KEF R3 Meta $2200 Review
June 24, 2023 Comments Off on KEF R3 Meta $2200 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/kef-r3-meta
That the new R3 Meta allow us to park our analytical observations after a while and simply enjoy listening to our music collection really says it all. To confirm: these are hugely enticing speakers in design and in performance.
We haven’t come across many stereo speakers at this price point in recent years that are so accomplished in all the ‘hi-fi’ ways and fun to listen to in the same breath. If your system and budget allow it, the new KEF R3 Metas are worth the plunge. We promise you will be entertained.

VTL • TP-6.5 Series II Signature Phono Stage $15,000 Review
June 24, 2023 Comments Off on VTL • TP-6.5 Series II Signature Phono Stage $15,000 Review
https://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/vtl_tp65_ii_signature.htm
At its best, the TP-6.5 II has that rare ability to shrug off its technological baggage, sounding neither overtly tubelike, nor dryly etched and solid-statey. Instead, it cleaves to the musical character of the recording, burrowing into its musical core and then giving it a healthy shove in the right direction. There’s more than one way to skin a musical cat, and allowed to do so, this phono stage can perform the task with such sleight-of-hand you don’t even notice it happening — and that’s the mark of a product that will deliver not just great performance but long-term satisfaction. Party tricks and the sonically spectacular will quickly pall. The TP-6.5 II’s core musical virtues are made of sterner stuff. If you’ve ever wondered how VTL gets all those Best Sound at Show accolades, now you know: they play records and they play them through a genuinely excellent phono stage. Time and again, in public and throughout this review, VTL’s TP-6.5 Series II Signature phono stage has demonstrated that it is more than capable of producing (and reproducing) performances that are both musically powerful and compelling, the very essence of what vinyl replay should be about

JDS LABS ATOM AMP+ HEVI – REVIEW
June 22, 2023 Comments Off on JDS LABS ATOM AMP+ HEVI – REVIEW
Power wise, the Atom Amp+ can sustain up to a 600 Ohms load, and maintain a solid 9.05VRMS continuously. A very good number taking account of the size of the amp, even more if you think about the price. SNR exceed 122dB, noise is minimal at juste 1.99 microV across the full frequency range and channel imbalance should not exceed 0.6dB – each and every volume knobs are precisely hand-tunes by the team. Marvelous!

World’s First Lossless High Resolution Immersive Streaming Service
June 20, 2023 Comments Off on World’s First Lossless High Resolution Immersive Streaming Service
If the details sound a bit “different” to you, don’t worry. It took me a bit to understand the concept because it’s different from the traditional model. In addition, the proof of concept just happened a week ago. There are many details to work out as the team interfaces with global partners and garners feedback from everyone involved, from artists to labels to consumers.
At a high level, it’s a granular streaming service enabling consumers to stream or download lossless high resolution immersive music from the labels they love. It’ll hopefully be ready to rock by Fall 2023. For now, let’s give the team some time to iron out the details. They’ve been very gracious with their time to this point, and will be happy to answer questions about other topics I glossed over or left out. Let me know what you want to know, and I’ll get the answers, straight from the horse’s mouth.

T+A Elektroakustik Solitaire S 530 Loudspeaker $44,900 Review
June 20, 2023 Comments Off on T+A Elektroakustik Solitaire S 530 Loudspeaker $44,900 Review
Once again, the T+As seemed to disappear from my room, so convincing was the Lyndhurst Orchestra before me. The gentle strumming of Heitor Pereira’s guitar at the 1:25 mark belied the orchestral violence that backed him, starting with the string section. At the 3:20 mark, when the solo trumpet pops to the fore, it was incredible to hear how well articulated the instrument was among the rest of the performers, who continued to paddle the melody along. “Uncanny” is the word that jumps to mind, such was the jump in perceived two-dimensional and three-dimensional resolution over any other pair of loudspeakers I’ve heard in recent memory. I was awestruck as the track crescendoed into a manic frenzy and my Hegel’s volume readout hit 75—nearly as high as it has ever been—and the S 530s remained nonplussed. There is colossal deep bass energy on the track, and the T+As kept the rhythm without any hint of compression or chuffing. Dead Can Dance’s Lisa Gerrard is heavily featured on the album. Her weighty contralto closed out proceedings on “Now We are Free,” seemingly mourning those lost during the film’s major battle scene. Her voice was supremely supple and present with the Hegel on the conductor’s podium. The big floorstanders’ handling of this dynamic and complicated recording was perhaps the most impressive I’ve ever heard.

