, and their seriously potent bass was so deep I thought for a second it was the subway train’s rumble! The headphones’ 9.2mm driver has a slightly higher-than-average impedance of 60 ohms; no worries, my iPhone didn’t have any trouble driving it.”

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” A recording I’ve recently rediscovered is Emmylou Harris’s Wrecking Ball: Deluxe Edition, a collaboration with influential producer, songwriter, and musician Daniel Lanois (16/44.1 FLAC, Nonesuch). This album is every bit as good as Lanois’s work on albums by U2, Robbie Robertson, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan. The transparency of the 4B3 let me hear further into this recording than has any other amp I’ve had in my system — its retrieval of detail was astonishing. Although the amp was remarkably transparent, the sound was perfectly neutral and never harsh. The electric guitar and kick drum in Lanois’s “Where Will I Be” are recorded with reverb that can make them sound a little grungy. ”