Dan D’Agostino Momentum Phonostage Review
May 14, 2023 Comments Off on Dan D’Agostino Momentum Phonostage Review
The Momentum did this LP full justice, presenting a transparent window onto the recording. Hartman’s voice was three-dimensional, and possessed all the warmth in his lower register, even as his precise articulation was fully delineated, and the slight bit of added reverb was put in proper context.
In the second chorus, as Billy Taylor’s piano subtly floats down in the mix, behind and off to Hartman’s side, to create a relaxing bed, and as Wilder’s three-dimensional flugelhorn emerges from pitch “black,” I heard the Momentum’s reproduction of air and honest texture (not too soft, not too etched) and harmonic rightness—not quite as ripe as through ARC’s Reference Phono 3, but sufficiently developed to make the case. But in terms of dynamics and transparency, the Momentum won.
RIAA Confirms LPs Outsold CDs in 2022
May 12, 2023 Comments Off on RIAA Confirms LPs Outsold CDs in 2022
https://www.analogplanet.com/content/riaa-confirms-lps-outsold-cds-2022
Looking at the bigger revenue picture overall, recorded music revenues in the U.S. in 2022 continued to grow for the seventh consecutive year. Total revenues grew 6% to a record high $15.9 billion at estimated retail value. In what comes as little-to-no surprise, streaming continued to be the biggest driver of growth, with record levels of engagement in paid subscriptions, continued growth in ad-supported format revenues, and growing contributions from new platforms and services. At wholesale value, those revenues grew 5% and exceeded $10 billion for the first time ever.
Karan Acoustics Master Collection POWERa Mono power amplifier $106,000 Review – 2100W into 8 ohms
May 12, 2023 Comments Off on Karan Acoustics Master Collection POWERa Mono power amplifier $106,000 Review – 2100W into 8 ohms
https://www.stereophile.com/content/karan-acoustics-master-collection-powera-mono-power-amplifier
As I got my power act together and fine-tuned the system (as I always do, as a matter of course), the POWERa monoblocks surpassed that initial assessment. By a lot. I queued up an old standby, Yello’s “Electrified II” from Toy (24/48 MQA, Polydor 0602547879851/Tidal). Whoa! Even more than the soundstage, which covered the width of the room and extended far up, what stood out was the strength and solidity of deep bass—and beyond. Everything from the pounding beat to Dieter Meier’s recitation and Malia’s vocals seemed to have greater presence. For visceral impact, swiftness of attack, and sheer, apparent accuracy, the POWERa monoblocks top every other monoblock, stereo amp, or integrated I’ve reviewed (footnote 7). Ditto for color saturation, shading, dynamics, and the ability to portray the most complex passages without a hint of compression.
Another, far more system-trying test of bass is the second movement explosion in Shostakovich’s Symphony No.11 as performed by Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra on their award-winning live recording, Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 11 “The Year 1905” (24/96 MQA, DG/Tidal). I’ve heard this recording on many systems, including those with speakers far bigger than the Wilson Alexia V‘s. But never have I heard a huge bass drum portrayed with such convincing realism: The virtually instantaneous transition from the initial sharp attack to the forceful resonance and decay; the size and weight of the sound; and the depth of emotional impact felt true to the source.
JBL 4305P £1,999 Review
May 11, 2023 Comments Off on JBL 4305P £1,999 Review
The JBL 4305P audio streaming system is a classic ‘game of two halves’. The first half consists of perceived value, pride of ownership and all that stuff – and let’s not beat around the bush here, the 4305P come up short in this regard. That ‘1970s studio’ look might have some retro-appeal but it is not for everyone, and other, more modern-looking designs have greater tactility than this system. When the second half kicks off, though, and we start to consider the way the 4305P performs, well, it’s a different story.
In every meaningful respect, the JBL 4305P is an enjoyable and galvanising listen. It gets all the technical aspects right, and it manages to do so without being in any way dispassionate or analytical about it. ‘Meticulous’ is not the same as ‘emotionless’, after all, and the way the 4305P looks and feels is not the same as the way it sounds.
Stein Music Bobby S Ultimate Loudspeaker $18,750 Review
May 9, 2023 Comments Off on Stein Music Bobby S Ultimate Loudspeaker $18,750 Review
Not inexpensive, the Bobby S Ultimate seemed high value to me with two-way speakers selling for $30,000 and more but not outperforming these beauties. Holger Stein, CEO and chief designer of these speakers, recently won the Counnas Innovation Award from the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society, a first for a designer from Europe. I have never tried anything he has designed that did not perform to the max for dedicated audiophiles and music lovers. The Bobby S Ultimate fit the bill for audiophiles who want the best two-way stand-mounted speakers available today and are most highly recommended
Aurender W20SE Network Audio Library Review
May 8, 2023 Comments Off on Aurender W20SE Network Audio Library Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/aurender-w20se-network-audio-library
Everything this server/digital player sends to a DAC, it does so with astounding presence, leaving the rest of the playback system nowhere to hide, and that’s in evidence with Mark Jenkin’s score for his new film Enys Men [Invada Bandcamp download], with its ethereal, unsettling soundscapes. The W20SE revealed huge amounts of detail here, making the music every bit as eerie as the movie it underpins. But that doesn’t mean it can’t turn on the snarl when required; there’s nothing polite or refined about the way it crashes out Rory Gallagher’s ‘Souped-Up Ford’ [UMC download], with both the voice and the guitar rough, ready and delicious.
Degritter Record Cleaner Review
May 8, 2023 Comments Off on Degritter Record Cleaner Review
Every fluid and vacuum RCM we’ve tried always leaves a tiny bit of residue, even after a second distilled water wash only. It’s not the end of the world as we know it, but if you have a highly resolving system, you might hear a slight bit of swishing noise, almost like a faint hiss from a tape deck with a lot of wow and flutter. The ultrasonic method has none of this.
Even with a brand new record, (which we always suggest you clean anyway) the level of surface noise eliminated by the Degritter is almost like putting a better grade of tubes in your phono preamplifier. That kind of thing.
McIntosh MA252 Integrated Amplifier Overview
May 8, 2023 Comments Off on McIntosh MA252 Integrated Amplifier Overview
B&W 703 S3 Loudspeaker Review
May 7, 2023 Comments Off on B&W 703 S3 Loudspeaker Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/bw-703-s3-loudspeaker
Play to its strengths, with the quiet, string motifs of ‘Winter 2’ from Max Richter [Recomposed… Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Deutsche Grammophon 4862769], or the aforementioned Doors tracks, and the 703 S3 appears to be the steal of the century. With the more congested midrange mania of Motörhead’s ‘Killed By Death’ [No Remorse; Sanctuary Records 2748857], however, you might seek a little more snarl and edge.
A counter to this minor quibble is the ability of the 703 S3s to respond to a serious push. Fed the massed strings, thrilling woodwind and forceful brass of Beethoven’s Symphony No 9, performed by the Berlin Philharmoniker/Herbert Von Karajan [9 Symphonies; Deutsche Grammophon 96kHz/24-bit], the speakers punched back with a big, detailed but composed performance as I dialled up the volume. Evidently B&W’s 703s S3s are themselves something of an ode to joy
Audiophilepure 
You must be logged in to post a comment.