VPI Avenger Direct Turntable Package Review

January 30, 2023 Comments Off on VPI Avenger Direct Turntable Package Review

https://www.hifinews.com/content/vpi-avenger-direct-turntable-package

The second change I made was to swap out the cartridge. The Miyajima-based VPI Anniversary has a sweet nature that suits the likes of soft, smoky jazz to a tee. Fed with ‘Love Dance’ from Diane Schuur’s The Diane Schuur Collection [GRP Records GR-9591], it made a good case for itself, offering up an emotive, warm performance. Unfortunately, outside of this fairly narrow window I found the cartridge wanting. None of the adjustments I made to VTA, tracking force, azimuth or loading made it sound anything other than a little too soft and vague for my tastes. Swapping it out for my regular Ortofon Cadenza Black MC transformed the performance of the Avenger Direct and showed what this deck and arm were capable of.

Now that smoky jazz still gave me a warm tingle of pleasure, but the violins of The Locrian Ensemble playing the ‘Allegro’ movement from Mendelssohn’s Octet [Chasing the Dragon VALLP015] had a proper sense of bite and realism to them. The horseshoe-shaped layout of the performers was also uncannily realistic as the Avenger Direct once more set up an almost holographic sense of imagery.

NAD C399 Hybrid Digital DAC Amplifier $1999 Review

January 30, 2023 Comments Off on NAD C399 Hybrid Digital DAC Amplifier $1999 Review


During the evaluation period two audiophile friends dropped in to listen a few times, both of whom have outstanding systems. The first was so impressed he asked if I could bring the C399 over so that he could hear it in his system, which consists in electronics that total over four times the price of the NAD. The other, who is into extremely expensive equipment, was so gobsmacked by what he heard as to leave him totally shaken, mumbling how that level of performance could come out of a unit this unpretentious in size, weight, appearance, and price. He visited again a week later, then again a few weeks after that, each time departing in a similar state of disbelief. Let me reassure you that with both friends, and myself, our reactions are most definitely not an instance of Dr. Johnson’s dancing dog—you know, it’s not that the dance is so good, it’s that a dog is doing it.

Shunyata Research Denali 6000/S v2 Power Conditioner $6000 Review

January 28, 2023 Comments Off on Shunyata Research Denali 6000/S v2 Power Conditioner $6000 Review

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1161-shunyata-research-denali-6000s-v2-power-conditioner#most-read-equipment-reviews

The Shunyata Research Denali 6000/S v2 is packed with proprietary technologies designed to keep your system safe and performing at its absolute best. It does this in a beautifully crafted package that comes with a lifetime warranty. Yes, six grand is a lot of money for a power conditioner. However, if you want to extract the best performance from your stereo—in my case, less noise and a more well-formed soundstage—I don’t think there’s any way you can go wrong if you buy the Denali.

I think the Shunyata Research Denali 6000/S v2 is a buy-it-once-and-forget-it component. If you get one of these, you can rest assured that the connected components are getting exactly the power quality they need. Then instead of worrying about power delivery, you can spend your time obsessing over the other gear in your system. That’s what I’m going to do now because the power conditioning is taken care of for good.

 ELP Laser Turntable

January 28, 2023 Comments Off on  ELP Laser Turntable

Dynaudio Focus 30 Active Loudspeaker System $3999 Review

January 27, 2023 Comments Off on Dynaudio Focus 30 Active Loudspeaker System $3999 Review

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/reference-components/1748-recommended-reference-component-dynaudio-focus-30-active-loudspeaker-system

At the end of Gordon’s exhaustive review, he concluded that the Focus 30 system “deepened” his “admiration for Dynaudio’s active speakers,” and that he was “won over by the Focus 30’s transparent presentation, effortless dynamics, pinpoint imaging, and bass extension.” Gordon added that he “loved the look of the speakers” in his living room, but the support for Dirac Live is “the clincher” when it comes recommending this speaker system to readers. Gordon’s praise in his review earned the Focus 30 speaker system a Reviewers’ Choice award at the time it was published—and that same praise has now earned it a Recommended Reference Component award. Suffice it to say, DSP-based active speakers have come of age for those who are serious about sound—and Dynaudio’s Focus 30 has the features to optimize that sound, too.

