Wilson LoKe subwoofer $8950 Review
November 14, 2023 Comments Off on Wilson LoKe subwoofer $8950 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-loke-subwoofer
I expected bass to be bigger, deeper, and more fleshed out with the LōKē. That it certainly was. What I did not expect was the ability of Wilson’s smallest subwoofer to enhance every aspect of the listening experience—especially the sense of space. As the soundstage grew deeper, wider, and more coherent, as soundstage boundaries became more evident, as air between and around instruments and voices increased and the quality of music reproduction rose to mesmerizing levels, my appreciation for the transformative potential of the LōKē grew exponentially.
Audition the LōKē. Throw all your favorite music at it, and give it a major bass workout. Turn it on and off and on again and discover for yourself what a difference it makes. If your room and speakers are appropriate for its size and power and your budget allows, it’s hard to imagine that you won’t be tempted to invite Thor’s little brother into your system for a long stay. My highest recommendation.
Electrocompaniet AW 800 M stereo/monoblock power amplifier $45,000 Review
November 14, 2023 Comments Off on Electrocompaniet AW 800 M stereo/monoblock power amplifier $45,000 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/electrocompaniet-aw-800-m-stereomonoblock-power-amplifier
The AW 800 M’s unique voice is perhaps best described by returning to where I started, with soup. In the most miraculous miso soup I ever tasted, meticulously cut, carefully proportioned, and impeccably arranged vegetables and herbs floated free from each other in a clear, savory broth. Each morsel had its own unique flavor, as did the broth itself. Because no taste overpowered any other, the entire bouquet of flavors was there to savor.
Many humans would gladly exchange that miso masterpiece for a bowl of the Atlantic Fish Company’s finest Boston Clam Chowder. Need I begin to recount how different they are in taste, consistency, subtlety of flavors (or lack thereof), and appearance?
Which is superior? Our frequent online critics will be all too eager to either supply a definitive answer or to state that only by measuring certain viscous parameters can you be sure which soup is best. I, in turn, would advise you, unless you have specific allergies or sensitivities, to stick with taste. As different as they are, you may find you crave both. And even if you prefer one over the other, you’ll be richer for the experience—as you will for tasting the Electrocompaniet AW 800 M Reference mono
Chord Electronics Ultima 6 Power Amplifier $9925 Review
November 13, 2023 Comments Off on Chord Electronics Ultima 6 Power Amplifier $9925 Review
In terms of detail retrieval, transparency, bandwidth, soundstage, and stability, the Ultima 6 is up there with power amplifiers at the top of its price class. I absolutely loved it, especially when driven by my Naim NAC 82 preamp, which added a little more exuberance to the sound. Partnered with the matching Ultima Pre 3, the combination was also deeply impressive, and offered a superb insight into the music. This combination was particularly notable for the way it handled low-level detail, such as ambient cues, the sound of fingers on guitar, or the subtle inflections in the vocal performance of an artist. The sound was never fatiguing, and always absolutely natural. It’s easy to see why the BBC uses Chord amplification.
McIntosh C12000 preamplifier $16,000 Review
November 13, 2023 Comments Off on McIntosh C12000 preamplifier $16,000 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mcintosh-c12000-preamplifier
People who invent new roses utilize a process called hybridization. Thousands of new roses can be traced back to a few wild rose species. McIntosh has cross-pollinated tubed and solid state electronics, resulting in lovely sonic flavors and colors. The C12000 blends the best from both worlds while also offering a choice, honoring both innovation and tradition. My time auditioning the C12000 was memorable. Considering its flexibility, whatever your priorities, now and in the future, the McIntosh C12000 2-Channel Solid State and Vacuum Tube Preamplifier merits close consideration if you can swing the price. I bought the review sample. Definitively Class A
Monitor Audio Platinum 300 3G loudspeaker$17,900 Review
November 12, 2023 § 1 Comment
https://www.stereophile.com/content/monitor-audio-platinum-300-3g-loudspeaker
I see I haven’t commented yet on the Platinum 300 3G’s degree of tonal neutrality. This speaker is commendably uncolored. Solo piano recordings are very revealing of problems in the upper midrange, but the piano on the Silverman concert recording sounded both natural and full range, with no notes emphasized. The only aspect of the Monitor Audio’s sonic signature that did occasionally concern me was a slight emphasis to recorded sibilance, more noticeable with the solid state Naim and Parasound amplifiers than with the tubed Audio Research I/50 or, paradoxically perhaps, the class-D NAD. The I/50’s top octave starts to roll off prematurely into low impedances (footnote 1), which could account somewhat for its mitigation of this slight sibilance, though the shape of the Platinum 300 3G’s impedance magnitude trace (fig.1 in the Measurements sidebar) suggests that this rolloff will be minimal.
