Marten Coltrane 3 loudspeaker $100,000/pair Review
June 4, 2016 Comments Off on Marten Coltrane 3 loudspeaker $100,000/pair Review
” The Coltrane 3s also produced holographic, pinpoint images, both in front of and behind the baffles, as appropriate—but as I said of the original Coltranes, the sizes of these aural pictures were “more about bringing the event to you than about bringing you to the event.” I wrote that last observation a few years before I heard the largest loudspeaker models from Wilson Audio Specialties in my room, after which that distinction became more obvious. As with the similarly sized (42.5″ tall) Vandersteen Model Sevens, the overall width and height of the Martens’ soundstages didn’t compare with the Wilson Alexandria XLFs’ widescreen, floor-to-ceiling presentation.”
VTL • S-400 Series II Reference Stereo Amplifier $33,500 Review
May 12, 2016 Comments Off on VTL • S-400 Series II Reference Stereo Amplifier $33,500 Review
” But the S-400 II is that rarest of beasts, a genuinely capable all-rounder. With enough power, control and adaptability to drive all but the most outrageous speaker loads, the big VTL is agile and deft enough to work with far less demanding partners too. Focal’s Sopra No.2 and the Coincident Pure Reference Extreme both proved willing partners, despite their easy loads and high efficiency; and this, it should be noted, without resorting to the triode setting on the amp (something which frankly and as usual in such cases only serves to draw a veil over proceedings; if this amp sounds better in triode mode, then you have problems elsewhere in the system). This isn’t just one of the best and most enjoyable amps I’ve ever used, it’s also the most versatile, meaning not only that it will work in an astonishingly wide range of system contexts, but that it will embrace system upgrades and changes in circumstances with equal aplomb — and when it comes to hidden value, that’s not to be underestimated.”
Chord DAVE $13,000 Review
May 2, 2016 Comments Off on Chord DAVE $13,000 Review
“The layering of the orchestra in its proper location and sound staging was wide and deep with air and space between each section of the orchestra. The DAVE just played music. The sound was more like listening to a analogue record without any of the drawback that you would get listening to vinyl and had the explosive dynamics and range that only digital can provide. The DAVE sound was not digital in any way. The musicality and tonality were exceptional.”
What a Label With 2.5 Million YouTube Streams Actually Earns
April 26, 2016 Comments Off on What a Label With 2.5 Million YouTube Streams Actually Earns
” The label also had some plays on Spotify, Deezer, and now-shuttered ZIK. Additionally, the label also had a small amount of downloads across iTunes, Google Play, 7digital, and Archambault, which only served to highlight the utter imbalance between streaming and download payouts.
YouTube (proper music video plays): $0.001005 Canadian ($0.000794 US) per stream.
YouTube (Content ID): $0.001342 Canadian ($0.001061 US) per match.”
Shure KSE1500 Electrostatic earbuds $3,000 Review – Video
March 23, 2016 Comments Off on Shure KSE1500 Electrostatic earbuds $3,000 Review – Video
VIVA AUDIO EGOISTA 2A3 HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
February 17, 2016 Comments Off on VIVA AUDIO EGOISTA 2A3 HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“This is the best-sounding headphone amplifier I’ve ever heard.
I say that in much the same spirit that John offered up in his review of the HE-1000 from HiFiMAN. There are headphones that do treble better (Sennheiser HD-800) or bass better (Abyss AB-1266), but none that do both better while at the same time nailing the mids, and while looking quite so awesome doing everything with an aplomb that belies exactly how hard this all is. The Egoista is exactly like that.”
BALANCED AUDIO TECHNOLOGY REX II PREAMPLIFIER AND REX II MONOBLOCK POWER AMPLIFIERS REVIEW
January 21, 2016 Comments Off on BALANCED AUDIO TECHNOLOGY REX II PREAMPLIFIER AND REX II MONOBLOCK POWER AMPLIFIERS REVIEW
” If the BAT equipment has continued to make great strides toward what some more audacious than myself term the absolute, it also retained some of the qualities that have characterized its performance in previous generations. The timbral reproduction of both the preamplifier and amplifier, it must be said, continued to hew to the darker sound of the spectrum. This has both pluses and minuses. The upside is that the overall presentation is rich and organic without a trace of treble rebarbativeness. The downside is that the treble is not as extended as that of a variety of other amplifiers. A certain rounding of the treble means that even hand claps or whistles simply sound lower on the frequency spectrum than I have heard with other gear. There is absolutely no shrillness that can be associated with the Rex, but it’s also the case that the somewhat velvety treble impinges ever so slightly on the micro-dynamic performance of the Rex II.”
Sennheiser Orpheus $50,000 Headphones CES 2016 – Video
January 9, 2016 Comments Off on Sennheiser Orpheus $50,000 Headphones CES 2016 – Video
Naim Audio • Statement NAC S1 Preamplifier and NAP S1 Mono Amplifiers $88,000 Review
January 5, 2016 Comments Off on Naim Audio • Statement NAC S1 Preamplifier and NAP S1 Mono Amplifiers $88,000 Review
” ran the Statements exclusively with the Wilson Sasha 2s, partly because the implications of relocating either product are daunting, but mainly because they simply worked so well together that I felt no need to ring the changes. The Wilsons deliver exactly the sort of enthusiastic dynamic response and slightly awkward load that Naim amps have always thrived on — and the Statement amps are no different. Obviously I haven’t tried it, but I suspect that pairing with Alexias or Alexandria XLFs would prove even more efficacious, with the big Naim monoblocks having both the power and authority to drive either speaker, as well as the musical qualities they demand”
Goldmund Telos Amplier/DAC $10,400 Review
December 26, 2015 Comments Off on Goldmund Telos Amplier/DAC $10,400 Review
” The Hifiman HE1000 soundstage is large and precise. The Telos and HE1000 were synergistic and a excellent match. The Telos was able to get the best out of the HE1000 and brought out everything the headphone had to offer. Art Pepper’s saxophone came alive on “Move” from “+11’’, Art was located in the center and each musician was in their own defined space with excellent separation. Each instrument had sufficient air and created a 3D image within the soundstage. Closing my eyes I could identify every musician in the stage easily.The Telos involvement with the music was as good as I have heard in any combination. The listening sessions sometimes went over a 10 hour period and never did I feel any distractions while listening. The music was involving and non fatiguing. ”
Audiophilepure 
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