Vermouth Audio Studio Monitor Loudspeakers $20,000 Review

January 25, 2023 Comments Off on Vermouth Audio Studio Monitor Loudspeakers $20,000 Review

Suppose one decides to go with something that isn’t as large as a floor-standing speaker but will deliver more volume and frequency extension than a stand-mounted mini-monitor. In that case, the Vermouth Studio Monitor is what you’re looking for. In my listening room, it had enough internal volume to produce serious bass. The two 6.5 mid-woofers produced a transparent midrange that filled the room with sound with a prodigious soundstage. Its ribbon tweeter was remarkably extended and had a musical sound that, regardless of how loud I played the music, was never fatiguing.

I heartily recommend the Vermouth Studio Monitor. Its audition proved that it was a surprisingly good-looking and great-sounding speaker, which is well worth its asking price.

Rogue Audio Pharaoh II integrated amplifier $3995 Review

January 25, 2023 Comments Off on Rogue Audio Pharaoh II integrated amplifier $3995 Review

https://www.stereophile.com/content/rogue-audio-pharaoh-ii-integrated-amplifier

The headphone the Pharaoh liked best was Meze Audio’s new $4000 Elite—an open-back, planar-magnetic design. Powered by the Pharaoh, the 32 ohm, 101dB/mW Elite delivered music with relaxed, pristine clarity. The Rogue–Elite pairing played Ledbetter live in Austin with an air of well-structured authority that said, “Who cares if the headphones cost as much as the amp? The sound is dang near perfect.”

The headphone the Pharaoh II liked almost as much was Sony’s $1799 MDR-Z1R, the closed-back I have used more than any other headphone since I reviewed it in GD16. Because they are so comfortable, durable, natural-sounding, and easy to drive, the 64 ohm, 100dB/mW Z1Rs have never stopped being my paint-splattered daily headset. They employ fast, 70mm magnesium domes that never hint that they’re made of metal. Powered by the Pharaoh II, those domes sounded like they were made of paper: not too soft or hard, space and detail displayed with an appealing tube-like sheen. A recommendable match.

YG Acoustics Cairn Loudspeaker £9900 Review

January 24, 2023 Comments Off on YG Acoustics Cairn Loudspeaker £9900 Review

https://www.hifinews.com/content/yg-acoustics-cairn-loudspeaker


In every way small but beautifully formed, the Cairns show all the benefits of their manufacturer’s integration of extensive analysis and modelling in the design and manufacturing processes. They’re precise without ever being clinical or sterile, and have a weight, depth and finesse that belies their compact dimensions. Few small standmounts will fill modestly proportioned rooms with such authority. They are little crackers!

SME Model 60 Turntable and VA Series Tonearm $71,000 Review

January 24, 2023 Comments Off on SME Model 60 Turntable and VA Series Tonearm $71,000 Review

Clearly, it was a big deal for SME to produce a brand-new turntable intended to better the company founder’s original, now-classic design. Challenge met. The new SME Model 60 with Series VA arm is an overwhelmingly successful upgrade to what was formerly the company’s flagship Model 30. It achieves new SME greatness without forsaking the vision of founder Alastair Robertson-Aikman, who would surely appreciate both this new turntable/arm combo and where his company is headed.

That said, if you want a table that allows you to swap arms or carry a pair of them, the Model 60 isn’t for you. Otherwise, if you’ve got $71,000 or a bit more for something blue or one of the other variants, you’d best check out the SME Model 60 before buying anything at or near the price point. The only remaining question is, who the hell really designed this thing?

Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia V loudspeaker $79,500 Review

January 22, 2023 Comments Off on Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia V loudspeaker $79,500 Review

https://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-audio-specialties-alexia-v-loudspeaker

It’s been quite the six months in Serinusland. First the Stromtank, then the Nordost QNet and QSource, and then one of the finest DACs I’ve been privileged to enjoy, the dCS Rossini Apex. I never fully appreciated how good each of those components is until Wilson Audio’s new Alexia V loudspeaker let me hear so much more of what they can deliver.

All these changes and improvements can be summarized in one sentence: Assisted by first-rate amplification and source components, the Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia V presented the entirety of the musical argument more completely and satisfyingly than its predecessor did. And its predecessor was very fine.

The notion that the loudspeaker is the most important component in an audio system is hogwash, although that conversation may be more semantic than substantial. What’s the point of being able to hear more of what your system can deliver if all you hear is more distortion or mediocrity?

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