PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream MK2 D/A processor Review
July 28, 2023 Comments Off on PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream MK2 D/A processor Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/ps-audio-perfectwave-directstream-mk2-da-processor
With the original DirectStream’s volume control set to its maximum of “100” and the Parasound monoblocks set to high sensitivity driving the KEF LS50s, I could hear no hiss with my ear pressed against a tweeter. (For my auditioning, I used the Parasounds set to their lower sensitivity and the PS Audio’s volume set to “76,” ie, 12dB below the maximum.) Repeating the exercise with the MK2, some noise was audible, but I couldn’t hear it if I moved more than a few inches away from the speaker. The level of this noise didn’t change if I lifted the USB ground via a Menu setting, and it wasn’t affected by the setting of the MK2’s volume control. It might be best, then, to avoid using the built-in volume control in a system with high-sensitivity speakers, like the Klipsch La Scala Alex Halberstadt reviewed in April 2023, where the music volume may need to be turned down to levels at which this noise becomes troublesome.
Estelon XB Mk II Loudspeaker $49,000 Reviews
July 25, 2023 Comments Off on Estelon XB Mk II Loudspeaker $49,000 Reviews
https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1192-estelon-xb-mk-ii-loudspeaker
In retrospect, I don’t think it hurt that the Estelon speakers’ backing cast of characters was at the absolute top of its game. My system has been building itself up over the past year, and right now, with the Hegel H30A amplifier fed by the EMM Labs DS-EQ1 phono stage and DS Audio’s DS 003 cartridge, I feel like I’ve entered another dimension. My own Aurelia Cerica XL speakers, as crazy-good as they are, really don’t do justice to this world-class front end.
No, it took the injection of the Estelon XB Mk IIs to show me what the rest of this kit can truly do. Now, the XBs are expensive speakers, by any stretch, but while I’d be an idiot to brand them a bargain, I truly believe there’s huge value here, given their world-class sound and outrageous, provocative, seductive looks.
I think it’s fair to contrast the XBs to the YBs I’ve lived with for the past three years. The YB is already a Class Three speaker, with its heroic build quality, high-end driver complement, and exceptional sound, and it stands out as a worthwhile purchase on its own merits. The XB, at an additional twenty thousand dollars per pair above the price of the current YB Mk II, is a big-ass jump, and you’d think it would need to be significantly better to justify that Honda-Civic-sized upcharge.
Dan D’Agostino Momentum M400 MxV monoblock power amplifier $79,950 Review
July 24, 2023 Comments Off on Dan D’Agostino Momentum M400 MxV monoblock power amplifier $79,950 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/dan-dagostino-momentum-m400-mxv-monoblock-power-amplifier
D’Agostino’s Momentum M400 MxV mono amplifier exceeded my expectations. Its relatively compact size belies its stellar performance: massive bass, mellifluous midrange, and well-measured treble. The clarity and ease with which it handles even the most challenging recordings is remarkable. It is one of the most musical, truthful, satisfying amplifiers I’ve ever heard in my system and one of the most striking aesthetically.
Audiophiles wishing to experience the edge of the hi-fi envelope should visit a dealer or an audio show exhibiting the Momentum M400 MxV and listen to it. Those who audition a pair and are blessed with the wherewithal to seriously consider their acquisition will find it tempting, I suspect, to take them home.
HIFIMAN AUDIVINA CLOSED-BACK PLANAR REVIEW
July 24, 2023 Comments Off on HIFIMAN AUDIVINA CLOSED-BACK PLANAR REVIEW
The HIFIMAN AUDIVINA Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Studio Headphones and HIFIMAN EF600 R2R DAC & Headphone Amp are everything promised and more, the synergy between these two products is simply jaw-dropping and I can’t see myself listening to the AUDIVINA with anything other than the EF600. Likewise, I experimented with other headphones, specifically the HIFIMAN HE6se and the Dan Clark Audio ETHER C Flow, but neither performed as well with the EF600 as the AUDIVINA. That being said, the EF600 seems to be ideally tailored to HIFIMAN headphones and would be a good match with anything from the DEVA to the SUSVARA.
