SVS Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speakers Review

December 18, 2022 Comments Off on SVS Prime Wireless Pro Powered Speakers Review

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/svs-prime-wireless-pro-powered-speakers-review

SVS’ omission of a USB input, I have already mentioned. It’s not a deal-breaker for me, and likely not for most others. Another absence I felt a bit more keenly is the lack of any global equalization options built into the speaker hardware, such as bass-shelving options to compensate for near-wall/free-space locations, midrange EQ to aid desktop placement, or treble-tilt to adjust for room character or listener taste. I understand why SVS might elect to leave this out for simplicity’s sake and to keep owners from doing more sonic harm than good. Anyway, the Prime Wireless Pros are frankly too large for typical desktop uses.

At day’s end, these are mostly quibbles, though quibbling’s what they pay me for. SVS’ Prime Wireless Pro is an outstanding solution for a one-box or rather a two-box sound system that more than scratches the surface of what audiophile listening is all about. They’re accurate and dynamic to a fault, ultra-compact, easy to set up and use, and more than able to fill even medium-sized rooms at serious-listening levels without stumbling. You’d be hard-pressed to duplicate this recipe with individual components and passive speakers of similar size at twice the price. Or more.

Amazon Music Unlimited review

December 18, 2022 Comments Off on Amazon Music Unlimited review

https://www.whathifi.com/amazon/music-unlimited/review

For Prime subscribers looking to take advantage of the reduced subscription cost and the added CD-quality and hi-res tiers provided by Amazon Music HD, Music Unlimited makes a lot of sense. It’s certainly a tempting alternative to more premium services such as Tidal.

But Spotify does deliver more reliable, comprehensive functionality with superior curation. And its users have Spotify HiFi to look forward to. Amazon will also have trouble getting Apple Music users to swap sides, especially now that the latter also offers CD-quality and hi-res streams that sound fantastic.

It’s always going to be tricky to convince streamers who are already invested in a service to jump ship, but if you’re new to streaming, Amazon Music Unlimited has enough in its locker to get itself onto your shortlist.

ELAC Concentro S 503 Loudspeaker Review

December 17, 2022 Comments Off on ELAC Concentro S 503 Loudspeaker Review

https://www.hifinews.com/content/elac-concentro-s-503-loudspeaker

This performance all comes together in a standmount speaker that isn’t without faults, but that on the whole sounds spectacular considering its size. Playing the iconic theme from ‘The Book Of Boba Fett’, composed by Ludwig Göransson [Walt Disney Records], it’s really all there. The epic scale, eye-opening wavefront when the massive percussion beats down, and the chants resounding away into the distance – it’s a magnificent, dynamic result.

For sure, the S 503 requires a bit of power, not that it bothered the Hegel Reference H590 amplifier [HFN Oct ’19] that I used. You just have to be prepared to give the volume knob a good twirl to realise a truly rousing performance. But trust me, you will.

Paradigm Founder 120H loudspeaker $8998 Review

December 16, 2022 Comments Off on Paradigm Founder 120H loudspeaker $8998 Review

https://www.stereophile.com/content/paradigm-founder-120h-loudspeaker

Here’s one more example of how satisfying the Founders are. On some systems, ride cymbals played with a brush sound like white noise, the drummer’s taps barely discernible as separate events. With these speakers, there’s a crispness to the treble, neither forward nor recessed, that renders delicate cymbal work without smearing. Chico Hamilton’s ride cymbal on his quintet’s “Passin’ Thru,” from the album of the same name (16/44.1, Qobuz), is all there.

My main criticism of the 120H, and it’s mild, is that with most recordings, I didn’t find them completely involving at lower levels. They need to be played with some oomph to make recordings come alive. Below 75dB at the listening position, there wasn’t always enough kick, excitement, or presence. For me, this wasn’t a problem: I like my music loud.

AMG Giro MK II turntable $11,500 Review

December 16, 2022 Comments Off on AMG Giro MK II turntable $11,500 Review

https://www.stereophile.com/content/amg-giro-mk-ii-turntable

While it may not be a Mercedes, the AMG Giro MK II turntable with the Benz Micro SLR Gullwing cartridge proved that another type of machine is capable of transporting you to wonderful, beautiful places. The elegance of the Giro’s design shows that a high-end turntable doesn’t need to look like someone’s junior high school science-fair project to be capable of creating beautiful music.

Five years ago, in his review of the original Giro, Herb Reichert wrote, “the AMG seems to have it all going on: exquisite style, superb build quality, ease of setup, ease of use, and the ability to steer cartridges and play records with the world’s finest record players.” All those observations apply to the MK II version, but now it can accommodate a wider variety of tonearms. Plus, even more than before, while it may look like a svelte supermodel, it can ball with the big boys.

