Audiophilepure

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1677-simaudio-moon-voice-22-loudspeakers

After a few weeks in the living room, I moved the 22s up to my main listening room, which is bigger—the ceiling is 8′ high again, but the main listening space is about 16′ wide by 18′ long. On top of that, the listening space behind my main listening chair opens into another 16′ by 18′ space that I use for storage. The speakers were atop the BBC stands, placed about 9′ apart from each other and 9′ from the listening chair, thus forming an equilateral triangle. The backs of the speakers were about 7′ from the wall behind them and 5′ to the walls beside them. This kind of setup puts small speakers at a severe disadvantage because they can’t benefit from room gain due to the significant speaker-to-wall distances, but it does allow me to hear more of the speakers and less of the room.

Powering the 22s through QED Supremus speaker cables was the Purifi Audio Eigentakt engineering-sample power amp I wrote about in September 2020. Driving the amp was an Anthem STR preamp-DAC (ARC room correction turned off), fed by streamed and SSD-stored digital music files from an Asus Zenbook UX303U laptop via a USB connection. Other cables and accessories were from Crystal Cable and Shunyata Research, as outlined in the equipment listing at the end of this review.

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/features-menu/opinion-menu/1110-the-incredible-transparency-of-the-vivid-audio-g1-spirit-loudspeakers

My obvious conclusion is that the Vivid Audio G1 Spirit loudspeakers are capable of simply magnificent transparency. I’m completely convinced. Does this come down to the acoustically slick enclosure design that mitigates any edge diffraction? Is it the driver complement, purpose-engineered and built specifically for these Vivid speakers? Or is it the result of some kind of magic that Laurence Dickie himself has conjured like Harry Potter into his flagship product? I can’t give you the answers to any of those questions (although I know for a fact that Laurence doesn’t look much like Harry). What I can tell you is that Vivid’s G1 Spirit loudspeakers are equipped with a resolving capability that is truly groundbreaking. And gosh, do they ever make dissecting the differences between connected electronics an absolute cinch.

My takeaway on the Vivids is this: The G1 Spirits will allow anyone to hear the true stereophonic beauty of the equipment they’ve so carefully assembled in their listening room. And since that beauty is only displayed when a system is actually playing back music, it’s the music lover who ultimately wins when listening to Vivid’s G1 Spirits.

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/bits-and-bytes/kef-ls60-wireless-hifi-system-r1106/

The digital part of the LS60 Wireless is very close to the LS50. The same input platform is used (my guess is StreamUnlimited card) and the same reasonable restrictions are in place. A wired Ethernet connection between the speakers enables up through 24/192 playback, while a wireless connection is good up through 24/96. The speakers support receiving 24/384 and DSD, but this will be not be played natively. 

Given that these speakers have internal digital signal processing (KEF calls its DSP suite the Music Integrity Engine), the input of anything above 24/96, or even DSD, is likely going to be downconverter anyway for processing. Not a big deal at all because the benefit of this DSP will greatly outweigh any real or perceived benefit of the higher resolution music. 

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0522/Von_Schweikert_Audio_Endeavor_SE_Floorstanding_Loudspeaker_Review.htm

This would result in several patented innovative technological applications that continue to evolve and be employed in practically every Von Schweikert Audio speaker design, among them the Global Axis Integration Network (G.A.I.N.) and Acoustic Inverse Replication (A.I.R.) or “Inverse Microphone” concepts, all furthering the sonic objective of realism. Secondly, and in a word, I say again – Space. Beyond their truthfulness to pitch, intensity, duration, and timbre, the ESE authentically recreates the performance space in a manner and scale I’ve never before experienced from a full-range speaker of this footprint or price point. A presentation that envelopes the listener with all the excitement and visceral energy of the performance venue, off- and on-axis. It is indeed, “The Sound of Reality” — That sonic hologram we all strive to create.

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/kef-ls60-wireless

We’re keen to hear just how the KEF LS60’s Uni-Core drivers handle low frequencies so we switch to the Jauz Remix of Shaed’s Trampoline. Before the dubstep element has a chance to muscle in, we’re drawn to the detail in the midrange. There’s an impressive level of detail in and space around the lead vocal. It’s surrounded by an echo that floats effortlessly in the ether.

