Audiophilepure

The FYNE 500SP

One thing unique to the FYNE speakers is their fifth ground lug on the back of the speakers. FYNE claims it will “ground the driver chassis and eliminate amp or cable born RF interference.” While the TONE studio is a big, metal building (essentially a Faraday cage), we don’t usually have this problem. However, in the house’s unshielded environment, taking advantage of this did make a slightly noticeable – and positive effect. A nice touch, indeed.

While the review set arrived in gloss black, gloss white, and gloss walnut is also available. The finish quality is exquisite. The 500SPs are designed and built in the UK. It shows. If you’ve spent any time at all with modestly priced speakers that hail from China, you’ll notice that the fine details are not executed as well as they are here.

Should you put a pair of 500SPs in your system, the only thing you might consider after you’re used to the speakers is a pair of high-quality jumpers to connect the woofer and tweeter, if you aren’t using bi-wired speaker cables. Jumpers from Tellurium Q and Cardas both added another margin of HF smoothness that is worth exploring.

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1111-dynaudio-confidence-60-loudspeakers

Dynaudio’s new Confidence 60 loudspeaker represents a monumental leap forward compared to its predecessors. Its cabinet, fit and finish, and array of newly designed drivers absolutely exude quality, and the skilled engineering and attention to detail intrinsic in each of these features translate into sound that can best be described as seductive. While I would have liked just a hint more top-end sparkle and resolution, once I had this pair properly set up, the Confidence 60s’ uncanny ability to disappear in a room, sound good at both high and low volume levels, and reproduce bass with convincing authority kept me hunting for different music to listen to for hours on end. If that’s not the definition of a captivating loudspeaker, I don’t know what is.

It’s very good at what it does but it doesn’t offer the resolution, resolving power, detail, or spaciousness of my RME/Pass Labs combination; it’s also less than 50% of the retail price of that combination so to expect it to outperform two of the best personal audio components currently available would be a rather steep hill to climb.

However, if I was in the market for a high-end integrated amplifier that could replace a $4,000 set of separates and deliver a lot of power, reliability, an excellent feature set including a plethora of input/output options — the Parasound HINT 6 Integrated Amplifier would be very high on my recommendation list.

When you consider how much it offers for $3,200 and how good it sounds — this is one of the best bargains right now in the high-end amplifier category. Parasound definitely delivers on its promise of sound quality and value for the money.

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/eclipse-td307-mk3

There’s much to be admired in Eclipse’s approach to speaker design. While there are obvious limitations by conventional standards – a lack of bass depth and dynamic punch are the most obvious in this case – there are equally areas of performance where the TD307 Mk3 stomp all over their conventional rivals. It comes down to how they are used and what your sonic priorities are. For the right person, these speakers will be hard to beat.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/chario-aviator-amelia-loudspeaker

Plenty of thought and care went into designing and making the Chario Aviator Amelias. Their delivery seems unforced and easy—but not “easy” as in laid-back. Easy as in effortless. They possessed a smooth, vivid naturalism. They’re big on immediacy—not shy about delivering a punch.

The Amelias sound bigger than they are. They were easily able to fill my high-volume listening room with sound. They share a bit of “omni” character with my MBL 120 loudspeakers, perhaps because of drivers on three of six surfaces dispersing sound throughout the room. The impression was of a wider, fuller sound than expected, though not to the extent of the MBL 120s, which are true omnis. I’d consider buying these if the time were right. It’d be easy to spend a similar amount of money and get inferior sonic results.

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/sonus-faber-minima-amator-ii

Things are sure-footed rhythmically, too, with the speakers conveying the energy of music well. They sound composed yet enthusiastic with tracks such as this, and remain comfortable even when pushed hard. We would still point you elsewhere if you routinely listen at ‘party’ levels, but for most people who have small to medium-sized rooms these Sonus Fabers will go loud enough.

A listen to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony shows that these little gems can generate a sound of impressive scale. They handle larger dynamic shifts well, without sounding like they have to strain to do so. Their impressive control comes to the fore when it comes to tracking a multitude of instrumental strands without losing sight of the music’s whole. These are the kind of speakers that put the spotlight on the music and allow the mechanics of hi-fi to fade into the background.

Soundstage depth became more layered, and the interstitial haziness that sometimes clouds the spaces between images was cleared up. The soundstage seemed to open up a bit more across the board. How could improving phase in the lower overlap help imaging and the rendering of “space” around instruments to the extent I was hearing? I would expect this sort of soundstaging improvement if the upper overlap, closer to the frequency range where imaging information exists, had been improved. I cannot explain it, but it’s there. Whatever technical reasons are involved, the DC2 crossover brought about the same kinds of improvements in resolution, soundstaging, and dynamic agility that I heard when the ground-breaking YG BilletDome hybrid tweeter was introduced in early 2018 (see my Sonja 2.2 review)—which is to say, very rewarding performance increases, indeed. Is the pre-DC2 Sonja 2.2 still a great speaker? Yes, but better is better, and DC2 advances the Sonja further.

YG’s DC2 crossover improves the Sonja 2.2i’s overall sound quality more than I imagined was possible, and I presume similar or greater improvements are conferred on the upper Sonja models, as well. It is as if a key piece of a building were put in place, and the integrity of the entire structure became more robust. The DC2 crossover “unifies” more of the listening experience. YG has pursued both flat frequency response and a low relative phase angle with excellent results. The DC2 update further validates its approach. The time domain matters a lot in this game. I continue to be impressed with YG speakers, and the DC2-equipped Sonja 2.2i is another resounding success.  

Staging and imaging flat out blew me away. There is no other way to say it except to say I heard things behind me. I invited audiophiles and novices alike over, and many novices asked me where the rear-surround speakers were. The stage extended from three feet in front of the drivers to well beyond the wall behind the speakers. Left-to-right staging was whatever the venue was. I must attribute this to the near simultaneous arrival of wavefronts as a result of the adjustable driver enclosures. I have heard tracks I know well project laterally on many systems, but the degree of projection, accuracy of placement within a 360-degree space (simultaneously in front and around me), and the capacity to impart a sense of visceral palpability were uncanny, almost unnerving, with the Alexx V. 

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2022/1/26/focal-diablo-utopia-colour-evo

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/magico-a1

Despite their compact dimensions, these speakers are able to convey the scale of the event brilliantly. Within the limitations set by size and science, they deliver the piece with an astonishing amount of confidence. As the music builds, we’re aware of the A1’s unshakable sense of composure; such is their level of control that they never sound stressed even when pushed to high volumes. Dynamic shifts are delivered with verve, though when judged by price rather than size standards it’s not too hard to buy an alternative that has more in the way of absolute punch and attack.

Similarly, when we switch to Bruce Springsteen’s High Hopes set we’re aware that the Magicos are surefooted with rhythms rather than particularly enthusiastic about producing results that really charge along. Still, they sound musically cohesive and manage to capture enough of the energy in The Boss’s performance to keep us listening. The longer we listen, the more we’re impressed that these speakers aren’t about showboating. They don’t hype up the sound to be more exciting or entertaining than it is. If the original recording is good then that will shine through. And if it isn’t you’ll know all about it, despite the speakers having more than enough refinement to prevent things from sounding worse than they should.