Conrad-Johnson MF2275 SE Power Amplifier $3,850 – Review
February 21, 2016 § 1 Comment
“As Rob mentioned, the MF2275 is slightly warm in overall tonal characteristic, where my Premier 350 was very neutral. This is an excellent thing 99% of the time, and personally, I’d always prefer a solid state amplifier to have a little more tonal saturation than not. Running a gamut of preamplifiers, both from C-J and others, proves this to be a very potent partner for your system and it even did a fantastic job driving the Quad 2218 speakers we now have in for review. Pulling my reference Conrad-Johnson LP120sa+ out and substituting the MF2275 makes for a bit more slam with the Quads and a bit less soundstage width and depth, but that’s an unfair comparison between a $10,000 tube amplifier and an almost $4,000 solid state unit. Those requiring a bit more warmth should consider a fine C-J tube preamp.”
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Rotel RB-1590 Power Amplifier Review
February 21, 2016 Comments Off on Rotel RB-1590 Power Amplifier Review
” I was very eager to get the Rotel broken in and warmed up as I had wanted to see how it would compare to my 50 wpc tubed Audio Research VS55, and a 120/240 wpc (4 Ohms/8 Ohms) Simaudio 760A. After a generous warm up, the first thing I noticed about the RB-1590’s presentation is how very deep the soundstage was. The music seemed to stretch back very far behind the speakers and spatial cues were easy to understand. A highly impressive start, as soundstage depth is more important to me as a listener than soundstage width. This is a personal preference.”
AudioPax MAGGIORE l50 REVIEW
February 20, 2016 Comments Off on AudioPax MAGGIORE l50 REVIEW
” These Brazilian amplifiers feature vertical design. Just like top Mark Levinson amps, these also are build in layers. There is a steel frame with aluminum plates bolted to it. The top cover is made of polished, stainless steel. This is where three EAT KT88 power tubes sit accompanied by three drivers – CV4024. Tubes work in single ended configuration in class A. Drivers are placed very close to the inputs. Input tubes deliver high gain (x35) and output tubes work mostly as current amplifiers.”
Bel Canto Design e.One REF600M Mono Amplifiers
February 19, 2016 Comments Off on Bel Canto Design e.One REF600M Mono Amplifiers
“Overall, the e.One REF600Ms sounded nearly as transparent as the M27, but with more power and weight. This gave recordings a bigger, more commanding sound that was simply more musical. I strongly preferred the REF600Ms to the M27, but considering that the M27 costs $991 less than a pair of REF600Ms and can drive up to seven channels simultaneously, I’m more than happy to keep it as part of my reference multichannel system. And as good as the REF600M was, it couldn’t equal the sound quality of the more expensive and more powerful Anthem Statement M1. But this does nothing to disparage the REF600M in my mind. Both the NAD and Anthem are standout products at their price points; the fact that the REF600M could hang with them in direct competition only speaks to its quality and value.
PS Audio BHK Signature 300 monoblock power amplifier $14,998/pair Review
February 17, 2016 Comments Off on PS Audio BHK Signature 300 monoblock power amplifier $14,998/pair Review
” The BHK 300s’ bottom end is nimble, well textured, and rhythmically solid, though there’s still more weight, power, and physicality to be had in the very lowest octaves. But given their cost—high but far from the highest—that’s hardly surprising. (Of course, you’d also need speakers that can express those qualities.) Still, I’d much prefer the nimble rhythmic pacing of the BHK 300s to greater weight that’s more sluggishly presented (footnote 1).”
Red Dragon Audio S500 Stereo Amplifier Reviewed
February 7, 2016 Comments Off on Red Dragon Audio S500 Stereo Amplifier Reviewed
” The Red Dragon S500 stereo amplifier competes against products like the Bel Canto e.One REF500S stereo amplifier. Listing for a bit more at $2,595, the Bel Canto has a slightly more upscale appearance, if aesthetics matter to you. Incorporating a proprietary amp module design, it has similar specs to the Red Dragon but lacks the ability to operate in BTL bridged mode. The CI Audio E200S stereo amplifier delivers a little less power, with a rating of 200/400 wpc into eight/four ohms, respectively, but also costs a bit more at $2,500. Like the Bel Canto, it also lacks the ability to operate in bridged mono mode. If that’s not an important feature for you, I suggest auditioning these amplifiers along with the Red Dragon. If the option of operating in bridged mono mode is an important feature, the choice at this price range is a straightforward one.”
HCAT Model DF-100.2 X10 Mk III Stereo Amplifier Review
February 4, 2016 Comments Off on HCAT Model DF-100.2 X10 Mk III Stereo Amplifier Review
” This was what I was hearing and later listening to live stage performances or symphonic works brought this home to me that this was an attribute of this amp. I also tried this on vinyl and found it even more true there. The amp recreates the full sound stage before me even with massive numbers of musicians or choir members. And they are all located from the extreme left to the extreme right. This is realism at its best.”
Lumïn M1 Streaming Amplifier/Player
February 3, 2016 Comments Off on Lumïn M1 Streaming Amplifier/Player
” Obviously it is relatively inexpensive system so one can’t really expect the same level of performance as from high end system consisting of separate components. But when I listened to it I never really thought about advantages of much more expensive systems. M1 delivers good enough performance to make it truly interesting. It is capable of differentiating different recordings and I think its owners won’t really have any reasons to complain about M1’s performance. Especially considering that in many respects what they will get will be so refined that many even more expensive systems won’t be able to match (in these respects) this level of performance.”
Naim Audio Statement NAC S1 Preamplifier and NAP S1 Mono Amplifiers NAC S1 $88,000 NAP S1 $76,000 each Review
February 2, 2016 Comments Off on Naim Audio Statement NAC S1 Preamplifier and NAP S1 Mono Amplifiers NAC S1 $88,000 NAP S1 $76,000 each Review
” So, incredibly agile, responsive and rhythmically articulate, musically fluid and temporally explicit, what is it that the big Naims don’t do? Their solid-state nature is betrayed in the balance they strike between images and the acoustic as a whole, the dimensionality and the depth of the soundstage. Instrumental spread is excellent, as is layering and height, which creates exceptionally natural perspectives, but there are electronics (especially tube electronics) that deliver a greater sense of the overall acoustic space, more depth, more dimensionality and, partly as a result, more intimacy and immediacy. As remarkable as the bass generated from the Sasha 2s was,”
Dan D’Agostino Progression Mono Amplifier, Momentum M400, Phono Stage, CES 2016 – Video
February 2, 2016 Comments Off on Dan D’Agostino Progression Mono Amplifier, Momentum M400, Phono Stage, CES 2016 – Video
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