Piega Coax 811 Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review
June 19, 2023 Comments Off on Piega Coax 811 Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review
Switching over to guitar and catchy jazz, we put on a record from “The Village Gate” by the Charlie Byrd Trio along with guests from 1963. Lots of atmosphere, ambient sounds, and the legendary Clark Terry on trumpet made us sway along with the music; and sent us diving into the New York jazz basement to retreat from the dreary look outside the office window in the cold and wet September of 2022 for a while.
What about you? Are you satisfied with a loudspeaker equivalent to a VW Golf in cost if everything is just right up to a decent indoor volume, and is a sound pressure level beyond that of no great importance to you? Then you’re missing out on a lot of fun with the 811, because it has about as much to offer in terms of sound pressure potential as a certain vehicle from Stuttgart carrying the world-famous number 911 when it comes to speed.


FiiO M11S $499 Review
June 18, 2023 Comments Off on FiiO M11S $499 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/fiio-m11s
It’s suitably heavy for such dimensions, presenting a reassuring sense of build quality, though the fact that the chassis corners are pointed and much of the player’s front is a 5-inch touchscreen display (albeit with a factory-fitted tempered glass protector) wouldn’t leave us in any doubt as to whether or not to use the supplied clear case. It’s not pretty exactly, but neither is scratched aluminium.
The FiiO saves itself from being a boring rectangular chassis by being almost a boring rectangular chassis, save for its left-hand side angled protrusion, on the outer edge of which you’ll find power and multi-purpose buttons as well as a nicely sized, slightly textured volume pad. Our eyes lit up at the sight of the latter, presuming it would be a slider control to allow for one-finger volume adjustment when the player is sat on a surface. Disappointingly it isn’t, but like the rest of the controls (pause/play and skip tracks on the player’s right-hand edge) it is reliably responsive and ergonomic while in the hand.

Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit £82,500 Review
June 17, 2023 Comments Off on Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit £82,500 Review
The Vivid Giya G1 Spirit is an exceptional loudspeaker, thanks to the way that its drivers and cabinet have been executed it doesn’t have the problems associated with 99.9% of dynamic loudspeakers. Instead you get sound that’s as exciting, powerful and beautiful as the recording permits, and many of them permit an awful lot of all three. It’s a speaker that I could all too easily live with right up to the point where enthusiasm needed to be summoned for another loudspeaker review. It’s not a speaker for reviewers, it’s a speaker for music lovers who don’t have to make comparisons.

CAYIN HA-3A TUBE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
June 17, 2023 Comments Off on CAYIN HA-3A TUBE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
The HA-3A provided tons of enjoyment regardless of headphone choice or music genre and my only regret is having to return it after this review is done. While I didn’t use it the ability to have two separate sources one balanced, one single-ended was much appreciated as with any long-term system I would eventually be using vinyl (I used the balanced exclusively for the review). Congrats Cayin, this one is a winner and receives my full recommendation to anyone who enjoys music.


ELAC CONCENTRO S 507 FLOOR-STANDING LOUDSPEAKERS $7,499 REVIEW
June 16, 2023 Comments Off on ELAC CONCENTRO S 507 FLOOR-STANDING LOUDSPEAKERS $7,499 REVIEW
These were one of the few passive speakers I have reviewed that didn’t need any bass augmentation from a subwoofer to sound their best.
They did shine best with a strong, solid-state amplifier driving these speakers. So be sure to take this into account when considering these incredible speakers for your system.
In the end, the ELAC S 507 offered excellent value for the money, and I would be more than happy to make these my main speakers. They are highly recommended.

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