I finished my critical listening sessions with Joni Mitchell at Newport (24/192 FLAC, Rhino/Qobuz), recorded live in 2022. What can I say? With its lack of coloration and neutral tonal balance, Monitor Audio’s Platinum 300 3G did justice not just to Mitchell’s age-deepened voice but to those of all the singers featured on this album.
CAMBRIDGE AUDIO ALVA TT V2 TURNTABLE, A VIDEO $1999 REVIEW
November 11, 2023 § 1 Comment
So, for me, a turntable is a musical instrument. And like with any musical instrument, I spend hours doing things with a turntable that most audiophiles would cringe at. My decks are the mighty Technics 1200 mk7. They are tanks, and I’ve beat the crap out of them.
Ultimately, I want a turntable for listening that at least looks like it could take a beating even if I was going to be kind to it.
Enter the Alva tt v2.
I initially didn’t reach out to review this turntable as I didn’t really see the need. But as my kids are slowly growing and are discovering music. Having a dedicated listening turntable started making more and more sense. Also, it was a great way to mitigate excess screen time and get my daughter specifically to sit with an album look at the artwork, and take the whole listing experience in. She’s into Taylor Swift currently.
Taiko Audio Extreme Server & Switch
November 11, 2023 Comments Off on Taiko Audio Extreme Server & Switch
SIS Audio latest installation of Taiko Audio SGM Extreme music server and Extreme Switch in system with MSB Technology Reference DAC, Ayre MXR Twenty, Avalon Acoustics Diamond speakers, etc.
Focal Maestro Utopia Evo loudspeaker $76,000 Review
November 10, 2023 § 1 Comment
https://www.stereophile.com/content/focal-maestro-utopia-evo-loudspeaker
One moment, the Maestros take on the character of a 200lb street brawler, the next, that of a ballerina. They did the only thing that matters in the wild world of hi-fi: connect me to the music. I produced pages of notes full of terms like authority, grace, ebullience, grandeur, brawn. But maybe this says it better than reams of descriptors: During the evaluation of almost every new piece in my system, I make a fresh Roon playlist of songs that show off the product particularly well. On average, I end up with a list of 30, 40 songs. After two months with the Maestros, I was up to 157 tracks. From chamber quartets to EDM, orchestral showpieces to Appalachian folk, delta blues to big band, these exceptional French speakers brought the joy. Astute and revealing, they’re among the hautest of haut-parleurs.
Antipodes Oladra Music Server | REVIEW
November 10, 2023 Comments Off on Antipodes Oladra Music Server | REVIEW
Did my time with the Antipodes Oladra provide me with the clarity I needed to make a decision about music servers? To tell the truth, I think that day is still off in the future, and I wonder if my own digital rig will be sophisticated enough to explore the potential of this astounding and organized device. So yes, I’m going to suggest that a device that can accomplish this much and sound this good might be reserved for those of you who already have a magnificent DAC and streamer in place. You know what great digital is supposed to sound like–a lot like analog–and the Antipodes Oladra is it.
Rockport Technologies Lyra Loudspeaker $190,000 Review
November 8, 2023 § 1 Comment
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2023/6/28/rockport-technologies-lyra-loudspeaker
For several years now I’ve been surrounded by Danish beauties of all sorts that value noise elimination above all. Noise sucks. It’s just that so much of it is inaudible yet experienced as it degrades the bottom line of our aural pleasure. Rockport’s aim to drop the noise floor and distortion to infinitesimal levels makes the whole design a total winner. It allows its advanced technologies, both outer and inner, to shine at their very best. And these Lyras are among the very best. Certainly, one of the finest full range floor standing dynamic driver loudspeakers I’ve heard, capable of effortless dynamics, thunderous, chest-imploding bass and the sweetest highs imaginable.
Audiophilepure 
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