THE PREAMP + THE SILVER BULLET OTL
October 8, 2015 Comments Off on THE PREAMP + THE SILVER BULLET OTL
Before we changed anything else in my system, we heard my standard set-up with The Preamp instead of the EAR 912, which I liked for its dynamic, powerful and meaty sound – and for its technical studio appearance. Visually, the shiny Einstein Preamp is the total opposite. What is more, the unique and technically convincing way of switching the inputs, because of which changing the active input takes some time, is the last thing a reviewer who wants to make quick A to B comparisons would happy about.
AUDIO RESEARCH REFERENCE 75SE STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER
October 8, 2015 Comments Off on AUDIO RESEARCH REFERENCE 75SE STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER
By now, listening to classical and the obligatory well-worn test recordings was almost a formality. The Reference 75 SE harnessed that grace and fluidity of mid-range of great Audio Research amps, included the surprisingly powerful bass of its predecessor, and pulled everything together to make you want to bask in its presence for hours on end. There was nothing that fazed the Reference 75 SE and in partnership with the Wilson Duettes and especially with a Nagra HD DAC and ARC Ref 5 SE front end, this was the kind of sound you could listen to with no need to change for decades. Bigger, more upscale ARC buys you more power for bigger systems and rooms and gives you slightly more finesse to the top end, but as the best bang for your ARC-shaped bucks, you can’t get better than this right now!
Krell Solo 575 monoblock power amplifier
October 6, 2015 Comments Off on Krell Solo 575 monoblock power amplifier
Both versions sounded better than I’d ever heard them—but that was because I hadn’t heard this album in many years, during which time my system has greatly improved. What I learned was that the original pressing’s richer sound came at the great expense of image precision, focus, and clarity. The reissue put all of the instruments and voices in far more precise focus, though the warmth of Young’s voice in the original was now somewhat harsher. The bottom end had greater punch and precision. Though I found the reissue better focused overall, especially the drums, I could make a case for either pressing—and both demonstrated that the Solo 575 didn’t produce the velvety transients and textures I expect from class-A. With both pressings, the cymbals sounded neither romantic nor soft. In fact, they were a bit crunchier than I’d expected
NUPRIME DAC-10H DAC/PRE AND ST-10 POWER AMPLIFIER
October 5, 2015 Comments Off on NUPRIME DAC-10H DAC/PRE AND ST-10 POWER AMPLIFIER
Among its technical advantages, the ST-10 has a damping factor of 400, which means it should be able to control any excess diaphragm movement better than an amplifier with a lower damping factor. The ST-10 also has far lower amounts of phase shift than most amplifiers, due to its unique closed-loop circuit.
Parasound Halo Integrated 2.1-Channel Amplifier Reviewed
October 3, 2015 Comments Off on Parasound Halo Integrated 2.1-Channel Amplifier Reviewed
Again, what strikes me most here is the stunning precision of delivery. The nuance. The unveiling of even the tiniest details buried in the mix. And yet, the Halo Integrated never borders on what you might describe as “overly analytical.” It somehow manages to shine a light on beautifully recorded albums like The Swell Season, without punishing you for listening to the fun tunes in your collection that might not expect to hold up well to close scrutiny.
LINN MAJIK DSM INTEGRATED STREAMING AMPLIFIER
October 1, 2015 Comments Off on LINN MAJIK DSM INTEGRATED STREAMING AMPLIFIER
The next step was to put the CM10 S2 into a likely real world practical position. This left 18cm between the back of the speaker and the wall on both channels. Listening to Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’ [Dark Side of the Moon, EMI] after applying optimisation made a surprising difference to the realism of the cash till sound; suddenly they sounded like real trays full of coins rather than splashly metallic sounds. This was a convincing demonstration of the benefits to a part of the audio band that Space Optimisation doesn’t touch, but which clearly benefits from a removal of low end smearing. It’s often stated that the treble provides the leading edges that give bass more precision and impact but you don’t often hear the benefits that cleaner bass brings to the mids and highs. You can hear that the bass becomes a lot more controlled compared to its bloated nature at this near-the-wall position, but the clarity gained higher up the range is the real reward.
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Parasound Halo Integrated 2.1 Channel Amplifier With DAC
October 1, 2015 Comments Off on Parasound Halo Integrated 2.1 Channel Amplifier With DAC
Now I could get a much better handle on the imaging and deep bass performance. Certainly the Integrated can reach down deep, and maintain its pitch article all the way down. There is no noticeable roll off. It doesn’t quite maintain the absolute focus of the reference preamp / amp (EMM Labs Pre2 / ModWright KWA150 SE), or reach the same levels of resolution and speed, but this is still a strong performance. However the treble does not have the sweetness of the reference, sounding a little aggressive on material such as Benny Green’s Greens, particularly on the brushes.
DENON PMA-50 INTEGRATED AMP
September 29, 2015 Comments Off on DENON PMA-50 INTEGRATED AMP
A little surprised at the absence of the bottom octaves, I queued up Holly Cole’s album Temptation (DSD64/DSF, Acoustic Sounds). The track “Invitation to the Blues” opened with tons of bass power and detail. So what happened on “Folia Rodrigo Martinez”? Well, while there’s lots of bass on the Holly Cole album, it’s not as deep as the bass on “Folio Rodrigo Martinez”. In the midrange, Cole’s voice caressed the superbly recorded songs with rich harmonics and delicate vocal nuances—a real hi-fi showcase which contradicts the urban audio legend that excellent performances are invariably poorly recorded.
Dan D’Agostino Momentum Integrated Amplifier review
September 27, 2015 Comments Off on Dan D’Agostino Momentum Integrated Amplifier review
Vinnie Rossi LIO modular integrated amplifier
September 22, 2015 Comments Off on Vinnie Rossi LIO modular integrated amplifier
The unique, iconic sound of dropping the needle on a black disc with the volume turned up—that attention-getting scratch of stylus on vinyl—shifted my memory machine into Drive. Almost instantly, I could hear Dad’s voice and see his gold-toothed smile. The Rossi Tubestage plus phono stage presented my father’s favorite song as a deeply felt lullaby. The LIO was extremely good at getting out of the way and letting this music have its way with me.
Audiophilepure 
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