Burmester Phase 3 System
July 28, 2018 Comments Off on Burmester Phase 3 System
“he sophisticated app for iPad, which came already downloaded on the iPad Mini that Burmester supplied, connected to my local WiFi network easily enough but presented some configuration issues that unfortunately impeded the 161’s functions requiring WiFi connectivity, such as streaming and Internet radio. A support call with a leader from Burmester R&D Digital confirmed that I was following the correct set-up steps but couldn’t determine why the 161 didn’t “accept” my local WiFi to complete and exit the app’s configuration mode. Fortunately, entering a few codes on the remote allowed me to bypass the home WiFi and run the iPad app and network player in “source” mode. Soon after, however, Burmester provided a more recent firmware update that resolved the local connectivity issue and allowed me to stream via my Tidal account. The app has a wonderfully user-friendly interface with intuitive navigation. You can build and edit playlists by tapping on selected albums and tracks, and sort and search easily. You can adjust phase and gain levels for different outputs. You can import files from an external USB drive and rip CDs. Essentially you can do it all within the app. Although the robust iPad Mini app presented some challenges as noted, these /should be fixable. The app really provides all you could ask for and, once all is connected, is blissfully easy to use.”
DAN D’AGOSTINO MASTER AUDIO SYSTEMS PROGRESSION PREAMP AND STEREO AMPLIFIER REVIEW
July 22, 2018 Comments Off on DAN D’AGOSTINO MASTER AUDIO SYSTEMS PROGRESSION PREAMP AND STEREO AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“I am of two minds about the D’Agostino Progression, both of them good. First, I can’t help feeling that the Progression is just that – progress by D’Agostino. This series is not simply D’Agostino making more attainable products; it’s adding things to the amp concept, some of which I can’t help thinking will end up in the top line. Second, I have a distinct impression that these amps sound ‘almost’ as good as the big guns. In some respects, they may even sound better. Far from being Momentum-lite or MyFirstD’Agostino, the Progression amplifiers are well-matched, well engineered, and well nigh endlessly powerful for most modern systems. What’s great here is not just that D’Agostino managed to make something as attractive and as good sounding for almost half the price, but that for most people those more attainable Progression models are more than enough. In a straight fight, the D’Agostino Momentum models are the better products, but their biggest rivals are their little brothers.”
Sound Lab Ultimate 545 electrostatic loudspeakers $29,995 Review
July 14, 2018 Comments Off on Sound Lab Ultimate 545 electrostatic loudspeakers $29,995 Review
“The U-545’s prowess in detail resolution on top of instrument separation was of such rarefied order I’ve heard in speakers, that the panel’s 3,125 square inches of planar radiation area projected instruments loud and soft into the listening space meticulously and majestically, in a manner few prestigious multi-driver dynamic speaker systems I’ve heard could approach.”
PS Audio • Stellar Gain Cell Digital-to-Analog Converter and Stellar M700 Mono Amplifiers
July 1, 2018 Comments Off on PS Audio • Stellar Gain Cell Digital-to-Analog Converter and Stellar M700 Mono Amplifiers
“After reinserting the Emerald Physics EP100.2SE stereo amplifier into the chain, the most immediate thing I noticed was the need to increase the volume setting in order to get the same level as that reached with the M700s. Those 350 on-demand watts per channel do make a difference. With the Emerald Physics amp, I did notice a very slight narrowing of the soundstage and I thought I could hear a slight softening of the mids and highs, although I cannot make a definitive statement on this. In fact, I find it difficult to make any definitive comparative statements regarding the sound of the two amplifiers. They are that close. Perhaps the explanation is that they both use Danish ICEpower modules. Both provided ample power to pressurize my room when called for and both seemed equally able to plumb the lowest bass frequencies without feeling any pain. If anything, the Emerald Physics EP100.2SE summoned up more robust, if less controlled bass than the M700s, as evidenced on the Pan Sonic track cited earlier. As for the mids and highs, well, these are not tube amps and they did present, in my experience, a more analytical, less euphonic sound in this range than tubes (the Emerald Physics EP100.2SE less so). I personally prefer this sound.”
