Audiophilepure

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“Neither the M4 nor the Figaro B can reproduce truly low bass — the M4 can go down to 40Hz only on a good day — but after switching back and forth between the Denali D6000/S and the Venom PS8 for most of one morning, I concluded that, with the Denali, the bass the M4s could reproduce was better defined. However, that difference wasn’t as easy to hear as the improvement in Baez’s voice. These differences might have been subtle, but with both sets of speakers, there was no question that the Hegel H360 sounded just a little bit better plugged into the D6000/S than into the PS8. And because of what I heard in the bass and mids, in addition to improved resolution, I’d say the Denali made a bigger improvement with the H360 than it did with the Constellation Revelation Pictor and EMM Labs DA2 Reference DAC.”

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“The next things I heard. With the ARC GS150 in the system, and standing a foot or so away from either speaker with no music playing, I could hear a very soft buzz much higher in frequency than a 60Hz hum. The buzz didn’t trouble me — I’d heard it with other amps, such as my Blue Circle Audio BC204; it was at a very low level, and was completely masked by even the quietest music. Nevertheless, though the Shunyata setup didn’t eliminate the buzz, it cut its volume by at least half. Last but not least, the sound was now slightly more dynamic in the bass, and subtly smoother and just a bit more detailed overall, which tended to make recordings with big soundstages”

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“The sonic improvement the Active Ground Block SE bestowed upon the system was immediately apparent and wasn’t subtle. The quieter noise floor was expected but is even more pitch black in its quietness. Where previously you can hear background voices being grouped together, you can now identify them individually and get a sense of space between them with the way they are standing in a slight diagonal line stretch to the back of the soundstage. The authority and texture of percussion are clear and vivid. The separation and resolution of the vocals and other instruments now really stand out without losing the warmth and musical nature of all the pieces coming together. I also wanted to note that one of the most impressive elements about the Active Ground Block SE is how beautiful and engaging the music is at even very low volumes. I’ve turned my PS Audio BHK Signature Preamp down to volume level 1 and have been amazed at the detail I can still hear. In some ways, it’s even more engaging because you can’t help but appreciate how the little details and musicality of the tracks come through.”