Aurelia XO Cerica XL Loudspeakers $11,000 Review
March 28, 2021 Comments Off on Aurelia XO Cerica XL Loudspeakers $11,000 Review
https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1525-aurelia-xo-cerica-xl-loudspeakers
By describing the Cerica XL’s bass as slightly rich, I’m not sugarcoating a shortcoming. The Aurelias’ bass was plenty tight, and worked perfectly—I wouldn’t change a thing. Just listen to Gord Sinclair’s lithe bass guitar in the title track of The Tragically Hip’s Fully Completely (LP, Geffen 4704109). Sinclair’s bass playing is understandably underrated, given that this band’s sound orbited around the late Gord Downie’s singing. But Sinclair’s got the chops. Through the Cerica XLs I could hear his bass’s warm, rich growl with a touch more roundness than I can from my Focus Audio FP60 BE speakers. Admittedly, the Focus Audios are minimonitors, but they punch far above their weight, and I’ve never found their bass lacking in any way. So yeah—the Cerica XL was just a bit warmer down there.

Piega Premium Wireless 701 £5,000 Review
March 22, 2021 Comments Off on Piega Premium Wireless 701 £5,000 Review
https://www.hifichoice.com/content/piega-premium-wireless-701
Going wireless with the Piega Connect box (and using its built-in DAC rather than the Chord) perhaps inevitably robs the sound of some immediacy and resolving power (and takes a further quality hit when streaming with Bluetooth), but the slightly softer and warmer presentation – while less hardcore audiophilic – retains a good measure of the wired setup’s precise, organised and punctual character, underpinned by a reassuring sense of coherence and imaging focus. Enough, certainly, to appreciate the inclusion of a Rega Planar 6 turntable with Ania MC cartridge (HFC 453) and Chord Electronics’ Huei phono stage. There’s plenty going on with Beverley Knight’s BK25 outing with the Leo Green Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall on vinyl, especially the frenetic opener Made It Back. It’s not the greatest recording, but taking its cue from the Rega/Huei combo, the 701 doesn’t labour that but instead expertly mines passion and emotion from Knight’s soulful vocal while portraying the orchestral backing with effortless zeal and crisply defined timbral contrasts.

FELIKS 300B integrated amplifier REVIEW
March 13, 2021 Comments Off on FELIKS 300B integrated amplifier REVIEW
Sonus Faber Olympica Nova III Loudspeaker Review
March 12, 2021 Comments Off on Sonus Faber Olympica Nova III Loudspeaker Review
So where does that leave us in the overall scheme of things? For $13.5k the Sonus Faber Nova III certainly draw heavily on expectations, and from this reviewer’s perspective, deliver big on several fronts. The first being a very approachable frequency response. There are severe hand-me-downs from the extremely favorable Aida flagship, allowing for non-fatiguing rich tonal structure across range. This, paired with a level of detail retrieval expected from a device that costs the same as a used car – is something that brings next-level characteristics into the equation. Now, that alone is good enough for most speaker makers in the audiophile realm, but some of the secret sauce of Sonus Faber is intelligent and massively alluring industrial design.

ACELEC MODEL ONE SPEAKERS REVIEW
March 11, 2021 Comments Off on ACELEC MODEL ONE SPEAKERS REVIEW
https://www.monoandstereo.com/2021/03/acelec-model-one-speakers-review.html
“
Many speakers, even larger and far more expensive ones, can act stoically with this splendid Reference Recording album. The efficacious Model One core not only provided a unique togetherness but allowed London Philharmonic Orchestra’s orchestral spirit to capture the essence of the music with a one of the kind interconnectedness.
This was especially evident in “A Sussex Overture, Op. 31” where the momentum was crafted with non-faux, sense-making qualities, and in the absence of aural blind alleys that are all too familiar with across too many loudspeakers on the market regardless of the price.
This was especially evident in “A Sussex Overture, Op. 31” where the momentum was shaped without faux pas, with sense-making qualities, and in an absence of sonic dead ends, as one knows all too well with too many speakers on the market, regardless of price.

WESTERN ELECTRIC 13A & 12A HORN SPEAKERS
March 11, 2021 Comments Off on WESTERN ELECTRIC 13A & 12A HORN SPEAKERS
https://www.monoandstereo.com/2021/02/western-electric-13a-12a-horn-speakers.html
As requested by many, here is update on the replication project of the Western Electric 13a and 12a horn speakers by Homin Kim’s (Silbatone Acoustics) friend, a well-known sculptor.



Wilson Audio Specialties SabrinaX loudspeaker Review
March 9, 2021 Comments Off on Wilson Audio Specialties SabrinaX loudspeaker Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-audio-specialties-sabrinax-loudspeaker
With the SabrinaX’s in the house, I smiled whenever I thought about the last time I’d listened to music and looked forward to the next time I’d be able to. I would truly be happy if everything stayed the way it is: room, system, records, even my chair and the light standing next to it. Seriously, just leave it all right where it is. I’ve heard more mega-systems than I can count, including $1,000,000 worth of Wilson WAMM Master Chronosonic. Yeah, some of them are better than the SabrinaX, but it would be a pain to move them and set everything up in my room.
Nothing is perfect though, not even the SabrinaX. John Atkinson’s measurements will tell all, but I have a hunch that the SabrinaX may be just a little on the warm, forgiving side of absolute neutrality. Maybe there’s a bit of a rise in the midbass to the upper bass. And maybe, just maybe, the upper midrange is down a a little bit compared to the frequencies on either side. Keep in mind that I have a small, well-damped room and tube amps. Your results may vary.

Franco Serblin Accordo Essence Loudspeake Review
March 8, 2021 Comments Off on Franco Serblin Accordo Essence Loudspeake Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/franco-serblin-accordo-essence-loudspeaker
Vocals are what rule my heart, Allman’s being powerful and energetic, but I could not think of any trial more worthy than Sophie Madeleine’s ‘Stars’ from The Rhythm You Started [Xtra Mile XMR045CD]. This is a voice of such delicacy and clarity that she makes Dolly Parton sound like Louis Armstrong. I had heard this CD so many times that I was worrying about seeming obsessive, but the Accordo Essence unveiled more fine details, not least my belief that Ms Madeleine should come out of retirement. I cry too often, and this had me reaching for the Kleenex. It was exquisite.
So the Accordo Essence couples refinement with realism, delivers convincing recreation of the sound-space, and wraps it in craftsmanship of the highest order in the cabinetry itself. Franco Serblin was always motivated by the great violin makers of Cremona, and he taught Favella well. He’d be pleased to know that you don’t need to be Jascha Heifetz to hear it (or see it) in this speaker. It is magnificent.

MartinLogan Motion 20i Review
March 7, 2021 Comments Off on MartinLogan Motion 20i Review
https://www.hifichoice.com/content/martinlogan-motion-20i
The bass extension is impressive for such a relatively small floorstander. MartinLogan claims to deliver a frequency response down to 46Hz, but this seems comfortably bettered in my room. It integrates well with the rest of the frequency range and ensures that the deep electronic notes of Beck’s Uneventful Days are something you feel as much as hear and there is a reasonable level of control and definition as well. This is undoubtedly helped by careful speaker placement in my room and positioning the Motion 20i closer to a rear wall reduces this coherence somewhat. It’s never going to be described as an urgent-sounding loudspeaker, but equally it doesn’t sound particularly languid or slow.

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