EgglestonWorks Kiva Loudspeakers $15,500 Reviews
January 25, 2019 Comments Off on EgglestonWorks Kiva Loudspeakers $15,500 Reviews
“I didn’t have that problem with the EgglestonWorks Kivas. To begin with, I found these speakers just plain listenable. Although Jim Thompson moved them around a bit in my room to optimize their sound, the Kivas never actually sounded bad anywhere. Yes, things got better as we dialed them in, but we never experienced an “Oh, no” moment when we wondered if these speakers would ever work in my room. Contrary to what some audiophiles would have you believe, a pair of good speakers doesn’t typically sound downright bad everywhere in your room except in one pair of spots, where they sound good only if your head is locked in one point-size sweet spot in aural space.
The Kiva’s listenability began with its tweeter. As I listened to “Little Paradise,” from Eliane Elias’s Dance of Time (16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC, Concord Jazz/Tidal), I immediately concluded that the Kivas’ big soft-dome tweeter were striking a nice balance of detail and tonal friendliness. The piano had enough sparkle to tickle the ear, but it never sounded strident or too hot — at all. This recording is slightly warm sounding to begin with, so perhaps this wasn’t the best test of upper-frequency balance, but still — the sound was just beautiful in my room, and required no effort on my part to enjoy it.”
Revel Performa F228Be loudspeaker $10,000 Review
January 24, 2019 Comments Off on Revel Performa F228Be loudspeaker $10,000 Review
As for comparisons with other loudspeakers, the one I recall sounding most similar to the F228Be is the Kii Audio Three, which offered comparably transparent and nonresonant sound. With the stand-mounted Kii’s I couldn’t load the room with bass as I could with the floorstanding Revels, but that shouldn’t surprise. Fading memory prevents me from comparing the Performa F228Be to the Ultima Studio2; I refer you to the article, “Blind Listening at Harman International,” for some relevant insight. On hand, of course, were my reference B&W 802 D3s, which at $22,000/pair cost far more than the Performa F228Be’s. The B&W’s bass is bigger and equally as tight, and its upper bass endows it with a bit of authority the F228Be lacked. On the other hand, the Revel seemed notably more smooth and linear throughout the rest of the audioband, and didn’t suffer from the B&W’s upper-midrange reticence. And when I put ear to tweeter, the hiss I heard through the B&W was louder, and tipped more to the upper treble.
Conclusions
Overall, I’m thrilled with the sound of Revel’s Performa F228Be’s in my listening room. Across the audioband and at any listening level, they offered remarkably transparent reproduction of music in the tonal, time, and spatial domains, and my ears, brain, and mind simply loved them. I haven’t heard every speaker in the world, but I think that with the Performa F228Be Revel has planted a flag in the ground at the $10,000/pair meridian that challenges all other manufacturers—and themselves—to justify charging any significantly higher price for a domestic loudspeaker.”
Zu speakers, a PrimaLuna pre, First Watt J2 amp
January 23, 2019 Comments Off on Zu speakers, a PrimaLuna pre, First Watt J2 amp
$85,000.00 Sonus Faber Il Cremonese Speakers
January 19, 2019 Comments Off on $85,000.00 Sonus Faber Il Cremonese Speakers
Sonus Faber Sonetto II Speakers Review
January 18, 2019 Comments Off on Sonus Faber Sonetto II Speakers Review
“So then, did the Sonus Faber Sonetto II speakers cause me to change my listening preferences forever? Well, not exactly; but the invitation to explore that a bit of extra romance and sonic panache was delightful. In fact, these speakers are just exceptional. I think of the Sonus Fabers as mood speakers- as in, they put me in the mood! I can close my eyes and visualize myself cruising down the canals of Venice under the light of the stars, or maybe being serenaded along with mia amore by an Italian tenor in the town square. If that doesn’t make you want to smile, then I don’t know what would! Bellissimo!”
Goldmund Presents The New Prana Active Speaker
January 17, 2019 Comments Off on Goldmund Presents The New Prana Active Speaker
“Prana has been designed to provide a sound that is the closest to reality. No colouration, no noise, no distortion, the Prana reproduces entirely and exactly what has been recorded. It comes with the implementation of the Goldmund mechanical grounding technology that evacuates spurious vibrations that affect the signal quality. And if Goldmund is absolutely obsessed by sound quality, stubborn about providing its customers with the best existing reproduction, this is simply because only the highest level of realism can bring the highest level of pleasure and emotion.”
Acoustic Preference Gracioso 1.0 LE/ST speakers review
January 16, 2019 Comments Off on Acoustic Preference Gracioso 1.0 LE/ST speakers review
“For the sonic velocity they’re able to project they cannot be taken lightly, considering the cabinet’s size. The solid wood and segmental structure place them on a completely different map than most of the speakers on the market. And the value for the price cannot be overlooked by any measures. You’ll have a tough time finding fully solid wood speakers nowhere near the price, even without the stands that have the identical structure!. ”
Voxativ 9.87 Loudspeaker $49,990 Review
January 15, 2019 Comments Off on Voxativ 9.87 Loudspeaker $49,990 Review
“Now you might think this frequency/horn glitch would be a disqualifying flaw. But it isn’t. The problem simply isn’t large enough or pervasive enough to matter that much. (And I’ve discovered that it vanishes almost completely with Voxativ’s own 805 integrated amp, which has been voiced expressly for the 9.87.) Compared to what I’ve heard from every other horn speaker, this is a smooth, neutral driver in a superior horn enclosure. Moreover, the Voxativ’s smidgeon of cupped-hands coloration in the upper mids is more than counterbalanced (as already noted) by the terrific dynamic energy and astonishingly high resolution of detail the speaker brings to every kind of acoustic music. The 9.87 makes instrumentalists (including Chet Baker, whom the Voxativ—and the Voxativ alone—tells me was recorded by a separate mic on vocals) sound so alive and present, so “there,” that I’m perfectly willing to forgive it its slight touch of, uh, horniness.”
Audiophilepure 
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