ROTEL RB-1582 MKII STEREO AMPLIFIER $1999 REVIEW
May 24, 2024 Comments Off on ROTEL RB-1582 MKII STEREO AMPLIFIER $1999 REVIEW
Because the minimum load impedance specified for the RB-1582 MkII is 4Ω and the maximum power consumption is rated at 550W (it would need to be >1600W for full power into a 2Ω load), I didn’t test with lower impedances. Within its stated design parameters, the RB-1582 MkII’s results are excellent with a doubling of power into a halved impedance on a single channel. It would be interesting to see what this amplifier could do with a larger power transformer as its ten transistors per channel are clearly capable of delivering 400 watts per channel (800 watts total) into four ohms and probably even more into lower impedances.
I’ll also mention that the protection circuitry on the RB-1582 MkII kicked in momentarily during disconnecting and reconnecting the unbalanced cables and at one point during high-frequency, high-power testing. This gives peace of mind that the amplifier knows its limits and will intervene if it sees something wrong. The protection circuitry was never activated during normal listening.
HiFi Rose RA280 Integrated Amplifier £2999 Review
May 23, 2024 Comments Off on HiFi Rose RA280 Integrated Amplifier £2999 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/hifi-rose-ra280-integrated-amplifier
Anyone who has ever attended a live gig of the band will know the sensation of being overwhelmed by the sheer scale (and volume!) of their music, an experience the RA280 had a fair stab at emulating. This is a track in particular that benefits from a bit of roughness, and it’s testament to the RA280 that it doesn’t try and smooth things over too much. The amplifier packed a punch, especially with the large Focal Sopra No2s floorstanders.
Back to DALI’s Rubicon 2s and the Womack set sounded more reserved on these smaller, nominal 4ohm speakers, with the amp’s reduced bass emphasis being apparent. Yet there was still lots to love, such as the way it put all the intricacies of the violin playing of Janine Jansen, on the familiar ‘La Primavera’ of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons [Decca 475 6293; 96kHz/24-bit], on show.
TAD Grand Evolution One loudspeaker $65,000 Review
May 23, 2024 Comments Off on TAD Grand Evolution One loudspeaker $65,000 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/tad-grand-evolution-one-loudspeaker
When I dropped the needle on “Black Cow,” my ears turned red from pure pleasure; you should have seen my face. Fagen and Becker went to extraordinary lengths to generate great drum tracks, chewing up drummers in the process. Pow! Each drum hit here was laid on me like it was some sort of firearm. Don’s unique vocals, delivered with that little lisp he has, were tactile and clear. Emerging from the TAD GE1’s, the diction was unique and excellent, each syllable precise, compared to my experience hearing this “Sgt. Pepper of the ’70s” album over so many years from so many stereos.
I had one more trick up my sleeve. The McIntosh C12000 preamplifier is part of Mac’s “Hybrid Drive” series. It is unique in having two pairs of XLR outputs, one solid state, the other tubed. I usually use the latter, as I am running the preamp into the solid state MC462 amplifier and like the hybrid mix. Would Aja, which itself is a hybrid of sorts (a blend of jazz with rock and pop), sound better full-bore solid state? Would the GE1 reveal this change?
Canor Audio Virtus I2 Integrated Amplifier Review
May 22, 2024 Comments Off on Canor Audio Virtus I2 Integrated Amplifier Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/canor-audio-virtus-i2-integrated-amplifier
This song feels like a nod to the trip-hop genre of Massive Attack and Tricky, with a spacious production and weighty, sluggish beats. It has a meditative aspect that suited the Virtus I2, as the amp’s warm but also slightly forward character created an encircling listen and delivered the synth notes with plenty of texture. This sonic signature was even more apparent during ‘Burning (For A New Start)’, where the reverb-heavy soundscape was perfectly matched to the Virtus I2’s rich balance
PlatiMon Virtual Coaxial One Speakers $6,000 REVIEW
May 22, 2024 Comments Off on PlatiMon Virtual Coaxial One Speakers $6,000 REVIEW
They also prove easy to drive, even with lower powered amplifiers. The BAT is big and dynamic, yet our reference ampsandsound Bryce monoblocks delivered the most delicate listening experience, with layer upon layer of inner detail. Should you purchase a pair of these, you will be surprised at how far you can keep upgrading equipment and still hear more musical information – these speakers are that good. The recently reviewed Enleum AMP-23R is a very close second place.
