NAGRA AUDIO at the HIGH END in MUNICH 2016 – Video
May 12, 2016 Comments Off on NAGRA AUDIO at the HIGH END in MUNICH 2016 – Video
VTL • S-400 Series II Reference Stereo Amplifier $33,500 Review
May 12, 2016 Comments Off on VTL • S-400 Series II Reference Stereo Amplifier $33,500 Review
” But the S-400 II is that rarest of beasts, a genuinely capable all-rounder. With enough power, control and adaptability to drive all but the most outrageous speaker loads, the big VTL is agile and deft enough to work with far less demanding partners too. Focal’s Sopra No.2 and the Coincident Pure Reference Extreme both proved willing partners, despite their easy loads and high efficiency; and this, it should be noted, without resorting to the triode setting on the amp (something which frankly and as usual in such cases only serves to draw a veil over proceedings; if this amp sounds better in triode mode, then you have problems elsewhere in the system). This isn’t just one of the best and most enjoyable amps I’ve ever used, it’s also the most versatile, meaning not only that it will work in an astonishingly wide range of system contexts, but that it will embrace system upgrades and changes in circumstances with equal aplomb — and when it comes to hidden value, that’s not to be underestimated.”
MUSICAL FIDELITY NU-VISTA 800 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
May 6, 2016 Comments Off on MUSICAL FIDELITY NU-VISTA 800 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
” The use of Nu-Vista tubes might impart a certain sweetness and liquidity, but there’s nothing falsely euphonic or rose-tinted about the overall presentation. The Nu-Vista 800 can sound lean and mean when it needs to, and doesn’t pull its sonic punches. In comparison, my own regular Classé/Musical Fidelity combination proved kinder and more accommodating.”
Marantz HD-AMP1 Integrated Amplifier & DSD DAC Review
May 4, 2016 Comments Off on Marantz HD-AMP1 Integrated Amplifier & DSD DAC Review
” The ergonomics of an integrated amplifier is especially important, and the HD-AMP1 was flawless in that regard. The volume knob and remote offered plenty of sweep, and navigating the menu via the source selector was very easy. The amplifier, left on 24/7, was slightly warm to the touch. It did perform at its best when left powered up. All in all, a very tidy, elegant package.”
Ming Da Dynasty Duet 300 Plus Review
April 30, 2016 Comments Off on Ming Da Dynasty Duet 300 Plus Review
“Coming bang up to date playing Låpsley’s Station on CD and the track’s evocative mix of stripped-back instrumentation, sound effects and haunting vocals is presented by the Dynasty Duet 300 Plus with sumptuousness and a sprightly snappiness. A heavily chorused, mournful keyboard sits at the back of the soundstage, rich, round and lusciously organic. Låpsley’s voice has the perfect balance of hear-through transparency alongside a honeyed richness, such that tiny nuances in her delivery are exquisitely revealed but aren’t served up desiccated. The quality of the bass kick is noteworthy again for its speed and impact and it’s hard to equate this dynamic agility and punch I’m listening to with just nine single-ended integrated watts. The track builds with unusual, pitch-shifted vocals, extra percussion and potent rhythmic hand claps and the Duet 300 Plus strikes a consummate balance of intimacy with scale, rich tone with crackling detail and razor sharp timing with an easy going, highly musical fluidity.”
Chord amplifiers & Vienna Acoustics loudspeakers – Video
April 29, 2016 Comments Off on Chord amplifiers & Vienna Acoustics loudspeakers – Video
ATMA-SPHERE S-30 MK 3.3 OTL POWER AMPLIFIER $4300 REVIEW
April 27, 2016 Comments Off on ATMA-SPHERE S-30 MK 3.3 OTL POWER AMPLIFIER $4300 REVIEW
” It shouldn’t surprise you to learn that I own a Futterman H-3 amplifier, a fairly recent purchase that has been lovingly refurbished. There’s no doubt in my mind that the H-3 is still a contender today, a full 50 years after its introduction. But it’s a tweaky product that the average consumer would have a difficult time maintaining. Naturally, I was curious about a confrontation, Futterman vs. Circlotron, a mano-a-mano duel for OTL supremacy. Let me start by saying that both amps acquitted themselves very well, perhaps on balance I would award the S-30 a narrow decision, though there were noticeable sonic differences. The H-3 was the more tonally neutral of the two, which I think is due to its much lower source impedance and thus minimal load interaction. In particular, the presence region was reproduced more realistically. In this regard, the S-30 benefitted from being mated with a brighter front end. The S-30’s midrange textures were purer and sweeter sounding, and I came to realize that I wasn’t totally happy with H-3’s capacitor coupling of the output stage. Listening through a large and mostly electrolytic cap bank seemed to add a slight layer of grit and veiling to the sound.”
Alluxity The PRE ONE and Power ONE amplifier review
April 20, 2016 Comments Off on Alluxity The PRE ONE and Power ONE amplifier review
” Alluxity Pre One comes as fully functional, fully balanced, module based high-end audio preamplifier with a relay based volume control. Under the hood, two large toroidal transformers serves power for the left and right channel. The Pre One is a zero global feedback design, assembled with the logic of the building blocks, making future upgrades or replacements both affordable and easy to do. ”
CONSTELLATION AUDIO ALTAIR II LINESTAGE AND HERCULES II MONOBLOCK POWER AMPLIFIERS
April 19, 2016 Comments Off on CONSTELLATION AUDIO ALTAIR II LINESTAGE AND HERCULES II MONOBLOCK POWER AMPLIFIERS
” The second quality that sets the Constellation electronics apart is their reproduction of the treble. If the level of resolution I’ve just described is accompanied by the slightest bit of glare, etch, grain, hardness, emphasized transient zip, or forwardness, the sound quickly becomes annoying and fatiguing. Rather than fostering musical intimacy, such brightness precludes it. And here’s where the resolution of the Altair II and Hercules II becomes so magical; all that wonderful detail is presented in a supremely subtle, refined, suave, and sophisticated way that never calls attention to itself. There’s no need to soften the presentation of the Altair II and Hercules II to mitigate an electronic patina because there is no electronic patina. Moreover, the treble has a delicate filigreed quality that is unique in my experience. Although the top end has a full measure of energy and life, it’s also rendered with a sweetness and grace that are departures from the stereotype of a big solid-state amplifier. The combination of resolution with ease is, in my view, what distinguishes a really great hi-fi system from one that becomes transcendental. That quality is also what makes the Mk.II upgrade to the Magico Q7 such a triumph; it delivers more information and a more relaxed sound. One quality isn’t sacrificed to advance the other. In both the Q7 Mk.II and the Constellation electronics, resolution combines synergistically with ease to foster total musical involvement. The presentation is musically vivid without being sonically vivid.”
Audiophilepure 
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