AIVS Enzymatic Record Cleaning Concentrate for Ultrasonic RCMs $50 | REVIEW
February 2, 2023 Comments Off on AIVS Enzymatic Record Cleaning Concentrate for Ultrasonic RCMs $50 | REVIEW
After that wet afternoon under jugs of distilled water testing, I have continued to only use the AIVS enzymatic solution for almost 12 months.
The Audio DESK System Ultrasonic cleaner is a core part of my listening routing, with every LP getting a bath before setting eyes on my turntable. With the AIVS, I can change the fluid more frequently with very little cost. In fact, the gallon of distilled water costs more than the 15mL of AIVS solution that I mix with it!
If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, give the AIVS Enzymatic Record Cleaning Concentrate for Ultrasonic Record Cleaning Machines a try. Audio Desk System Ultrasonic + AIVS Enzymatic Concentrate are a winning combination.
AudioQuest ThunderBird £3,400 Review
February 1, 2023 Comments Off on AudioQuest ThunderBird £3,400 Review
AudioQuest ThunderBird
In fact, my biggest dislike in ThunderBird is that I hear the Thunderbirds theme tune as an earworm every time I discuss the cable (because Gerry Anderson wrote at least part of the soundtrack to my childhood). Note that nothing about this has any actual bearing on the performance of the cable and is more to do with life as a reviewer being one long fever dream.
I wasn’t expecting a sea-change in cable performance to come at this sort of price point. Normally, the big changes happen when the really big tickets come out. But ThunderBird really does make a big change to the performance of a system, even one that is in the attainable rather than ‘stratospheric’ price and quality level. I can’t wait to hear what the full loom can do and what the likes of FireBird and Dragon will do. These might be Mythical Creatures, but what they do to sound is more than just fantasy.
REL No. 31 Subwoofer $7,500 Review
February 1, 2023 Comments Off on REL No. 31 Subwoofer $7,500 Review
Pumping the bass way up, the jumpy, funky bass line in the Average White Band’s “Cut The Cake” pushes my chest cavity in as the volume control goes up. Hunter was headed home at 5 p.m, but I was up with a long list of bass-heavy tracks from RUN-D.M.C., The System, K.C. & The Sunshine Band, and some Prince until about 2 a.m. In the world of stuff, there are a few things I never get tired of, Porsche manual transmissions, the gentle click of a Leica rangefinder camera, and the way a REL subwoofer improves a system. It’s never less than extraordinary.
The following day was reserved for more heavy rock and jazz. Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, and Charlie Hayden all sound more similar than different on a lesser sub, but with the No.31, you can easily hear the distinct sound their instruments and playing styles make. Rather than bore you with a long playlist of tracks, the REL No. 31 excels at its function. Even when playing arena rock at brain damage levels, the RELs never run out of excursion.
At $7,500 each, these are not inexpensive subwoofers. However, if you’ve invested $30k to crazy money in a pair of main speakers, will you bring up the bottom with an inexpensive pair of subs? Whether you choose one, two, or six – you will be impressed by the added dimension the REL No.31s can deliver to your system.
Magico A5 £35,998 Review
January 31, 2023 Comments Off on Magico A5 £35,998 Review
Magico A5
The Magico A5 isn’t just another Magico loudspeaker and isn’t even just another high-end loudspeaker; it’s a point of inflexion. It’s the tipping point where real high-end happens, and its flexible enough to let high-end happen in a wider range of home than usual. The combination of being capable of being driven by a good integrated amplifier and the way it integrates into smaller rooms than you might expect all lend the A5 a gravitas that sets it apart from its peers. It’s the gateway to a higher-end world, but not simply a stepping-stone that leaves you wanting more. And for many this will be their first experience of what Magico can sound like and that’s a big step for many. For some, it will be the only step they ever need to make, for others, it will be the first step in a wholly new journey.
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
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.
Dynaudio Focus 30 Active Loudspeaker System $3999 Review
January 27, 2023 Comments Off on Dynaudio Focus 30 Active Loudspeaker System $3999 Review
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.
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