Marantz Model 40n $2499 Review
July 23, 2023 Comments Off on Marantz Model 40n $2499 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/marantz-model-40n-review
A fully-fledged modern streaming system such as the Model 40n isn’t short of ways of listening to music. Once connected to your home network (ethernet and wi-fi are both available), you have access to plenty of streaming options at your fingertips. Music streaming services such as Amazon Music, Deezer, Spotify Connect and Tidal, and TuneIn internet radio station are available thanks to the HEOS platform and app (more on that later), while AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth are on board for easy streaming from mobile devices. If you’ll be using wi-fi or Bluetooth regularly, we’d recommend installing both antennae provided in the box for maximum stability and strong connection.
For those with servers and NAS devices filled to the brim with hi-res digital music files, the 40n can stream files from those over the network thanks to DLNA compatibility. It can handle playback of up to 24-bit/192kHz PCM and DSD128 files. Hardcore DSD fans and those looking for the upper limits of bit resolution (over 32-bit, DSD256) might want to look elsewhere, but considering the majority of our digital music files are within the 40n’s limits, we don’t find this a problem. Interestingly, the Model 40n uses an ESS Sabre ES9016K2M DAC chip inside, the very same one also used in the Award-winning Cambridge Audio CXA81 amplifier and the Evo 75 system, the latter of which can handle up to 32-bit files.
DUNU SA6 MK2 REVIEW
July 23, 2023 Comments Off on DUNU SA6 MK2 REVIEW
The design does not have the standard metal nozzles that we usually see from Chi-Fi brands, resulting in a neat, coherent build. However, this design choice slightly limits tip-rolling with aftermarket tips that have wider stems. In my opinion, the aesthetic appeal of the SA6 MK2 more than compensates for this minor trade-off. The design of the SA6 MK2, with its elegant yet professional stabilized wood faceplates, truly illustrates the look and feel of a proper custom in-ear monitor. Kudos to the team behind it!
Hegel P30A/H30A Pre/Power Amplifier £7000/£17,000 Review
July 22, 2023 Comments Off on Hegel P30A/H30A Pre/Power Amplifier £7000/£17,000 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/hegel-p30ah30a-prepower-amplifier
Looking past the Sopra No2’s own sound signature, the P30A/H30A made a striking show of rendering these recordings as they are, with only a fleeting touch of added colour. This is what the H30A, in particular, excels at: not over-embellishing, but letting excitement come from the music at hand. This might strike some listeners, used to amps that tend to embroider, as a bit dull at first, but to my mind there’s more long-term joy in listening to music than to apparatus.
Folkesange [Relapse Records RR7426; 44.1kHz/16-bit], the last album from Danish performer Myrkur (née Amalie Bruun), combined traditional Scandinavian folk and instruments, such as the nyckelharpa, with more modern sounds. No challenge there for the P30A/H30A, with Bruun’s singing on ‘Ella’ airily arranged on top of powerfully driven percussion. The preamp, helped along by the capable Musical Fidelity DAC, showed off its chops on the ‘Leaves Of Yggdrasil’, dextrously weaving the background choral singing with the main vocals, and the sparse piano notes with the strings.
7HZ LEGATO REVIEW
July 22, 2023 Comments Off on 7HZ LEGATO REVIEW
The situation in the treble is even more extreme in that perspective. At least the mid-range still has some definition to an extent, but the treble is cut so much that you can’t quite hear any shimmer, sparkle, or detail. So, to me, this is the weakest area of the 7Hz Legato. If you seek a sparkling, highly detailed, and definitive treble, you should stay away from this one and look elsewhere.Perhaps this is a ood trait when playing games or watching movies, where you hear gunshots or explosions occasionally. But from purely a music perspective, this overly-tamed and extremely polite treble presentation carries a problem for clarity and presence.
Analog Ethos Legendarium 2a3 Stereo Amplifier $1799 Review
July 21, 2023 Comments Off on Analog Ethos Legendarium 2a3 Stereo Amplifier $1799 Review
Once I remembered that I was supposed to be writing a review, I put on a few of my classic test tracks. Up first was Mika’s Live at Brooklyn Steel album. Listening to the song “Popular” you could feel the energy of the crowed. Mika’s voice was positioned more forward then I am used to, but the stage in general felt deeper. Instruments were well separated throughout the song and detail retrieval seemed to be consistent at high and lower volumes. As other songs on the album played, I continued to be impressed. The song “Tomorrow” thundered over my speakers and the clarity and depth of the stage was really felt. There were a few points where the sound stage lost a little definition, but these were also the most complex parts of the song (which again is okay in the context of a single ended DHT amplifier), turning the volume down slightly would restore the detail that was lost.
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