Audiophilepure

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2021/7/16/ps-audio-stellar-strata

I relied on the assumption that the version available on streaming services came from the same master as my CD. Ohio is impeccably produced and sounded great through the analog outputs of the Yamaha, just as it always has. But switching to coax instantly via the remote was a revelation. At first I thought the Stellar Strata’s DAC must somehow add more gain than analog inputs. Even after playing around with volume matching the sound was bigger, bolder and warmer. It’s not that the Yamaha was missing anything outright, the Stellar Strata’s DAC just created a sound with real meat on the bones. Streaming the album gave the same overall presentation as playing the CD through the DAC. Slightly less realism, perhaps, but close enough that without an A/B comparison they would be indistinguishable. Why exactly they sounded different is beyond me but the experiment was a victory for both the DAC and streamer

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2021/5/18/uwo8qezl1oq1y1gvtphmj66gjx123f

Over the years I’ve acquired a number of performances of this piece but the one I listen to most often is an EMI Classics of Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra. These amps highlighted the drama of the performance and hit all the right notes with power and precision. The brass instruments shone with full-bodied power and just the right amount of warmth. Flash, you saved us again.

Frank Sinatra. What can you say about Mr. Sinatra that hasn’t been said already? I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have at least three or four of his albums. His artistry is without peer and most of his recordings are superbly done. A classic recording, Sings For Only The Lonely, with Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra, shows off Frank’s ability to set the mood, in this case a sombre, reflective one. The detail and nuance of his voice are captured so completely you want to pull up a barstool and buy the poor guy a drink. We’ve all been down that road before. It’s a quarter to three….

https://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-51-feliks-audio-arioso-amplifier-western-electric-300b-tube

Replicas or not, the Cossors were hyperbolically eloquent and water-clear. Their overtly appealing liquidity made the new Western Electrics seem a bit stark and the Electro-Harmonix EH Golds a bit coarse. The EHs specialized in making snare drums, double bass, saxophone solos, and spring reverb sound tangibly present. The more delicate and transparent Cossor WE 300Bs specialized in making church choirs, sitars, string quartets, and sultry female vocals seem unabashedly beautiful.

After a couple of weeks of studying the new Western Electric 300Bs, I went back to the Cossor “replicas” and played a stunning, gloriously transparent recording called Bloom featuring Armenian singer, songwriter, pianist, and storyteller Areni Agbabian backed by Nicolas Stocker’s sparse, mystical percussion (24/96 FLAC, ECM/ Qobuz). The Western Electric tubes played Bloom with unprecedented clarity and transient authority. In contrast, the Cossors played it with conspicuous delicacy and detailed refinement.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/class%C3%A9-audio-delta-premono-dacpreamp-monoblocks

By any standards, the latest Classé Delta amps are a triumph, combining a hugely flexible and ultra clean-sounding preamplifier with power amplifiers as capable of mighty clout as they are revealing of the smallest of detail. They look the part, are superbly engineered and constructed to impeccable standards, and can cope with even the most complex of systems without any signs of compromise in their performance.

The McIntosh MC1502 Power Amplifier

You might be surprised at how much of the music you feel is unlistenable because you find it overly compressed, is actually running your amp and speakers out of power. Your room size, and speaker sensitivity will play a big part in this, but again, 82db isn’t exactly concert hall levels. Even turning the volume down lower to a 76db average level, is still generating 100db peaks on a lot of tunes.  The 150 watts per channel that the MC1502 deliver comes in handy, and at much lower listening levels than you might think.

Forgive me if I exclude any others in the top-tier integrated category, but the Gryphon Diablo 300, Dartzeel CTH-8550 mk2, Constellation Argo, Ypsilon Phaethon, Vitus MP-I201 (significantly more expensive than the Humboldt) and SIA-030, Pilium Leonidas, Absolare Integrated SE, Soulution 530, CH Precision I1 are all world class. The mighty Vitus MP-I201 sits regally at around $120k and, sadly, I have never heard it, so I cannot comment on its performance or value. Price-wise, the Humboldt sits at the penultimate price position, with the others ranging from the mid-$20k’s to the high $40k’s. Sonically, the Humboldt offers pure neutrality, an insanely low noise floor, and supreme dynamic prowess, while conveying music with passion, soul, and energy. The other choices I listed are all damn good, and range in personality from warm and engulfing, to ultra-dynamic, to hyper-accurate and resolving. I’d put the $40k Leonidas and the $40k Vitus SIA-030 as the most comparable tonally. Your listening tastes, budget, and current equipment will help to define which direction you need to look in. As a reviewer, it’s not my job to tell you what’s better or worse, or what to buy. It is my job to tell you what the review subject sounds like, and what’s worth an audition, and if it’s something I would consider purchasing. Well, the Humboldt is unquestionably worth listening to and absolutely worth buying if you have the means. I was sad to see it go, and even sadder the following day when it was no longer in my room. Highly recommended. 

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/yamaha-a-s3200

While the phono stage’s 47ohm moving magnet input impedance will work well with pretty much any cartridge of that type, it’s a little odd that Yamaha has chosen to go with a 50ohm value for the moving coil option. While MCs vary in terms of their loading requirements, a 100ohm value would have suited many more cartridges. It’s not a make-or-break situation, but you’ll need to be careful with the cartridge choice if you want optimal results.