Audiophilepure

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“The bass synthesiser modulated in an appropriately animated way, powering the song along. Above this there was a wealth of percussive detail to take in, all delicately rendered. The lead synthesiser stabs were superbly syncopated to the backing percussion, with congas and woodblocks easily discernible, alongside the funky rhythm guitar and programmed drum machine snares and handclaps. Everything arrived in perfect time, alongside a clean and smooth portrayal of Madonna’s vocals. This track can really sound like a dog’s dinner through some speakers, yet here it sounded completely at ease.

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“to me and most of my friends, $5500 is a lot of money, and a decision to spend that amount on a pair of loudspeakers is viewed by many as insanity. With sound as solid and beautiful as their handsome cabinets, the Emma EVOlutions make that expenditure seem downright enlightened — they should be on every music lover’s shortlist of honest-sounding, full-range speakers. To me, they handily met the manufacturer’s goals — they “perfectly balance resolution on the one hand and listenability on the other.” I urge you to move whatever mountains you must to hear a pair of these speakers — in your home, using your gear, or under other circumstances. If you’re as impressed as I was, you’ll be reaching for your checkbook or a credit card”

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“I loved the Focal Spectral 40th. It exhibited the finest midrange I’ve heard in my room, and a near-perfect top end. Men’s and women’s voices were reproduced with a spooky vibrancy and presence and, more important, with no hint of glare or edge. I found its seemingly impossible marriage of a very upfront, detailed, and forward-sounding midrange to a buttery-smooth ease of sound absolutely intoxicating to listen to. The top end had superb “out-of-cabinet” extension, and delicate decay. On a few tracks that leaned toward sibilance, I did wish for 1-2dB less energy in the highest octaves, but this also reflects my personal preference for a downward-sloping response between 2 and 16kHz, a range in which the Focals measured essentially flat. But in this regard, my reference Bowers & Wilkins 705 S2 speakers, playing unequalized, are far worse. The Focals’ bass was tight, fast, ample, and completely satisfying, without ever booming in my relatively small room. The Spectral 40th’s transparency was also topnotch — I could hear every detail of the music, but never did I “hear” the cabinets.”

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“If you’ve heard Technical Audio Devices’ Micro Evolution One and want that same basic sound with just a bit more bass, I suggest you listen to their Evolution One TX. In the E1TX, TAD has produced a loudspeaker that stands on its own, with its own unique sound signature. Like every TAD speaker I’ve heard, it sounds bigger than it looks, and a pair of them produced soundstages that enveloped me, totally immersing me in the music — when a recording contained such information in the first place. I got all the detail I wanted, but never an incisive, overtly treble-centric sound. I found this a good thing — the E1TX was very easy to listen to, regardless of what music I played, or the volume level, or how long I listened. Add to all that a cabinet small enough to fit into most rooms, and build quality that’s sure to please even the most demanding buyer, and you have a complete package. I saw and heard lots to like in the TAD E1TX, and nothing that disappointed. It’s easy to recommend, even to the most discriminating audiophile.”

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Overall, the Usher TD-10s deliver a full, detailed, and lush presentation that carries well as the volume goes up. You like listening at 90dB plus? Not a problem! Unlike some bodybuilders, the TD-10s aren’t poseurs—they really deliver!

If you’re looking for exceptional performance from a loudspeaker in the $20,000 plus range—one that employs a diamond midrange speaker for under $50K—and if you desire a work of fine craftsmanship that looks and plays big, the Usher TD-10 is very worthy of your consideration. ”

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Totem recommends 50 to 100 hours playing in before the KIN Plays will begin sounding their best. That’s nothing unusual, of course, but our particular unit has a piercing hardness to the treble that takes longer to calm down than many other speakers we’ve tested. That’s not a criticism, more a warning not to judge these speakers straight from the box.

Because, eventually, they really do sound quite good. There is still a slight grittiness to the treble, but it is by no means harsh. We tamper with the bass and treble controls a little, but if you can place these speakers a decent way into the room and on dedicated speaker stands, the balance is pleasingly even.”

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“And what a bass cabinet it is! For the most part, the listener sees only a large, unblemished expanse of wood, beautifully veneered, but behind it is a front-firing 15″ woofer loaded by an 8′-long exponential horn. The horn’s throat begins with a comparatively narrow slot—to increase pressure as well as to conform to the mathematical requirements of the horn’s predetermined rate of expansion—before directing the woofer’s front wave both straight up and straight down, prior to traveling through the remainder of the horn, which is constructed with dozens of precisely cut plywood and MDF pieces. Portions of the cabinet interior are accessible via side-mounted grillework—as with the grille for the midrange/treble cabinet, these are held in place with magnets—behind which one sees conduits for the internal wiring, as well as the crossover’s output and input connectors, respectively, for the midrange and treble driver cables and the cables from the user’s amplifier.”

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This is a superbly balanced and mightily enjoyable performer in its own right. Some will inevitably see it as just a steppingstone to greater things, but those who treat it with the respect it deserves will discover a remarkably entertaining, communicative and intelligently voiced musical component, capable of extracting the musical kernel from even the densest mix, the potential lynchpin for an elegant modern, compact, high-performance and highly entertaining audio system. If ever a speaker had va-va-voom, this is it”

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“Feed them some large-scale classical music in the form of Holst’s Jupiter and the R5s have no trouble generating high volume levels with impressive composure. They sound so refined, clean and composed when pushed that there’s always a temptation to go higher, which is great as long as you have understanding neighbours.

We’re impressed by the R5s’ stereo imaging. They deliver an expansive but superbly focused soundstage, one that locks sounds and instruments in place even when the music becomes complex. The use of a Uni-Q arrangement means that the imaging stays coherent even when we’re not in the optimum listening position, which is something to bear in mind if you don’t like to be locked to just a single listening spot.”