LSA Diamond Headphones $1999 Review
August 29, 2023 Comments Off on LSA Diamond Headphones $1999 Review
https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0721/LSA_Diamond_Headphones_Review.htm
Listening since 1979 to high-end gear and thousands of headphones the Diamond is one of the best designs for comfort and inner detail I have experienced.
Sound reproduction was explosive and dynamic. The Diamond had nailed the midrange and the treble and bass were outstanding. The transducer’s ability to extract detail was exceptional.
The Diamond’s strengths far outweigh any deficiency. Is it perfect? I have heard better layering in soundstage but usually with much higher priced headphones. Priced at $1999 this is a sure bet for any enthusiast looking for exceptional top-tier performance.
VIVA AUDIO EGOISTA STX ELECTROSTATIC HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
August 27, 2023 Comments Off on VIVA AUDIO EGOISTA STX ELECTROSTATIC HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
The Egoista STX is a visual work of art, and nothing else looks quite like it. Especially with the right body color and with all those tubes lit up. Sonically, it brought out more of what my ear speakers were capable of reproducing than what I thought was even possible. It made me love my L700s all the more. I have no doubt it will do the same with pricier and more resolving cans. Its sound was smooth, detailed, appealing, and very much bordering on addictive. It is simply one hell of a thing.
Yes, there are less expensive options out there to drive your electrostatic headphones. STAX, among others, makes some lovely upmarket solid-state and tube-based energizers. But as our Editor Emeritus John Johnson discovered in his Feliks Audio headphone amplifier review there is something unique and special about the sound of 300B tubes with headphones. And here, wrapped in their fine Italian bodywork, I am hard-pressed to think of anything else that makes as much of a statement or leaves as much of an impression as the Viva Audio Egoista STX. If you have the means, I most enthusiastically recommend an audition, post haste. You won’t regret it!
Verdant Audio Blackthorn 1 Monitor Speakers $9999 Review World Premiere
August 27, 2023 Comments Off on Verdant Audio Blackthorn 1 Monitor Speakers $9999 Review World Premiere
The above suggest an ongoing commitment to growth and innovation in high-end audio, whose objective remains focused on developing speakers that deliver extraordinary listening experiences. One can of course argue the perspective and attainability of a $6000 to $10,000 speaker budget relative to the average audiophile consumer. Perhaps more relevant however is to note the impressive and over-achieving musical presentation offered within the context of this price range.
As the flagship model, the Blackthorn 1 is truly an over-achieving monitor design, offering a massive and articulated stage to musical performance well beyond its modest size.
With the integration of a fine subwoofer, they offer an amazingly full-range presentation with fantastic imaging, rivaling my Daedalus Athena v.2 full-range reference speakers. Anyone seriously considering monitors that will serve a variety of high fidelity applications (and even those who thought a monitor would not be enough) should make every effort to audition these fine speakers. Highly recommended!
AudioQuest XLR Chronicles REVIEW
August 26, 2023 Comments Off on AudioQuest XLR Chronicles REVIEW
Before the AudioQuest Thunderbird and Firebird XLR interconnect cables arrived, the Wind was my go-to for AQ XLR connection. Aside from the Mythical Creatures cables, the Wind was the only AQ interconnect I had with the DBS technology. I’ve been using them a lot over the last few years.
The Wind, along with the other AQ XLR interconnect cables I have on hand, all belong to the Rivers & Elements series. It uses AQ’s Solid Perfect-Surface Silver (PSS) conductors.
While the Thunderbird and Firebird were downright triumphant when it came to disappearing within my system, the Wind wasn’t far behind. (In fact, I’ll venture to say that the Wind and the Thunderbird were fairly close in this respect, but still distant from the Firebird.) I also found that the Wind could approach the quiet, revealing nature of the Mythical Creatures cables when used with other grounding and noise-reduction products–such as those GroundGoody grounding wires. The Firebird and the Thunderbird, however, easily accomplished those goals with little or no assistance.
