SOULNOTE A-1 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER $3,999 REVIEW
April 30, 2024 Comments Off on SOULNOTE A-1 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER $3,999 REVIEW
Soulnote also implements a very unique (and likely expensive) relay-switched balanced attenuator. The resulting level settings are quite coarse but are accompanied by a satisfying and confidence-inspiring mechanical “click” of the relays switching as you change the volume.
The case and circuit layout are said to be symmetrical, and the case incorporates all of Soulnote’s unique resonance control schemes.
The whole deal only weighs about 22 pounds which is very lightweight for an 80 wpc Class A/B integrated amplifier. The toroidal transformer visually appears to be undersized for the amplifier’s claimed power delivery.
Bluesound POWERNODE EDGE $649 REVIEW
April 28, 2024 Comments Off on Bluesound POWERNODE EDGE $649 REVIEW
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2023/10/10/bluesound-powernode-edge
In my office reference system driving the 91-dB / 4 ohm Care Orchestra Deep Breath Evo monitors the Powernode delivered what I can call a full performance. I heard surprisingly tuneful bass from these power-hungry boxes. Articulate and substantial midrange as well. Treble information was detailed and important for any budget audio component, it was free from uncomfortable grain and harshness. My AmazonHD stream of Leonard Bernstein’s 1987 live recording of Mahler Symphony No. 5 with the Vienna Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon) started with a convincing trumpet fanfare to open the famous funeral march. The rich tone drew me into the narrative and the decent spatial separation of orchestra sections helped paint a full picture of the performance.
QUAD REVELA 2 FLOOR-STANDING SPEAKER $4495 REVIEW
April 28, 2024 Comments Off on QUAD REVELA 2 FLOOR-STANDING SPEAKER $4495 REVIEW
Because of this whole “reviewing” thing, I’ve been given the opportunity to listen to and experience several speakers that I would have otherwise passed over. This is a speaker that would have fallen into the passed-over category. And that would have been a shame. The Revela 2 is a stout, 3-way floor-standing speaker. It features twin 6.5″ woofers, a 6″ midrange driver, and a single 2.5″ ribbon driver taking care of the high frequencies. The speaker stands a hair over 37″ tall and weighs 60 lbs. The Revela is available in piano walnut and black piano gloss. And retail for $4495.00 USD.
Tektron Italia Neptune Reference Vacuum Tube Integrated Amplifier Review
April 27, 2024 Comments Off on Tektron Italia Neptune Reference Vacuum Tube Integrated Amplifier Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2024/3/4/neptune
The acoustics are surprisingly good, giving a full amplitude to the horns and brass and revealing an unfailing purity of sound and accuracy from the upper strings. The bass is perhaps slightly muddied in spots, but this, in no way, mars the overall impression of a stunning sound and performance. The Neptune’s macrodynamics are represented with a clear, yet golden glow that is so typical of SET amps but with a bonus from the Neptune’s 211 power tubes. With no negative feedback required, neither local nor global and low levels of distortion, the 211s create a substantially open and spacious soundstage, augmenting the perception of depth and instrument placement with this orchestra and this recording. T
PlatiMon Virtual Coaxial One Speakers $6,000 Review
April 27, 2024 Comments Off on PlatiMon Virtual Coaxial One Speakers $6,000 Review
The PlatiMons deliver an excellent sense of timing and musical pace. When at Chris’ house the other night listening to his setup of the new Skyanalog REF cartridge, the same thing was going on with his reference system when we listened to Kind of Blue. All of the instruments were blended as they should be, yet all occupied their own space without being buried under one another. It’s one of those deceptively simple aspects of musical reproduction that sometimes you don’t even notice until it’s wrong.
These speakers always present a lack of blur in musical transients and high frequency decay. Cymbals and percussion sound natural, along with stringed instruments. Some of the metal cabinet speakers auditioned here have exhibited a great sense of dynamic energy yet impart their own sense of tonality to the music being presented. The PlatiMon speakers do not fall victim to this. Listening to them for days on end is an exceptionally pleasant experience. So much so, that I did purchase the review samples to use as an ongoing reference.
