Benchmark AHB2 Reference Stereo Amplifier Review
May 24, 2017 Comments Off on Benchmark AHB2 Reference Stereo Amplifier Review
“The Benchmark AHB2 embodies everything that a solid-state amp should. It is a technologically advanced and remarkable amplifier that can hang with any amp in its class because it is sonically transparent, images beautifully, and produces authoritative bass. While costing only $2,995, it is hard to imagine asking for much more in a power amplifier. In fact, if the AHB2 cost another $1,000, I would still call it a bargain. Interestingly, while my Focal speakers are easy to drive, the AHB2 can probably drive a set of modestly inefficient floor-standing speakers to reasonable listening levels without any strain whatsoever. If you are looking to spend between $2,500 and $4,500 on a stereo, solid-state amplifier, it would be foolish not to consider the AHB2 a strong contender.”
BOULDER AMPLIFIERS 865 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
May 21, 2017 Comments Off on BOULDER AMPLIFIERS 865 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“Bringing these qualities to a silky mid-range centric recording like James Taylor’s October Road album’s first track ‘September Grass’ [Columbia], I can revel in the joy of simple acoustic guitar, bass, and drums in a small group setting. Recordings like this are the audio equivalent to that favourite pair of shoes. They feel right and I can spend hours in them. I want to settle in for the afternoon and let the stress of the day roll away. What I do not want is edge or grain. I do not want coloration. I am seeking that hard to find accurate timbre and have the music create the gestalt of memory triggering the daydream qualities of returning to the moment – good times made possible by the time machine of music. Few pieces of kit make this possible. The 865 is one that does with aplomb.”
VALVET A4 CLASS A MONOBLOCKS $6890 REVIEW
May 20, 2017 Comments Off on VALVET A4 CLASS A MONOBLOCKS $6890 REVIEW
“Of course, while I love jazz, sometimes I just need to remind myself I’m alive by kicking up the volume a notch and letting some good old heavy rock and roll fill the house. For such moments, it’s hard to beat some 1970s Deep Purple. The remastered version of Stormbringer contains some of Purple’s funkier moments but it never fails to rock, with Coverdale and Hughes sharing vocals while delivering the most cliched lyrics imaginable. Somehow, this all seems in keeping with the era as the fullness of Lord’s Hammond organ runs,”
Devialet Expert 130 Pro DAC-Integrated Amplifier $7690 Review
May 19, 2017 Comments Off on Devialet Expert 130 Pro DAC-Integrated Amplifier $7690 Review
“With the Expert 130 Pro, Devialet has continued to build on the most excellent foundation of past successes like the 120 and Expert 200. Despite my apathy for such monikers as ADH and Magic Wire, their clever circuits continue to set the bar for audio realism. The Expert 130 Pro’s bass reproduction is preposterously good, and its nonexistent noise floor and extraordinary transparency permit deep inspection of the nooks and crannies of my music. Although $7690 isn’t cheap,”
NEXTDRIVE SPECTRA DAC/AMP $129 REVIEW
May 18, 2017 Comments Off on NEXTDRIVE SPECTRA DAC/AMP $129 REVIEW
“I am impressed with what this is capable of. At $129, with some different adapter head versions available, USB2.0/Lightning and a Micro USB version coming soon, I am absolutely shilling this as one of the best DAC’s on the market for the price tier. Finally, we have a budget-friendly DAC that does DSD that keeps travel-prone users in mind. Thank the audio gods. Someone finally listened to me.
Ayon Audio Vulcan Evo Amplifiers $41,400 Review
May 16, 2017 Comments Off on Ayon Audio Vulcan Evo Amplifiers $41,400 Review
” Summing up the sound of the Vulcan Evos I would say that they are refined and subtle with great perceived transparency and resolution, both in terms of individual instruments and sounds as well as how they carve out resolution in the soundstage and capable of delivering huge macrodynamic contrasts. There seems to be no blunting or rounding of dynamics throughout a large envelope, at least with my speakers. Inner resolution and the sense of action in sound was among the very best I have heard.”
NAD M32 DIRECT DIGITAL AMPLIFIER REVIEW
May 10, 2017 Comments Off on NAD M32 DIRECT DIGITAL AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“With the addition of this card, the M32 remains an audiophile piece but gains a level of convenience that makes it the equal of any lifestyle component at any price. It’s not always ideal to shuffle CDs or even to create playlists on your connected laptop. BluOS makes it easy to just tune in a bit of Internet radio or your favorite streaming service when you just want some background music to liven the party or soothe your evening.”
Vandersteen Audio Model Seven Mk.II Loudspeakers and M7-HPA Mono Amplifiers Review
May 9, 2017 Comments Off on Vandersteen Audio Model Seven Mk.II Loudspeakers and M7-HPA Mono Amplifiers Review
“The M7-HPA amplifiers have joined my Vandersteen Model Sevens, now upgraded to Mk.II status, to form the backbone of my reference system. The quality of sound I’m hearing from them is beyond what I could have hoped for, let alone expected, even a year or two ago. Overlook the Model Seven Mk.II at your peril — and if you already have Model Sevens, whether originals or Mk.IIs, and want to unleash their full power, a pair of M7-HPAs is a no-brainer.”
Esoteric Grandioso C1 Line Stage Preamplifier and Grandioso M1 monoblocks Review
May 8, 2017 Comments Off on Esoteric Grandioso C1 Line Stage Preamplifier and Grandioso M1 monoblocks Review
” A piece of jazz-rock that helps me identify equipment that brings out the emotion of recordings is Blood, Sweat and Tears’ rendition of “God Bless The Child,” a piece written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr., and appropriately included in the list of the Songs Of The Century by the National Endowment for the Arts and the RIAA.
Wells Audio Majestic integrated amplifier Review $3,599
May 4, 2017 Comments Off on Wells Audio Majestic integrated amplifier Review $3,599
“Though a budget design in the company’s offering, the Majestic possessed such competency nonetheless that it showcased the superiority of the $8,000 Bricasti M1 dual-mono DAC over the $3,100 Arche Audio Opus 5 DACT and Opus 501 Power Supply in increased three-dimensionality and spectral extension.”
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