Musical Fidelity M8xi Review
August 26, 2023 Comments Off on Musical Fidelity M8xi Review
https://www.hifichoice.com/content/musical-fidelity-m8xi
For those power-hungry obsessives of the opinion that no matter how much power is on tap it’ll never be enough, or those that are simply looking for an integrated suitably flexible that they can invest in impossibly finickity and insensitive loudspeakers in the future, the M8xi obviously ticks all the right boxes. However, to consider it a brute that’s solely capable of boom and bombast is to miss the point. In the same way football commentator’s so often note: “He’s got a surprisingly good touch for a big man” if any forward over six feet tall shows a semblance of ball control, this is an accomplished performer that’s just as comfortable precisely replicating the smaller lighter details as it is the big stuff. Fast, flexible and impressively faithful to the recording, it’s a superb amplifier and deserves to be right near the top of any wishlist
FiiO M15S Desktop Music Player $999 Review
August 25, 2023 Comments Off on FiiO M15S Desktop Music Player $999 Review
Performance was so good with the expanse that I had no qualms stepping over to the HiFiMAN HE6se which is my hardest-to-drive headphone. Queuing up Speakers Corner Quartet’s “Further Out Than The Edge” (24-bit/44.1kHz – Qobuz), again I was able to get excellent dynamics out of lower than expected gain settings, this time “medium gain”, but I quickly moved up to “ultra high gain” which put loud at about 107 out of 120 with this electronica / jazz / hip-hop quartet, easily scaling the amp’ed up bass and percussion. Once again the result was wonderfully musical despite the HE6se’s heavy lean into the top end. Even with the USB power disconnected, I was able to get acceptable power levels out of the M15S though it did indeed perform better plugged in.
Gold Note PH-5 Phono Preamp Review
August 25, 2023 Comments Off on Gold Note PH-5 Phono Preamp Review
https://www.analogplanet.com/content/gold-note-ph-5-phono-preamp
Just as it is a golden age for vinyl reissues, the current hi-fi customer has a wide array of fine-sounding equipment to hear at every conceivable price point. At the attractive and memorable price of $999, the Gold Note PH-5 phono preamp deserves serious attention. It produced a coherent, controlled, natural, highly resolving sound that was free of ear-jabbing frequency peaks, yet was dynamic and tonally succinct. Its consummate transparency and well-balanced, well-ordered overall sound made it a perfect fit for all types of music, as well as various types and levels of equipment. Italy may be hot as blazes at this moment in the height of summer here in 2023, but the PH-5 is a cool customer with a natural, music-loving sound. In short, the Gold Note PH-5 looks to be quite the golden choice for your next phono preamp.
VPI Goldy Cartridge £1250 Review
August 23, 2023 Comments Off on VPI Goldy Cartridge £1250 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/vpi-goldy-cartridge
VPI’s Goldy cartridge illustrates the potential subjective impact of what are, on the face of it, simple mechanical revisions. Naturally, Audio-Technica’s ‘donor chassis’ is already in the top drawer, but VPI’s tweaks have resulted in something of a giant-killer. The Goldy retains the tracking prowess and medium output of the AT-OC9 but adds a silkiness and refinement all its own. If you own a VPI deck, it’s a slam dunk.
Sivga Luan Open-Backed Headphones Review
August 23, 2023 Comments Off on Sivga Luan Open-Backed Headphones Review
The advantages however, besides increased situational awareness, is an improved stereo image. Just like when you listen with a pair of loudspeakers, the room and the reflections within it play a part in the sound you hear. It’s a bit like listening to a pair of near field loudspeakers, but with holographic imaging and the obvious awareness of the headphones clamped to your head.
The driver diaphragm comprises a nickel-coated carbon-fibre composite dome which dissipates and suppresses excessive vibration effectively, and is lightweight and rigid with a highly elastic driver surround. It is driven by a copper clad aluminium coil and a 24.5mm, 350KJ/M rare earth Neodymium magnet
Gold Note A6 Evo II Full-Range Loudspeaker $8,399 Review – World Premiere
August 22, 2023 Comments Off on Gold Note A6 Evo II Full-Range Loudspeaker $8,399 Review – World Premiere
Though I did not find the low frequencies necessarily anemic or loose, I did experiment with placing a 16″ x 20″ oak platform underneath each cabinet to observe any contrasts in low-frequency focus vs my thick-pile carpeting. The boards did, in fact, provide a noticeable tautness in low frequencies, and at the same time, provide for enhanced definition of organic bass instrumental sources.
Audiophilepure 
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