Vera-Fi Audio’s Vanguard Caldera Subwoofer Rebiew
February 13, 2024 Comments Off on Vera-Fi Audio’s Vanguard Caldera Subwoofer Rebiew
Three subwoofers and six pairs of Maggies later, I’d finally found what for me was the perfect sub: a REL T9. The REL was a UK-designed, Chinese made subwoofer that offered a very different experience from the other subs I’d owned: it produced shockingly musical and thunderously subterranean bass in a compact package. And for such a small format subwoofer, it seemingly had limitless power reserves, and blended seamlessly with the Magneplanars. It was, quite literally, an audio match made in heaven—that is, until it died a couple of weeks ago! In high-end audio, twelve years of perfect service is always a gift, but I still wasn’t ready to assign the REL to the scrap heap. After reaching out to their North American distributor, considering the age of the unit and type of damage it apparently sustained, repair wasn’t an option. Replacing the REL wasn’t an endeavor I was quite prepared to undertake—I didn’t even know where to start.
Børresen X2 Floorstanding Loudspeakers $8,800 Review
February 12, 2024 Comments Off on Børresen X2 Floorstanding Loudspeakers $8,800 Review
The Børresen X2 brought back memories of the sound of the very pricey Raidho TD4.2 speakers I reviewed in July 2020, although in miniature. It was in miniature only because the Raidho speakers were seven driver speakers that stood more than five feet tall and were two feet deep. But the X2’s treble response was awe-inspiring, enabling Tony Williams’ snare drum and cymbals on many tracks to float about halfway between both speakers but mainly toward the right speaker.
After listening to many sides of this Miles Davis box set, I could have easily filled Enjoy The Music.com’s server space by describing the many album tracks, alternative takes, and outtakes from the sessions during the four years of this ensemble’s lifespan. But it bears repeating that the midrange of these speakers was extremely lifelike sounding, with a transient response to match. The micro- and macrodynamics of these speakers were one of the primary reasons I think they are worth their asking price. This, along with their very tight mid-bass, made listening to the various sessions recorded throughout the band’s history come to life in my listening room.
Meitner Audio PRE Preamplifier Review
February 12, 2024 Comments Off on Meitner Audio PRE Preamplifier Review
https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1846-meitner-audio-pre-preamplifier
My final listening session was the most intense. I recently heard the Danish Quartet playing in Toronto’s Koerner Hall, an exceptional venue in both architecture and acoustics, so I have a good idea of the quartet’s live sound. Fortunately, the Danish Quartet records for ECM, which maintains high recording standards and serves the quartet admirably. This was particularly evident on the five-album Prism series, which features, among other works, Beethoven’s String Quartets Nos. 12–16 (the “late quartets”). I listened to the Adagio and Allegro from Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, op. 131 (24/96 FLAC, ECM Records / Qobuz). While the EMM Labs PRE2 exhibited magnificent power against a black background in this recording, the Meitner PRE was more detailed and more relaxed. The EMM Labs DV2 DAC’s variable output, feeding the amp directly, combined the best parts of the two presentations and proved to be the clear winner, if only by a nose.
What about the EMM Labs PRE?
At the time of this audition, I didn’t have the EMM Labs PRE, Ed Meitner’s statement analog preamp, on hand. But I do have my listening notes from a couple of years ago. At that time I compared the EMM Labs PRE to the EMM Labs DV2 DAC with a direct connection to the amp. My preference was for the latter: aside from not needing analog inputs, I preferred its sound—it was a touch more resolved in the deep bass—and felt it threw a more spacious image. This setup also saves a pair of interconnects and a power cord for the separate preamp and takes up less space in the rack. Quite possibly, the small differences I detected might have disappeared had I used Nordost’s top-of-the-line Odin 2 interconnects and power cable to feed the EMM Labs PRE instead of the Valhalla 2 cables
SILENT ANGEL BONN NX ETHERNET SWITCH AND GENESIS GX WORD CLOCK REVIEW
February 11, 2024 Comments Off on SILENT ANGEL BONN NX ETHERNET SWITCH AND GENESIS GX WORD CLOCK REVIEW
The Genesis GX has four individual word clocks: two 10 MHz and two 25 MHz units. While 10MHz is the most commonly used frequency for word clocks, this frequency was initially chosen for GPS applications and Silent Angel claims this frequency is not optimal for audio applications. After exhaustive testing, Silent Angel’s R&D team discovered that the ideal frequency for audio networking devices is 25MHz. The Genesis GX features both 10MHz and 25MHz clock outputs for use with Silent Angel products, such as the Bonn NX Ethernet switch, as well as providing compatibility with other Ethernet switches. Using four discrete word clocks in a single optimized enclosure provides flexibility for networking audio configurations, as the increased performance Silent Angel claims is obtainable from the 25 MHz clock rate. The clock units are spaced and electrically isolated to minimize interference and noise. Each clock unit has its own temperature-controlled crystal oscillator clock (TCXO) clock and circuitry to eliminate potential signal interference.
