KEF Reference 5 Meta Loudspeaker £17,500 Review
August 6, 2023 Comments Off on KEF Reference 5 Meta Loudspeaker £17,500 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/kef-reference-5-meta-loudspeaker
With more intimate recordings, the ability of the towering Reference 5 Meta to sound small and precise, yet with plenty of weight, is again in evidence. Erin Bode’s cover of ‘In My Life’, from her YourSong Volume 1 album [Bandcamp download], was given a rock-solid stereo image, every breath clearly delineated, as was her version of ‘Happy Together’, where the presentation was like a high-definition version of something wonderfully old-fashioned, with every word crystal-clear. Rachael Price’s voice on ‘Join Me In A Dream’, from the Rachael and Vilray I Love A Love Song set [Nonesuch 075597909746], was equally lucid, bringing great vivacity to a piece with a deceptively simple – but gorgeous – arrangement. And with Thibault Cauvin’s acoustic guitar arrangement of the Bach ‘Toccata and Fugue’, from his Bach album [Sony Classical 19658784622], the Reference Meta’s superb resolution did a magnificent job of placing the solo instrument in an atmospheric, reverberant space, with laser-like focus and every touch of finger on string clear to hear.
SME 60 record player $71,900 Review
August 5, 2023 Comments Off on SME 60 record player $71,900 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/sme-60-record-player
Using my Model 30/2 turntable and Series V tonearm as a benchmark, I was able to directly compare the Model 60 with the Series VA arm with my Model 30/2 with the Series V arm. SME’s fixed headshell-mounting holes made it possible to align my test cartridges identically in both arms then move the cartridges back and forth between them easily without having to go through a complete realignment each time. I did this with both my Dynavector DRT XV-1s and my Lyra Atlas cartridges, allowing easy and meaningful comparisons.
You’d be forgiven if, after looking at the Model 60’s brutal stance, you thought it was likely to sound like the musical equivalent of a Vin Diesel acting performance: big on drama and action, but with some of the subtlety lost along the way. Nothing could be further from reality. This brute can dance on its tiptoes, with finesse and fine gradations of tonal color that go beyond even the formidable 30/2 Series V combination.
kenaz Speakers Review
August 4, 2023 Comments Off on kenaz Speakers Review
CHORD MOJO 2 HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $775 REVIEW
August 4, 2023 Comments Off on CHORD MOJO 2 HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $775 REVIEW
As a DAC the Chord Mojo2 is quite an accomplishment, after all, it does equate to the summit of all of Chord’s accomplishments, and it will crush almost any chip-based DAC, which pretty much means anything in its price range, on the other hand, despite having the most up to date software you can’t really expect it to compete with the more expensive Chord products, hardware does account for a great deal, which leaves me still wanting to audition one of their higher-end products in a controlled environment. But, if you are looking for a portable DAC/Headphone amplifier for under $1,000 you simply can’t do better than the Chord Mojo2.
PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube Phono Preamplifier £3398 Review
August 3, 2023 Comments Off on PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube Phono Preamplifier £3398 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/primaluna-evo-100-tube-phono-preamplifier
Let’s get one thing clear from the outset. With the exception of (London) Decca cartridges, which are out there in their own space, the EVO 100 Tube Phono excels with moving-coils, as these are more simpatico with the overall nature of the unit. That said, if you find it too warm, moving-magnets from Ortofon and others add a touch of coolness or even restraint.
Having ascertained that the Ortofon MMs – three different colours of 2M – were sounding of their best and even benefitting from the very tubes that they corralled, I moved onto MCs, including an aged Tsurugi (which sired Lyra), the EAT Jo No8 [HFN Dec ’19], and the reborn Kiseki [HFN Jul ’18]. It was here that I began to appreciate the phono stage’s two-pronged approach of matching gain and impedance. To my delight, none of the settings were best at the manufacturers’ recommended values, the EVO 100 reinforcing my belief that you need to set your cartridges by ear.
KIWI EARS ORCHESTRA LITE REVIEW
August 3, 2023 Comments Off on KIWI EARS ORCHESTRA LITE REVIEW
In terms of fit and comfort, the Orchestra Lite is very good and fully met my expectations. Despite their relatively large shell size, they fit snugly and comfortably in my ears without any discomfort. However, as with any large earphones, fit can be subjective and vary from person to person, so it’s a good idea to try them on before you buy, especially if you have small ears.
WOO AUDIO WA7E DAC/TUBE ELECTROSTATIC HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $1,399 REVIEW
August 2, 2023 Comments Off on WOO AUDIO WA7E DAC/TUBE ELECTROSTATIC HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $1,399 REVIEW
My final thought is this, like its brother the WA7 Fireflies, with a huge three-dimensional soundstage, a linear tonal balance down to 15Hz, natural timbre to the instruments, the speed and detail of an electrostatic, with plenty of dynamic range the Woo Audio WA7e DAC/Tube Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier punches way above its weight class.
Focal Utopias Review
August 2, 2023 Comments Off on Focal Utopias Review
The new Focal Utopias certainly qualify as some of the best-sounding headphones that I have heard to date. It almost pains me to admit it actually because just when I think that there is no way headphone sound can improve, along comes something like the new Utopias to make me grudgingly readjust my expectations. They honestly do it all and do it extremely well. Out of the dozens of headphones I’ve reviewed over the years, I can count on one hand those that I consider reference class headphones to judge all others by. I am adding the new Utopias to that list. In a nutshell, it threads the needle between a balanced, natural sound presentation, with just enough extra “spice” added to make it a fun and enjoyable listening experience. Coupled with the tasteful styling and practical comfort enhancements and these headphones can’t help to be a winner. They sound as “alive” as I’ve ever heard a headphone sound. That alone makes them worth the cost of admission.
Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression Integrated Amplifier Review
August 1, 2023 Comments Off on Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression Integrated Amplifier Review
Regardless of the Aurender N-10 or the DAC utilized, there were several consistent findings in all my listening sessions for the Progression linestage on its own. Starting from the bottom up, bass performance via the Progression is now my new benchmark for integrated amplifiers. It also gave my VAC preamp and Pass Labs monoblocks a good run for the money. As stated in my most recent reviews, I have been very impressed with both the Aavik I-580 and the Boulder 866 integrated amplifiers for many excellent reasons – especially their performance in the lower frequencies. Both set standards at the time, but the Progression provides even more definition and slam, and even less low end overhang. Tight, tight, and more tight, but without a loss of harmonic texture and proper tone. Yes, bass performance can have harmonic texture and proper tone when done right! The Progression took a vice like grip on my Sonus Faber Strads and never let go.
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