Audiophilepure

Read Here

“The Stellar needed little time to break in, and its core sonic performance didn’t change significantly over time. Once I was confident that the Stellar was operating at its peak, I immediately noticed an overall sound that was very quiet and smooth. The Mactone amps, for example, have an exceptionally live character that might be a tad overstated with the wrong ancillaries, but whenever the PS Audio Stellar was in the system, those razor-sharp transients were placed in a much larger context within the soundstage. That doesn’t mean that the Stellar smoothed out the vivacious sound of the Mactones, but rather it supplied a comfy place for these Japanese tube amplifiers to sit and converse with the listener in a meaningful way.

Like the XP17, the PS Audio Stellar was so quiet that it was difficult to pick out its character in the context of the system. It’s been a long time since I’ve used a phono preamplifier with noise issues so that’s not that remarkable on its own, but I do notice when a product is quieter than usual, quitter than I would consider the norm. Over the last few months the reference system has gone through a transformation, thanks to so many wonderful products that have come in for review, that I’m now focused on the concept of supreme quiet. For years I never really identified with reviewers who talk constantly about velvety black silences from which the music emerges, probably because I didn’t have a lot of that in my own system. Now I can listen to products and appreciate how they preserve that preternaturally low noise floor. The Stellar certainly preserved that sense of tranquility, especially with the Palmer 2.5/Audio Origami combo—a combo that I can best describe as both majestic and musical.”

Read Here

“For digital inputs, the P 6 features a pair of SPDIF optical inputs, coaxial SPDIF input, as well as a USB input. It should be noted that if you choose to use any of the SPDIF input options, you’ll be limited to PCM audio only, up to 192kHz/24-bit. Only the USB input allows you to take advantage of 384kHz/32-bit PCM and DSD up to quad rate.

With that said, for most of my listening, I fed the P 6 digital audio from my desktop computer to one of its optical inputs. This is my preferred connection when using a computer as a source due to Toslink’s inherent galvanic isolation. I do realize the relative limitations of using this input option, though, so to test DSD functionality, I did connect via USB for a short period of time.”

https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/amplifier/preamplifier/mcintosh-c53-stereo-preamplifier-review/

“McIntosh has always made great preamps, and their latest solid-state flagship not only carries on the tradition but does so with a full eight-band analog equalizer! One might fear that the full feature set provided with the C53 would interfere with the preamplifier’s tonality or transparency. Nope – This preamp runs with the best in the business in both categories. If you want McIntosh’s flagship stereo preamplifier, the C53 is for you!

The McIntosh C53 Stereo Preamplifier brings an exceptional level of control to a prospective owner without sacrificing sound quality. This is a difficult achievement because more active circuitry increases the risk of damage to the sound’s delicacy, flat frequency response, and imaging. This is why the majority of audiophile preamplifiers cling to the straight-wire-with-gain design philosophy. But McIntosh, ever the rebel, still offers this control center design that competes at the very top level. With but minor quibbles, this is one of the very best preamplifiers you can buy.”

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/mcintosh-labs-c53-preamplifier-review-r878/

“While my digital sources in form of AURALiC’s Vega G2 or Playback Design’s MPS-8 generally held court during the review period of the C53, I did spend quite some time with the built in, rather high quality, DA2 digital board input. Here, my MacBook Pro delivered the C53s data in both Redbook, high-res PCM and DSD variants. Did the DA2 board hold its own against the pricier DAC alternatives I have on hand? Yes, but unlike the genuinely far higher than the suggested price class performing preamplifier, the differences to my two references were a bit more pronounced. On a recent discovery, Earthtones – Bahamas, the last cut, Any Place, is a perfect example of how a modern release can in fact be recorded well and mastered in such a way as to bring out the full excitement of the track, without the need for you to hit your head against a brick wall. Streamed via Tidal within Roon, the C53’s digital input was correctly identified and all settings automatically applied, giving you the experience of genuine plug-and-play. Here, the all new DA2 model was able to flex its muscle, offering up prodigious, if a bit less articulate bass than what my two reference DACs are capable of. Clearly audible is the overall Gestalt of the preamp section, which is extended, dynamic and clear of hash. Cueing up Steely Dan’s SACD rip of Gaucho, the DSD64 file yet again performed at levels above the all-inclusive asking price of $8000 McIntosh charges for the C53. A little less definition here, a little more warmth there, the DA2 module will undoubtedly delight you. If you are coming from an older DAC or even CD/SACD player, I would venture to guess that the DA2 module will in fact outperform even a top of the line DAC from just a decade ago. “

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/937-gryphon-audio-designs-zena-preamplifier

The Zena’s visual design and build quality, the beauty of its display, the attractive owner’s manual, the inclusion of gloves and polishing cloth, and the quality of its packaging all indicate that Gryphon Audio Designs is more concerned with delivering a premium customer experience than with wringing the last dollar of profit from its products.

Per Gryphon, each sample of the Zena is burned in at the factory for 48 hours; they say that the sound quality further improves after 40-50 more hours of use. The Zena comes with a three-year, nontransferrable warranty on parts and labor. That’s common for high-end audio components, but in my opinion, anything less than five years is too short.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/dan-dagostino-master-audio-systems-momentum-hd-line-preamplifier

“I briefly switched DACs and used a single S/PDIF cable from the dCS Network Bridge to convey signals from the Roon Nucleus+ to the EMM Labs DV2. With the Momentum HD preamp controlling volume, I heard more air around Cassandra Wilson and Rickie Lee Jones’s voices and accompaniment, but a bit less midrange profundity. After realizing that the comparison was flawed due to setup constraints—I’ve since moved equipment around on my eight-shelf double rack so I don’t run into this problem in the future and sent the DV2 back for a major upgrade—I acknowledged that a valid comparison between the two DACs would have to wait.

When I returned to the Rossini DAC/Momentum HD preamp combo, revisiting Cassandra Wilson’s performance revealed a complexity of string tone, deep bass grind, and increased color contrast and depth that, compared to what I heard from either DAC alone, left me in awe. Adding the preamp delivered Rickie Lee’s creepy vocals with much more subtlety and intimacy, and markedly greater dynamics, even at low volume. I didn’t want the music to end.”