Focal Sopra 3 – Sopra 1 -McIntosh 1.25kw
October 13, 2024 Comments Off on Focal Sopra 3 – Sopra 1 -McIntosh 1.25kw
MBL Audio Heaven
October 12, 2024 Comments Off on MBL Audio Heaven
https://www.monoandstereo.com/mbl-audio-heaven-2/
Another upper-echelon audiophile and music lover’s den, featuring a full MBL Audio electronics setup driving the MBL 101 X-Treme MKII Radialstrahler speaker system, and showcasing the newly added Transrotor JR turntable. Shared by our friend Audiophile Lance.



SVS PB17 and SB17-Ultra Subwoofers Debut at CEDIA 2024
October 12, 2024 Comments Off on SVS PB17 and SB17-Ultra Subwoofers Debut at CEDIA 2024
Electrocompaniet AW 300 M Mono Power Amplifier $29,000 Review
October 11, 2024 Comments Off on Electrocompaniet AW 300 M Mono Power Amplifier $29,000 Review
I enjoyed my time listening to the Electrocompaniet AW 300 M monoblocks. I was also very impressed with their internal layout, the attention to detail, the relatively compact dimensions, and their luxurious appearance. They have fulfilled the promise I first saw in the ECI 6 DX Mk II. When they go back to their rightful owner, I’m going to miss them.
At this price point, I can recommend these monoblocks if your speakers are inefficient or present a difficult load, you like to listen at realistic volume levels, you appreciate truly deep bass, and if, like me, you enjoy a forward presentation. But a purchase of this nature mandates extended auditioning in your own home, or at a dealer who can set up partnering equipment similar to your own.


Rotel’s flagship preamp Review
October 10, 2024 Comments Off on Rotel’s flagship preamp Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/rotel-michi-p5-s2
Armed with an original P5 and its replacement, I was able to indulge in some A/B listening, focusing on the two DAC stages. Differences weren’t immediately obvious, because this preamp’s sound is surely as much about its high-quality analogue output, but over time I began to appreciate a slight increase in ‘sparkle’ offered by the S2, a little less of a laidback feel. It’s still cut from the same cloth, though, with a focus on both richness and musicality rather than forensic resolution, which makes it fine with less-than-pristine sources. Even the swirling production of Grooverider’s ‘Where’s Jack The Ripper?’ [Mysteries Of Funk; Higher Ground] sounded dramatic and enveloping – if not exactly ‘hi-fi’ – as it fell to either side of the cabinets, samples and synthetic bass dancing around each other.
But, again, Rotel’s flagship preamp is at its best with a high-quality source and well-recorded music. The wide arrangement of Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’ [The Dark Side Of The Moon; DSD64], was rendered with real skill and a grippy, deep dive into the low-end, while a trip into space with Hans Zimmer’s Interstellar Medley, played on stage with pals (including guitarist Johnny Marr) for his Live In Prague release [Mercury Studios, 48kHz/24-bit], showcased the P5 S2’s effortless way with midrange tones.


Clearaudio Concept Signature £3116 Review
October 9, 2024 Comments Off on Clearaudio Concept Signature £3116 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/clearaudio-concept-signature
I couldn’t resist swapping the Concept V2 MM pick-up for my regular Clearaudio MC Essence and was surprised by the uplift in performance. The Concept V2 MM is no slouch, despite being a ‘budget’ pick-up, but the MC Essence opened the door to a wider soundstage and a generally punchier sound, all the while illustrating what the Concept Signature turntable and Profiler arm have lurking in the tank.
It also added a welcome crispness to the high treble that is otherwise slightly muted by the softer balance of the Concept V2 MM. The good news, clearly, is that while the package reviewed here makes for a potent combination, there’s still untapped potential to be realised.

KEF KC92 Subwoofer $2,000 Review
October 9, 2024 Comments Off on KEF KC92 Subwoofer $2,000 Review
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/kef-kc92-subwoofer-review
But the first 30 minutes of the film depicts one of his pre-crash missions as a crewmember in a B-24 bomber. When the film was released in 2014 this opening sequence became prime demo fodder at home theater shows everywhere. It’s alive with the roar of four noisy aircraft engines, wind from the open bomb bay doors as the crew attempts to close them, machine gun fire, exploding anti-aircraft flak, and a near tragic crash landing. While in some respects the KEF, in my room, didn’t attempt to deliver the sort of ear-searing experience the above description might suggest. It was instead totally believable—realistic without pushing over-the-top simply for effect. Never having been in the same situation as the bomber crew, I can’t say for certain exactly what real machine guns and flak explosions sound like. But I was impressed enough by the KEF’s crisp, bottom-end clarity and startling punch to convince me that I’d rather not volunteer as a crew member on a B-24 bomber to experience the real thing!
Of all the films in my collection, however, Blade Runner 2049 offers possibly the most challenging bottom end. While the KEF can’t quite match the sheer bass weight at high levels of the two ported, spatially displaced subwoofers that usually handle the deepest bass in my room, it came remarkably close at roughly one-eighth the total size. The KEF also surprised me in how it revealed to me (for the first time) some very deep and extremely low bass in both the abandoned factory scenes (as officer K/Joe searches for clues to his past) and, later, a sequence in a similarly abandoned Las Vegas.

McIntosh MC830 Solid-State Monoblock Amplifiers $8000 pair Review
October 8, 2024 Comments Off on McIntosh MC830 Solid-State Monoblock Amplifiers $8000 pair Review
In a world where over-priced complexity all-too-often seems to be the norm, McIntosh’s MC830 monoblock amplifiers offer a warm and welcome vacation from a seemingly incessant over-complication of our lives. Feed these amps power through decent A/C cords, attach good speaker cables, turn them on, and—voila—you’ll hear soul moving sound!
If you’re looking for a pair of solid-state monoblock amplifiers priced beneath the $10K retail mark, I would strongly recommend auditioning a pair of McIntosh’s MC830 amplifiers.


Arendal 1723 Speakers and Subwoofer Review
October 8, 2024 Comments Off on Arendal 1723 Speakers and Subwoofer Review
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/arendal-1723-speakers-and-subwoofer-2v-sublime-sounds
The towers and center give you the option of running in sealed or ported mode, the later having multiple variations affording you the ability to tune them for whatever works in your situation. The center has 2 ports, so 3 possible configurations; sealed, 1 port open or 2 ports open. The towers have 3 ports, giving you 4 potential variations. Arendal includes very dense plugs for each of the ports, all of which fire out the back of the enclosure. That goes for the 2V subwoofer as well, its port is also on the back of the enclosure. If you’re at all concerned about “chuffing” – port noise – don’t be oriented that way, it’s all but guaranteed you would never hear it even if there was any.
The binding posts on all the speakers are the same, perhaps the best word to describe them is beefy. They’re made from polished, CNC machined copper which is then plated with highly-conductive, and corrosion resistant, Rhodium. However you want to hook them up you can; banana, spade or pin type connectors, as well as bare wire. There are 2 sets of posts on each speaker allowing you to bi-amp them. If you choose not to go that route Arendal supplies stout Rhodium jumpers to bridge the posts.


PMC twenty5 22i Built-in Power $4,499 Review
October 6, 2024 Comments Off on PMC twenty5 22i Built-in Power $4,499 Review
Their new two-channel power amplifiers that enable the speakers’ ability to be driven by RCA or XLR cables instead of speaker cables allow you to send your music by Bluetooth directly to the speakers in another place in your home, such as your dining room. Arylic’s Bluetooth S50 Pro+ Receivers eliminate cables from your hi-fi system altogether. A very nice setup indeed!

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