Technics SL-1200GR2 $2199 Review
February 10, 2024 Comments Off on Technics SL-1200GR2 $2199 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/technics-sl-1200gr2
There’s a good level of detail throughout, but it could sound more insightful. We wish the Technics deck had more willingness to dig deeper into subtleties and deliver more dynamic contrast between the levels of instruments. The rhythmic cohesion between the polyrhythms in the Four Tet album is more apparent in rival decks we’ve heard from the likes of Rega; the SL-1200GR2 has a slightly over-damped feel that can rob certain tracks of that liveliness. Alice In Chain’s Down In a Hole is a stunning, emotional track and while all the cards are laid out in perfect order, we think the Technics could convey that lightning-in-a-bottle quality of that singular live performance with more gusto.
Matrix Audio Element X2 Pure Network-Attached DAC
February 10, 2024 Comments Off on Matrix Audio Element X2 Pure Network-Attached DAC
https://www.hifinews.com/content/matrix-audio-element-x2-pure-network-attached-dac
The precision of this DAC’s delivery and focus of its soundstaging made clear the differences in production between ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres album from 1973 [Warner Bros; 96kHz/24-bit], and their best-selling 1981 set Eliminator [Warner Bros; 44.1kHz/16-bit]. The former shines a light on the guitars with a forward, open sound, while the latter – which saw the Texan trio add synthesisers and drum machines – puts Billy Gibbons’ six-string further back, aiming for a thicker, more atmospheric feel. Different approaches, but both thrilling.
Wilson Audio Specialties Sasha V loudspeaker $48,900 Review
February 9, 2024 Comments Off on Wilson Audio Specialties Sasha V loudspeaker $48,900 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-audio-specialties-sasha-v-loudspeaker
Are female jazz vocals one genre or two? It was time to stop classroom grading and start appreciating the Sasha Vs on their own merits. A longtime go-to for me and others is Ella Fitzgerald’s definitive album Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!, from 1961. My LP copy is a fine, 200gm vinyl remaster from the late Classic Records (Verve V6-4053). The standout heartbreaker here has to be “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most.” Listening to the Sasha Vs, I heard more subtle interplay between the softly mixed piano and the guitar than I’ve heard before. As for Ella, there was much velvet skin on the bone as she descended step by step from the first to the last statements of the refrain. When she lands on the word “most,” she is in alto territory, an E-flat below middle C. Delicious!
Sure, I’ve got some hard rock. I had preordered the four-LP box set of the freshly remastered Who’s Next (Polydor/UMC 35858531). The first LP is the original album, sequenced as it was released. The other three LPs contain a complete live performance by The Who at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium, on December 13, 1971. The live recording allowed me to continue playing my very own version of “Where’s Waldo?” I was there for that show, presented by Bill Graham, but I had never heard any of it on record until now. Glyn Johns, who mixed the studio album, was on hand to record the live performance to 16-track tape using the Wally Heider remote truck.
Denon DNP-2000NE Networked -Attached DAC Review
February 9, 2024 Comments Off on Denon DNP-2000NE Networked -Attached DAC Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/denon-dnp-2000ne-networked-attached-dac
What about that HDMI input? Well, there’s a lot of good music content to be found on your smart TV. One of my favourites is Bruce Springsteen’s Letter To You, a sweet and poignant Apple TV documentary covering the recording of the artist’s 2020 album of the same name, and touching upon Springsteen coming to terms with his advancing years.
I’ve watched it many times in its Dolby Atmos incarnation, but in stereo through the DNP-2000NE and the rest of the Denon separates it was equally delightful – crisp, enveloping and intense. Everything about the production – the black and white imagery, Springsteen’s voice-over, the excellent recording of the band – is made to pull you in. The well-featured DNP-2000NE was up to the challenge.
Woo Audio WA7e Fireflies Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier and DAC Review
February 9, 2024 Comments Off on Woo Audio WA7e Fireflies Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier and DAC Review
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