Topping LA90 Power Amplifier $899 Review
April 11, 2023 Comments Off on Topping LA90 Power Amplifier $899 Review
If you have mid- to high-efficiency loudspeakers that you love, you may find the LA90 to be an ideal power or integrated amplifier for your system, too. I can easily see a single LA90 as the “summer amp” in high-efficiency horn systems. I would not recommend that owners of 2-ohm Apogee Scintillas or Theil CS3.5s, or if you have a large room with only moderately efficient speakers, run out and buy a pair. Some loudspeakers simply need more power than even two LA90s can give.
But unless you have a friend who has already purchased an LA90, your chances of hearing one or trying one out before you buy are pretty much nil. If you are intrigued by the LA90’s potential, you’re going to have to take a leap of faith (with a 45-day return window from Apos or 30-day from Amazon) and buy before you try, just like I did. So, while I would usually finish a review by recommending you hear a product for yourself, that’s going to be difficult with the LA90. However, if you’re feeling lucky (like the signature dialog from the film The Mask), I encourage you to take a leap of faith and give the LA90 a try. I seriously doubt you will be disappointed by its capabilities or performance.
TECHNICS SU-R1000 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER $9,999 REVIEW
April 10, 2023 Comments Off on TECHNICS SU-R1000 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER $9,999 REVIEW
The following bench tests cover the preamp, phono, and digital front end of the Technics SU-R1000. Measurements were taken at the RCA Pre-Out jacks. Proprietary digital processing such as LAPC was bypassed for these measurements. It should be noted that any potential measured benefits resulting from LAPC or ADCT processing would only be encountered at the speaker outputs terminals due to the design of the SU-R1000. Therefore, these measurements may not entirely reflect the final sound signature of the SU-R1000 as sent to the connected loudspeakers. I am not equipped to perform headphone power output or power amplifier tests at this time.
Constellation Centaur II Stereo Power Amplifier Review
April 9, 2023 Comments Off on Constellation Centaur II Stereo Power Amplifier Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/constellation-centaur-ii-stereo-power-amplifier
The same goes with the lavish remastered set of Queen’s The Miracle [EMI 00602508911330]. Bob Ludwig’s overhaul of the album sounds magnificent, from the drive of ‘Breakthrough’ to the funk of ‘The Invisible Man’, and via Constellation’s amp, Roger Taylor’s drums sounded punchy, big and rich, John Deacon’s bass bubbled away, and Brian May’s celebrated Red Special was unleashed in shards of screaming solo. As I realised having sat through most of the boxset, this is no analytical amplifier, even though it has served that purpose well – it’s also a complete blast when you just want to kick back and play some favourite music.
Does that sound like the ideal amp? I reckon so: not only can it do all the clever hi-fi stuff, it also always remains a consistently enjoyable listen. Even when running hard it stays physically cool and sounds like it’s well within its capabilities. Or to put it another way, the Centaur II is always ready to give even more should you want it!
Loricraft Audio PRC6i Professional Record Cleaner $3929 Review
April 9, 2023 Comments Off on Loricraft Audio PRC6i Professional Record Cleaner $3929 Review
The second advantage of the Loricraft machine is that the automatic feeding of fresh thread means that there is never any contamination of a record by a dirty suction head, which is a problem on all machines that use fixed vacuum heads (i.e., all of the automated ones I am familiar with apart from Loricraft and the Keith Monks machines). I believe this gives both the Loricraft and the Keith Monks machines a unique and very significant advantage. In addition, the concentrated vortex really does an outstanding job of removing and sucking everything out of the groove compared to the wider-slot designs fitted to many machines. After around a minute, the record is visibly spotless and totally dry.
As I remarked before, I have owned most of my records from new, and always played and stored them carefully. Over the years, my cleaning regime usually involved little more than a Hunt EDA Mark 6 cleaning brush swept across the record before play to remove dust. I was rather surprised when cleaning my well-kept records to see the color of the dirty cleaning fluid that was returned to the storage jar of the machine. That’s proof, if any was needed, that age takes its toll on even the best-kept vinyl, and contamination is inevitable. Emptying the collection jar is a breeze and easier than having to take the whole machine to the sink.
NAD Masters M23 Stereo/Mono Amplifier $3749 Review
April 6, 2023 Comments Off on NAD Masters M23 Stereo/Mono Amplifier $3749 Review
I’ve had the privilege of hearing a lot of truly excellent amplifiers in my system over the past few years, and the NAD Masters M23 is one of the very best. In fact, it compares very well to my Anthem M1 monoblocks and the Bryston 4B3—my two favorite amps in the upper four-figure price range. While I still prefer the sound of my Anthems, I don’t consider the Bryston or the M1s to be substantially better in any area of performance. And since the M23 is roughly half the cost of those two other amps, it is a screaming bargain, and a great-looking one at that.
