Chord Ultima Integrated Review
June 2, 2024 Comments Off on Chord Ultima Integrated Review
The power button sphere is also something very special: a translucent ball that can be freely rotated and which functions as a button, and power status indicator light, and, I presume, an IR receiver window. I found that direct sunlight from the side windows on the front panel can affect the IR operational range, and on one very bright day in my room with no curtains, I had to get up from the couch and move forward to get the amp to respond. In that single case, the range was 3 meters. On every other day of my testing, though, the range was normal, and I had no issues operating the amp.
After reading about this, Chord commented they have done countless audio shows using the Ultima Integrated and have never had an issue with the remote’s range under normal circumstances. A range of up to 8 meters is considered normal.
In use, the amplifier typically consumes 45 Watts and becomes only mildly warm. In standby mode, it consumes just 1 W and can, therefore, be left in this mode at all times if desired. The amplifier is available in Black and Silver (as reviewed). As standard, it comes complete with Integra Legs, which emphasize the amplifier’s beautiful industrial look. If desired, these legs can also be substituted for side blocks, for a more classic look.

PS Audio aspen FR10 Loudspeaker Review
June 2, 2024 Comments Off on PS Audio aspen FR10 Loudspeaker Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/ps-audio-aspen-fr10-loudspeaker
Where the music is inherently more restrained, however, the level of low-end detail, generous weight and enveloping warmth offered by the FR10s is hugely appealing. Relaxed and with my eyes closed, the double bass on the Holly Cole Trio’s version of ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ from Don’t Smoke In Bed [Manhattan Records CDP 7811982] seemed right in front of me, its performance deep, rich and deliciously resonant. Add in Miss Cole’s exquisite vocals, and I was one very happy listener.


Sonus faber Lumina V Amator Loudspeaker Review
June 1, 2024 Comments Off on Sonus faber Lumina V Amator Loudspeaker Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/sonus-faber-lumina-v-amator-loudspeaker
The drivers here are the same as those found in the standard Lumina models: the tweeter is the company’s 29mm DAD (Damped Apex Dome) unit, derived from the Sonetto range [HFN Nov ’18] and with its hand-coated silk diaphragm damper carried on the vertical crossbar in front of it. Meanwhile, the 150mm midrange driver blends fibre and paper, also used in the Sonettos, while the twin 165mm bass drivers employ a sandwich paper cone and were designed specifically for the Lumina.
While Sonus faber’s floorstander looks imposing in the pictures, the speaker is neither huge nor massively weighty, standing just under 105cm tall and, at 22.5kg, about light enough for one-person set-up, adding convenience to the room-friendliness. Positioning is no trickier, in no small part due to that downward-firing port. I spent some time moving the Lumina V Amators backwards and forwards in the room, finding very little difference wherever I placed them, and concentrated instead on experimenting with toe-in for the most coherent stereo image. Again, I was unable to effect any huge changes in this department, so stuck to my usual positioning with the cabinets aimed just slightly in front of the listening position.

Sonus Faber Suprema $750,000 Review
May 31, 2024 Comments Off on Sonus Faber Suprema $750,000 Review
The system’s imaging was outstanding too. I often gauge imaging with Ani DiFranco’s “Everest.” Unusually, DiFranco’s voice images way over, just short of the left speaker, a couple of feet back. The Suprema system nailed this position unambiguously. On this and other tracks, it presented a properly scaled, well-proportioned soundstage, with all the spaciousness captured in the recording, never expanding it. The soundstage ventured just beyond the left or right speaker on occasion—on the two Cowboy Junkies songs, for example—but that was supposed to happen; it’s in the recording.
An important, though not surprising, observation I made during my two listening sessions is that the Suprema subwoofers, while prominent visually, were sonically indistinct: they never sounded detached from the main speakers. Had I not seen the subwoofers in the room, I wouldn’t have been able to tell where they were. Subwoofers do blend seamlessly with main speakers on good stereo systems. I’ve witnessed this many times. The Suprema system just demonstrated how complete such integration can be. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

Tekton Design Perfect SET 15 Loudspeakers $2705 Review
May 30, 2024 Comments Off on Tekton Design Perfect SET 15 Loudspeakers $2705 Review

Linkwitz LX521 Loudspeaker $23,900 Review
May 28, 2024 Comments Off on Linkwitz LX521 Loudspeaker $23,900 Review
https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0524/Linkwitz_LX521_Loudspeaker_Review.htm
Digging into my cabinet of tweaks I came up with enough 70mm square damping feet from Soundeck to put one under each corner of the subs and at each corner of the bridges. In the photo below you can see the footer excess protruding from the sides. The thickness of the sides of the bridge is only 18mm, so there is not much material to anchor a footer unless the sides are reinforced with additional material. Each Soundeck footer, however, could be cut to create three 70mm strips to attach under the length of the sides of the bridge. Even on the soft carpeted surface, this made a noticeable improvement with virtually no increase in speaker height.

Onken Enclosure 12inch Woofer Floor standing Speaker
May 27, 2024 Comments Off on Onken Enclosure 12inch Woofer Floor standing Speaker
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