WORLD’S BEST STEREO SYSTEM? STEINWAY
April 27, 2024 Comments Off on WORLD’S BEST STEREO SYSTEM? STEINWAY
VINCENT AUDIO SV-237MKII HYBRID INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
April 26, 2024 Comments Off on VINCENT AUDIO SV-237MKII HYBRID INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
Vincent Audio has built a reputation for making amplifiers that sound great, are reliable and that can serve as the anchor of a well-performing stereo system. When our editor-in-chief, Carlo Lo Raso, asked if I could make time to review an integrated amplifier from Vincent, the answer was a rousing YES! There is no audio dealer within 200 miles of our home that carries Vincent, and over the last two decades, I have been curious to find out just how good their amps are.
The Vincent SV-237MKII goes well beyond being a high-value audio component. It can serve as the centerpiece for a high-end audio system. It can hold its own with a variety of high-end speakers. Its performance on both the Diptyque 140 Mark II planars and the DALI Oberon 9’s demonstrated a versatility that is hard to find for such a modest price.
The included remote operates all inputs with complete silence. The build quality is excellent. I have worked hard to come up with something I don’t like about this amplifier, and cannot think of anything except that it only has two digital inputs. Everything about the Vincent 237MK II is first class. Think of it as a five-star performer with a three-star price!
Sony MDR-Z1R Premium Closed-back Headphone Review
April 26, 2024 Comments Off on Sony MDR-Z1R Premium Closed-back Headphone Review
Noble Audio New Wireless $369 Earbuds
April 25, 2024 Comments Off on Noble Audio New Wireless $369 Earbuds
Dubbed Cowell, the solid-state tweeter is billed as the world’s smallest micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) microspeaker and said to deliver “exceptional sound quality, phase coherence, and treble extension,” according to Noble.
Tuned by one of the company’s top acoustic designers, the FoKus Triumph earbuds are based on Bluetooth 5.3 and support high-quality streaming through aptX Adaptive, LDAC, and Snapdragon Sound in addition to supporting. The earbuds also support Siri and Google voice assistants and multipoint connectivity in addition to featuring two Qualcomm technologies: TrueWireless Mirroring for seamless swapping and cVc noise-canceling for phone calls.
Naim Audio NSS 333 Streaming DAC $10,999 Review
April 25, 2024 Comments Off on Naim Audio NSS 333 Streaming DAC $10,999 Review
https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1224-naim-audio-nss-333-streaming-dac
The NSS 333 is based on the latest-generation NP800 streaming platform, which Naim claims to be futureproofed via software upgrades. In my experience, Naim is superb at updating its player and app software. This platform was originally developed for Naim’s second-generation Uniti models, and proved extremely dependable during my lengthy evaluation period. The only issue I noticed was that it seemed incapable of accessing the UPnP playlists I had created for my first-generation Naim NDX streamer. Tidal playlists worked fine, but those involving locally stored files were problematic. It’s an annoying limitation for users of Naim’s first-generation streaming hardware who want to upgrade to the new platform, assuming mine was not an isolated case. My recently acquired NDX2, which uses the same streaming platform, has no issues in this regard.
The DAC features Naim’s favored Burr-Brown PCM1791A chip running in external filter mode. There are two separate digital boards; the first fitted with an ARM microcontroller for system control, while the second contains SHARC digital signal processing circuits. Discrete class-A op amps are used with custom Naim filters. The circuit uses custom polystyrene ultralow-dielectric-absorption post-DAC filter components. Two fixed-frequency 44.1kHz/48kHz synchronous master clocks are employed for ultra-low jitter. The NSS 333 uses Naim’s proprietary DSP 705.6kHz/768kHz integer oversampling digital filter. Although not considered exotic, the 1791 DAC was chosen after extensive listening tests because Naim found it sounded superior to more expensive options.
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