Triangle Magellan Cello 40th Anniversary Loudspeaker £11,000 Review
April 6, 2023 Comments Off on Triangle Magellan Cello 40th Anniversary Loudspeaker £11,000 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/triangle-magellan-cello-40th-anniversary-loudspeaker
German/Sierra Leonean artist Patrice has built a reputation for fusing diverse musical influences in an idiosyncratic style that one reviewer, in France’s Le Monde newspaper, labelled ‘sweggae’. Therefore, after the Cello 40th Anniversary’s strong performance with the Wagnerian orchestral works, it was reassuring to discover the speakers were equally adept at genre-hopping to Patrice’s thoroughly modern-sounding Super Album [Supow Music BEC5611325; 44.1kHz/24-bit], a re-release of some of his previous hits embellished with new instrumentation.
Across the ska-like ‘Soulstorm’ to the rap-infused ‘Change Today’ and the laidback delicacy of ‘Hippies With Guns’, these celebratory Magellans homed in on Patrice’s vocal antics as well as the extra instrumentation, including the muted trumpets on ‘Change Today’ and the beatbox sounds on ‘Hippies…’ that are arrayed playfully around the stage. Just as with Danheim’s songs, here the Triangle speakers polished their signature performance – not overwhelming, not massive, but refined, classy and cultured.
ASTELL&KERN SP3000 REVIEW
April 5, 2023 Comments Off on ASTELL&KERN SP3000 REVIEW
I absolutely like the design of the SP3000 and the build quality here is excellent, as we’re used to from A&K. Lay-out wise, the AK SP3000 is simple. On the top of the unit, you from left to right find the 3.5mm output, the 4.4mm output and the 2.5mm output. To minimize contact noise from the output jacks, a gold PVD coating method is applied to the headphone connectors. The power button which also serves as volume wheel is located on the right side of the player. Underneath the volume wheel we find the SP3000’s LED. The LED’s colour either changes depending on the volume level, or you can let it indicate the bitrate (24bit is green, 32 is blue, DSD is purple). I have chosen for the latter option myself.
Thorens TD 1500 Turntable with Ortofon 2M Bronze Cartridge $2999 Review
April 5, 2023 Comments Off on Thorens TD 1500 Turntable with Ortofon 2M Bronze Cartridge $2999 Review
. Like much of her catalog, it’s well produced, boasting spacious soundscapes and grandiose sonics; characteristics that were ably communicated by the Thorens. What the opening track, “Hunter,” lacks in the ink-black backgrounds of my copy of the album on CD, the LP makes up for in the richness of the cello and sheer voluminosity of the thumping electronic bass. One critique I’ve encountered of early suspended-subchassis turntables is that they tend to have a woollier grasp of low frequencies. While I’m not going to suggest my vinyl copy of Homogenic matched the vise-like grip in the bass conveyed by the same track on CD, the bass was still solid and clear. Loose or poorly defined bass was never an issue. Like my own Thorens, the TD 1500 strikes a good balance between conjuring up plenty of detail while still maintaining the warmth that suspended-subchassis turntables are known for. Once again, this could be attributed to how quiet the TD 1500 was in my system.
Jadis I70 £11,498 Review
April 4, 2023 Comments Off on Jadis I70 £11,498 Review
I’ve often joked that the hottest amplifiers arrive in the height of summer and during the coldest months of winter, all you get to review is Class D ice-boxes. That is certainly true of the Jadis I70; it rocked up as the temperature started to rise, and I didn’t give a damn. The sound it makes is so beguiling, so enjoyable and so musically ‘right’ that I simply couldn’t help listen no matter what the ambient temperature. This is quite simply one of the best sounding amplifiers I have ever heard.
TOPPING G5 REVIEW
April 4, 2023 Comments Off on TOPPING G5 REVIEW
The layout of the G5 is a fairly straightforward one. There is a volume wheel on the front, which also doubles as the device’s power button. A slight turn of the wheel, as if you were turning up the volume, is enough to power the unit on. There is also a 3.5mm line output, a 3.5mm headphone output, and a 4.4mm headphone output right next to the volume wheel. Topping has designed the case to prevent the volume wheel from accidentally rotating when the device is in your pocket. There are raised edges around the front panel of the G5. These edges create a barrier so you don’t accidentally hit the volume wheel in your pocket.
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