AURALIC VEGA G2 STREAMING DAC/PREAMP $5,699 REVIEW
June 30, 2018 Comments Off on AURALIC VEGA G2 STREAMING DAC/PREAMP $5,699 REVIEW
“The VEGA G2 is equally effective on tightly focused and purely acoustic material such as the track ‘Le Boulet Rieur’ from Joël Grare’s Grare: Paris – Instanbul – Shanghai[Alpha, 16/44.1]. Grare leads a remarkable percussion ensemble whose talents and multi-coloured instrumental voices are highlighted in the jaunty, syncopated ‘Le Boulet Rieur’. As the track played through the VEGA G2, three things caught my ear: the brilliant purity and richness of the tonal colours of each of the instruments in play, the dead-accurate rendering of the dynamic envelopes of the instruments (and especially of their distinctive attack and decay characteristics), and—once again—the striking three-dimensionality of the overall presentation. In short, the G2 offered up a sound that was at once invigourating, elegant, refined, and realistic.”
Kronos Audio Reference phono preamplifier unboxing
June 19, 2018 Comments Off on Kronos Audio Reference phono preamplifier unboxing
McIntosh C52 Solid-State Preamplifier $7000 Review
June 15, 2018 Comments Off on McIntosh C52 Solid-State Preamplifier $7000 Review
“One of the secrets of the Benchmark’s stellar performance is that it re-clocks the signal to eliminate jitter and timing errors. McIntosh addresses this issue with its own set of proprietary protocols. The C52’s digital engine deploys premium ESS chips configured in a fully balanced mode of eight DACs (four per channel) with fanatical attention to regulating power-supply voltage so precisely that it doesn’t deviate from the exact value the DACs require for optimal performance. I have no means of measuring this, but I did try to confound the C52 by replacing my audiophile-grade coaxial cable (of superb construction and shielding) with a cheap, no-name RCA interconnect. The result? Absolutely no discernable effect upon the reproduced sound. Still not satisfied, I went for the jugular, unbending a coat hanger and using it for the coaxial connection. Same difference: no effect upon the sound quality whatsoever. Suffice it to say that you can safely banish all worries about the C52’s ability to deliver a bit-perfect signal. (The coat-hanger stunt was to simulate a worst-case scenario of timing errors and jitter, but you should never use anything except a shielded cable for all digital connections owing to the sheer amount of RFI digital radiates—enough, say, to interfere with an FM tuner or other equipment used within ten to twenty feet of an unshielded connection.)”
AVM Ovation CS 8.2 All-in-One System $12,995 Review
May 28, 2018 Comments Off on AVM Ovation CS 8.2 All-in-One System $12,995 Review
“Obviously, I have the room and cables to handle an extensive multi-box audio system. Replacing all those boxes and wires with one AVM CS 8.2 was a refreshingly musical alternative experience. I found that when pitted against a separates system with approximately the same overall price tag the CS 8.2 can deliver equally impressive sound.
For me the one elephant in the room that kept staring me in the face and sideswiping me with its trunk was: “How does the AVM CS 6.2 compare with the AVM CS 8.2?” I have never heard the 6.2, so I am not qualified to answer that question. Since these two components are identical except for the tube linestage in the 8.2, the final decision between them is something that can only be made at an AVM dealer who has both units in stock.”
Cambridge Solo & Duo Phono Preamp Review – Video
May 14, 2018 Comments Off on Cambridge Solo & Duo Phono Preamp Review – Video
Esoteric Grandioso D1 DAC, P1 Disc Transport, C1 Linestage, and M1 Monoblock Power Amplifier Review
May 7, 2018 Comments Off on Esoteric Grandioso D1 DAC, P1 Disc Transport, C1 Linestage, and M1 Monoblock Power Amplifier Review
“Comparing the Grandioso stack to my reference gear proved instructive. My Goldmund electronics are slightly faster and airier, thanks to their megahertz bandwidth and the speed that comes with it. The Goldmund gear also more accurately follows the shapes of notes. By comparison, these rise and fall a bit too quickly on the Grandioso stack; this is my one real complaint. On the other hand, the Grandioso series is more neutral than my reference electronics. And in other areas, such as dynamics and resolution, the Grandioso stack is among the scant few components I’ve encountered that can go head-to-head with Goldmund gear.”
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