Audiophilepure

In today’s market where we have incredible TOTL DAPs and good mid-range offers, where does the Tsuranagi stand? Does it make sense to pay a huge cash for a portable IEM amplifier, or is it complete nonsense? That’s a question I wouldn’t answer for you since everyone has different expectations and budgets. But I can give my two cents about this rather mysterious unit, so you’d have a certain idea.

The Tsuranagi is a true reference-sounding amplifier in my opinion. Its sound is so good, that you, in time, become obsessed about trying it with every possible high-end IEM in your possession. It lays down a fantastic picture of sound in a wide sound stage with an incredibly nuanced and effortless presentation. Simply put, this is by far the best-sounding portable amplifier I’ve ever tested. I couldn’t get the type of performance I get from the Tsuranagi from TOTL players’ output alone. I of course don’t count the likes of DMP-Z1 or Lotoo Mjölnir in super high-end.

The Soundz website features a configurator tool for personalizing CIEMs and UIEMs. This tool allows you to customize shell colors, faceplates, and logos, including premium options like gold plating logos or custom artwork. There are also more complicated and bespoke faceplate designs, such as the Galaxy, which is what the faceplates on my CIEM feature. This tool also allows you to add the excellent technology called Flex Fit Pro nozzle, which we’ll talk about in the next section. Moreover, the configurator tool includes optional choices for various ambient filters and cables to suit individual preferences, such as on-stage use. Soundz is continuously expanding its range of customization options, so it is better to keep an eye on the configurator. One caveat is that they don’t offer many shell colors, but I’m sure they’ll be adding these options in the near future. 

But just one pair of the A.R.T. XLR already surpassed the cost of the BM monoblocks, and there was $40k worth of cabling running from the M21 DAC through the Sound Lab panels. Any owner of the BM upgrading her/his cable system to what I have will experience the system as among the finest, but such an inverted investment strategy, in which cables cost several times more than the electronics, is unpopular. In this case, though, I think with the revolutionary THX Achromatic Audio Amplifier Technology, the Benchmark AHB2 deserves precisely that.

I’ve reviewed my share of Audio-Technica cartridges over the years, perhaps because there are so many to choose from, perhaps because the company continually rolls out new models, but more likely because they’re always worthwhile musically and solid monetarily. The VM750SH may not be a stone-cold bargain like the 150MLx was, but darn if it isn’t close in ways that matter most. It’s another exceptional cartridge in a long line of them. That’s never been more important than now, when high-res streaming is as close as your cell phone. The VM750SH delivers analog with digital-like precision, without sacrificing too much of the liquidity and mental ease of record reproduction. Highly recommended–just watch that darn capacitance.