Audiophilepure

The ART 150’s performance envelope isn’t limited to solo voice or small-scale instrumental recordings. Its ample power supply (with ten times the capacitance of the original ART Series) provides the requisite muscle to deliver the instantaneous current that takes large-scale, complex, and demanding musical passages by the scruff of the neck and shows them who’s boss. A term I’ve coined after living with big floorstanding Dynaudios for a number of years is “dynamic slam”: the ability to quickly, cleanly, and effortlessly scale from pianissimo to fortissimo, and, man, the ART 150 has sure got it. 

“Asturias (Leyenda)”on Isaac Albeniz’s Suite Española performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra [Decca, CAPC 6355 SA] is presented with such drive and immediacy that you feel you’re sitting in the orchestra rather than the audience. At the big crescendos, the brass and timpani have the speed and power of a crack of thunder; the cymbal crashes are shimmering and clean. 

Bringing the best of the 1960s into the 21st century needs some addressing. First, there was an operational ‘quirk’ to the Stereo 20 that is echoed here; the phono connectors are on what might seem like the front right of the amplifier and the logo runs along the right-hand side, meaning the amp is designed to sit at 90° to most designs. More importantly, while a 14W stereo amplifier will meet (and exceed) many listener’s demands, loudspeakers with more challenging sensitivity and impedance figures will result in a smaller, quieter or even thinner sound (of the line-up of small loudspeakers I regularly use, the 21c fared well with the KEF LS50 Meta, was fine (but no roof-raiser) with the Audiovector R1 Arreté and didn’t like the upper-bass impedance dip of the Wilson Audio Duette Series 2 at all.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/ta-caruso-r-multisource-receiver

After all this discussion about the Caruso R’s functions, you may be wondering how it sounds. Paired with the S 10 three-way, bass-reflex, floorstanding loudspeakers, control and coherence were strong suits. Some of the Caruso system’s sonic characteristics—its orientation toward clean, pristine sound—reminded me a little of the Naim Mu-so 2nd Gen (although in the Muso, the speakers are internal and so inevitably more limited on the low end). This precision was coupled with musicality and a degree of that freed-up feeling I love, of the speakers releasing the music completely, a trick my reference MBL 120s perform very well. There was a sense of smooth seamlessness without harsh edges, particularly in the highs. Since this is not a review of the speakers, that’s the last I’ll say about the S 10s.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/dartzeel-nhb-108-model-two-power-amplifier

DarTZeel’s NHB-108 model two, the latest iteration of darTZeel’s first product, is among the most satisfyingly musical amplifiers to ever sing in my system. Rather than hit you over the head with its strengths, it seduces with its exceptional embrace of music’s essence. Details frequently submerged in the sonic fabric surface with a delicacy and rightness that illumine what you’ve previously been missing. This holds true for intimate solo vocals, classical chamber music, and big-boned rock, jazz, orchestral music, and opera. Especially when paired with its matching NHB-18NS preamplifier and top-line Zeel 50 ohm BNC interconnects, the NHB-108 model two sounds disarmingly transparent, real, present, and alive.

When matched with speakers that present challenging loads to amplifiers, the NHB-108 model two’s bass can’t equal that from more powerful amplifiers. Some who fall under its spell may be tempted to follow Delétraz’s advice and change their speakers. There is an inherently nonmechanical, organic flow to the NHB-108 model two’s golden sound that will keep enticing many a music lover back for more.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/primaluna-evo-300-hybrid-integrated-amplifier

As for the rest, this is familiar PrimaLuna territory with an on/off rocker on the left and another on the right to mute the speakers if you’re using headphones and want the main speakers off. At least PrimaLuna gives you the choice, as opposed to headphone outputs which automatically mute the output.

On the front panel, to the right of the rotary for the five line inputs and AV throughput, is the single-ended 6.35mm headphone socket, conveniently near the aforementioned speaker-off rocker. On the far left is the (motorised) level control, and a nicely-machined remote is supplied, too. Add to it PrimaLuna’s rugged enclosure for the main PSU and MOSFET heatsinks, the blue/black chassis finish contrasting with the silver fascia (or black, if you wish), and you have a handsome, confidence-inspiring amplifier ready to fight it out with the big boys.

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/component/banners/click/382

My listening session with the M-504 started off great. The mids were a little warmish, but they still had good clarity; the top end was detailed to a point but a touch laid back in absolute terms, and the bass was rounded and a touch soft. Overall it was a pleasant listen, though far from state of the art, or really even the equivalent of good affordable gear. Diana Krall, Lana Del Rey, Pink Floyd . . . it all sounded good, and I enjoyed what I heard until . . . crackle, pop, silence. The Onkyo died less than an hour into my first and only listening session. I unplugged it quickly, just in case there was something more explosive about to come—after all, I had to protect my SF speakers! But my brief encounter with the Onkyo’s sound caused me to wonder afterwards if what I’d heard was even close to representative of what this baby could do in a healthy state.