The vocal then rises and tees up a brief but perfectly executed moment of silence before the KEFs plummet to follow the track’s deep, dirty bassline. It’s dispatched with intent and force – edges are sharply drawn and there’s so much texture to the notes the speakers almost fool you into thinking you can reach out and feel them. There’s so much weight and power on display, you wouldn’t believe a cabinet that slim could produce such an impactful sound.

The vanishingly low cabinet coloration not only acts to keep the BC150 fast, it keeps it extremely detailed too. This is a loudspeaker that throws the window wide open on your music. Pick an instrument, preferably a solo instrument on a well-recorded album; that instrument sounds detailed, articulate, and physically ‘there’ in the room, solidly placed within a wide soundstage that projects slightly into the room, but not so much as to be intrusive. It’s detailed and precise enough that colorations are more likely to be to do with the room than the speaker, and many of those are ‘nailed’ thanks to the rear-firing tweeter. The BC150 loudspeaker is an audio reproduction instrument of high-precision, and as such if your room has a bit of a mid-range hump, you’ll notice it more immediately here. Given the BC150 and the company it keeps, that’s no bad thing, as room acoustics should be a strong consideration at this level. But, regardless, listening to something like ‘Love in Vain’, by the Rolling Stones [Stripped, Polydor] and you get to hear Jagger’s voice unsullied by the speaker itself; other speakers seem to play something more like an impression of Mick Jagger by way of comparison.

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2021/12/8/wrsuv6go9jr7h6dowbmfos4l1r132k

Harbeth is proud to advertise the ‘use anywhere’ adaptability of the speaker. As such, I’m guessing the P3ESR would be the dream desktop loudspeaker, taking convenience with superior sound to the nth degree. But there’s no doubt situated in a well treated room of appropriate size on the suggested stands is the way to go. I’d say the quality and adaptability of these bookshelf beauties would make the ideal entry level high end loudspeaker for budding audiophiles with catholic musical tastes who save a little and want to take a serious step forward in building a quality system. I know many companies attempt to manufacture such a speaker but I’ve not heard one in the size and at the price of the P3ESR XD that matches it for refined, musically immersive sound. They are a remarkable value. Also, their superior fit and finish belies their $3290/pair MSRP.

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0522/Von_Schweikert_Audio_Endeavor_SE_Floorstanding_Loudspeaker_Review.htm

One might get the impression that I’m a “Fan Boy” of VSA. In that, I’m a huge fan of reality in the presentation of recorded music, and VSA makes the creation of such one of their primary objectives in speaker design, then by association, yes, guilty as charged.

Kevin Hayes of VAC has been quoted as saying VAC audio instruments are designed with the hope that they will one day be considered family heirlooms, handed down to the next generation, and I admittedly acquired my Statement 450S iQ amplifier with this in mind – an end-game investment, IMHO. Similarly, I consider the quality and investment of VSA speakers to be of the same league — a true heirloom investment, regardless of budget.

I felt privileged to acquire an example of the VSA team’s work, and now very excited to retain the Endeavor Special Edition in our home. My professional instincts told me they and I strive for the same outcomes in high-end musical reproduction, coming from similar perspectives. I thank them for their efforts and congratulate them on this exceptional achievement and offering within high-end audio. For me, it truly represents realism in the reproduction of recorded music. It is, in fact, a portal to experiencing the joy of live music.

Occasionally, when playing sonically darker recordings, I wished things were a hair brighter. I would MUCH rather have a smoother vibe than even the smallest amount of additional air or zing up there as long as the resolution is high, which is definitely the case for U55s. Furthermore, this was only in evidence when I used amps with an overly smooth or rolled off top end such as the Qualiton or the ampsandsound Nautilus. In a universe of options with regard to where the high frequencies should fall, given varying tonalities in amplifiers, source components and recordings, I’ll give the U55s chosen high frequency voicing an A+.

Midrange and the handoff to tweeters and woofers was invisible and seamless. Imaging was gorgeous and captivating. I got solid, floating-in-air, center images which is important to me. I heard lots of depth and space when it was there in a recording. There was a strong sense of a 180 degree arc of instrument placement that extended towards my listening spot and beyond speaker edges.

Like practically all the other elements of the Von Schweikert Ultra 55 performance, I found dynamic portrayal to be top notch, without calling any undue attention to that part of reproduction. VSA lists sensitivity at 89db. Although to my ear, this seems conservative, owing to the 5 watt Nautilus being such a surprise in how it powered the speakers.