HUMMINGURU ULTRASONIC VINYL RECORD CLEANER $430 REVIEW
May 21, 2024 Comments Off on HUMMINGURU ULTRASONIC VINYL RECORD CLEANER $430 REVIEW
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Most importantly, using the HumminGuru with any of the fluid variations resulted in pretty flawless-looking records. As far as the sound, the HumminGuru eliminated static and surface noise issues to the point I no longer heard them. While it may seem obvious how much of a difference this would make to the listening experience, I have to say it was even better than that. Specifically, I have noticed static and surface noise to varying degrees on almost every record I recall playing and, over time, I just accepted that was part of the analog experience. And I convinced myself this was true because I buy a good number of new records and the used records I buy are in good shape; I clean every record I buy before playing it the first time, and yet the static and noise would always be audible. In other words, the HumminGuru gave me a better result than I thought possible.
Musical Fidelity M8xTT Turntable $10,499 Review
May 20, 2024 Comments Off on Musical Fidelity M8xTT Turntable $10,499 Review
https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1229-musical-fidelity-m8xtt-turntable
Supertramp’s Even in the Quietest Moments . . . is so heavily biased toward the midrange that it tends to dissolve into a gelatinous mess, given half a chance. Even the cymbals seem to descend into the midrange. I have a half-speed-mastered version (A&M Records SPJ 4634), but even that has generally left me cold. But the music is magnificent! “From Now On” has a regal sense of majesty that’s musical genius. The M8xTT actively decoded this mess. I could hear the rhythm guitar as a discrete instrument, whereas it’s normally buried beneath heaping dollops of piano.
Flipping over to side 1, “Give a Little Bit” starts off with an emo-style 12-string guitar that threads right through the whole track. It’s finely detailed in the opening, and it gets progressively harder to keep it distinct once the other instruments start to crowd it out. The M8xTT did right by that guitar.
No record in my collection showcased the M8xTT’s grip on the bass and its transition to a clear, open midrange better than St. Vincent’s MassEducation (Loma Vista LVR00448). SoundStage! founder and publisher Doug Schneider turned me on to this album. It’s entirely acoustic, mostly with an enormous piano riding under St. Vincent’s rich, evocative voice. With both the piano and voice sharing the same acoustic plane, the M8xTT concocted a vast soundstage; one that benefited hugely from a lack of noise, combined with a feeling of latent power in the lower registers.
Franco Serblin Accordo Goldberg Loudspeaker £8888 Review
May 20, 2024 Comments Off on Franco Serblin Accordo Goldberg Loudspeaker £8888 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/franco-serblin-accordo-goldberg-loudspeaker
As cultured and refined as was Franco Serblin, the Accordo Goldberg standmounts sounded better the louder they were played. It reminded me, too, of another conversation with Franco, who was no head-banger. He posited that every CD, LP or tape has an optimum playback level, clipping, breakup or distortion notwithstanding. Listening to harmonica so life-like that the SPLs seemed merely incidental, I understood what he meant, grabbing a harmonica of my own to hear the reeds and the levels.
Steely Dan’s Can’t Buy A Thrill [Analogue Productions CAPP134SA SACD] turned the clock back to the first time I heard the saxophone break in ‘Dirty Work’, with just the right balance of rasp and honk. Likewise, pace/rhythm/timing junkies would revel in the opening bongo patterns of the same album’s ‘Do It Again’, delicious beats with the sounds of the heads almost shimmering. As for the vocals, I started imagining what an LS3/5A would sound like with a couple of octaves extending the bottom, and another 10dB added to the levels.
DAN CLARK AUDIO – DCA E3 $1,999 REVIEW
May 19, 2024 Comments Off on DAN CLARK AUDIO – DCA E3 $1,999 REVIEW
The second important E3 feature is the all-new 5th generation planar-magnetic driver. According to Dan Clark Audio it delivers the smoothest, richest, and most detailed experience they could create to date. Its innovative diaphragms are made on an all-new tensioning system for a more uniform and consistent performance, lower distortion, and enhanced consistency.
Extensive R&D was spent optimizing E3’s planar driver. New diaphragm materials combined with highly optimized V-Planar knurling deliver a remarkably smooth frequency response with low distortion throughout the listening range for levels of detail heretofore found primarily in the top-of-the-line electrostatics, all with an exceptionally easy and fun tonal balance.
The third and last feature we’re getting into is the Gorilla glass 3 combined with the Dual-Mode bass ports. While it’s not unusual to find a bass port on a closed headphone, DCA states that their ingenious dual-mode port delivers unrivalled control of the bass frequency response, creating a superbly balanced, impactful bass experience that is full of power yet free of bloat or midrange creep.
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