ESOTERIC N-05XD $11,000 Review

December 15, 2022 Comments Off on ESOTERIC N-05XD $11,000 Review

Adding a master clock, a higher quality source, and an amplifier will definitely better fill the enormous stage with even more body, soul, dynamics, and life. After all, the highlight of the N-05XD is still its Master Discrete DAC. The forte of the DAC is its massive stage size and natural sound of the instrumental textures and tonality. It is so good that it managed to alter the genres of music that I normally listen to, as I seldom listen to classical or live recordings. Esoteric’s corporate philosophy has been the reproduction of the original sound performed by musicians in a studio or concert hall, and the N-05XD really delivers it.                                                                                                                          

At the asking price of $11,000 USD, the N-05XD has an outstanding DAC that it shares with Esoteric’s flagship, a good streamer with separate linear power supply, and a headphone amp that could adequately drive all headphones and IEMs along with a well-built preamp. It is no wonder that it has been crowned the best product of the year by many. Welcome to the age of the new Esoteric sound, welcome to the age of the new Japanese sound.

Zu Union 6 Loudspeakers $2899 Review

December 15, 2022 Comments Off on Zu Union 6 Loudspeakers $2899 Review

I didn’t know you could buy such a great sounding speaker at this price. I didn’t know a speaker at this price could scale into systems that are literally 10x-15x their price. The thing I think we need to remove is the term “at this price.” The Union 6 is an exceptional speaker at pretty much any price. Zu makes more expensive speakers, and they are better, but the Union 6 could easily be someone’s first and last speaker. They retain everything that I love about my Soul VIs in a more affordable package, and provide 80% of the performance in nearly every criteria. I wish more companies would build entry level products like Zu does. The Union 6 has my highest recommendation, and is easily the best passive speaker I have heard under $3000. It will scale easily into $15k or $20K systems, and sounds great with a modern well designed $2000 integrated.

THIEAUDIO WRAITH REVIEW

December 14, 2022 Comments Off on THIEAUDIO WRAITH REVIEW

I believe the midrange to upper midrange region is the star of the Wraith’s signature. The vocals and the instruments sound realistic, and organic while Wraith immediately makes you feel like tapping the floor during good Jazz tracks. Wraith stage projection is intimate. It puts the stage in front of your nose, up close. The perception of depth rather than width is more dominant. The imaging and the layering are great. The high treble travels through the stage and decays naturally, the Wraith uses its superior depth very well. The treble has enough bite without sounding strident and carries a good amount of detail. The Wraith gets a bonus resolution boost from here. The attack decay is very good.

PRaT-wise, Wraith feels dynamic and vibrant. It has no trouble dealing with complex passages, despite having a stage that is limited in width. On a side note, I wish it had slightly more clamping force as the sub-bass depends on that a little too much.

Overall, the Wraith is an excellent performer when it comes to certain genres and offers a different flavor compared to other planar headphones with its impressive technical foundation.

FAUDIO MEZZO LE REVIEW

December 13, 2022 Comments Off on FAUDIO MEZZO LE REVIEW

As for ergonomics, fit and isolation, of course, it would be unreasonable to expect custom in-ear monitor isolation, but the Mezzo LE is the most eartips-dependant of the flagships I experienced. It probably has something to do with the physical and acoustic properties of the piezo driver, but different tips with various bore widths considerably alter the sound signature for the good or bad, depending on the tips. The white tips that come with the Mezzo LE increase the amount of bass, while the gray and foam tips result in a more spacious presentation.

Based on my experience, I got the most satisfactory results with tips that minimize the distance from the earphone to your eardrum, which is why I decided on after-market double-flange tips. Anyhow, I believe the crowning touch to look for here is the bore width.

Raidho TD2.2 Loudspeaker $46,500  Review

December 13, 2022 Comments Off on Raidho TD2.2 Loudspeaker $46,500  Review

e—the TD1.2 also projects out into the listening area in a way that includes a good deal of the space between the speakers and the listener. In a recording where the brass section plays loudly, for example, or a singer really sings to the balcony, that projected sound extends into the listening room in an approximation of what happens in live music. The effect allows for a greater sense of immediacy and listener involvement than a more ‘contained-box’ soundstage does.” I also included the following clarification: “I don’t associate this soundstage projection with ‘forwardness.’ For one thing, it only happens when the recording has an element that projects to the front as it would in real life. It is not a consistent characteristic across most recordings. And second, the TD1.2 is not at all hyped up or overly ‘hot’ sounding, as is often the case with forward-sounding speakers. On the contrary, the TD1.2 is remarkably revealing without sounding forced or aggressive. Its grain-free, detailed-without-brightness quality is one of its endearing attributes, actually.” If memory serves me, the larger TD2.2 does this “breathe into the room” effect even better than the TD1.2 did.

Where Am I?

You are currently browsing the Reviews category at Audiophilepure.