dCS • Bartók 2.0 Digital-to-Analog Converter and Headphone Amplifier $19,950 Review
January 11, 2023 Comments Off on dCS • Bartók 2.0 Digital-to-Analog Converter and Headphone Amplifier $19,950 Review
https://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/dcs_bartok_20.htm
hat a reunion this turned out to be. Instead of adding a thicker faceplate or glitzy touchscreen, dCS has focused on features and performance with the Bartók 2.0. Excluding dCS’s own Rossini and Vivaldi DACs, I can’t think of another competing product with a greater level of user-adjustable sonic parameters than the Bartók 2.0. Once you begin to explore the new Mappers 1 and 3, both with DXD and DSD, I think you’ll discover that the 2.0 version easily exceeds the performance of the original. The new Bartók 2.0 with its accompanying Mosaic 2.0 app is simply brilliant
FIIO BTR7 PORTABLE BLUETOOTH HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $189 REVIEW
January 11, 2023 Comments Off on FIIO BTR7 PORTABLE BLUETOOTH HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $189 REVIEW
I enjoyed my time listening to music with the BTR7. Its overall tonal balance and dynamics reminded me greatly of the K3 and E10K-TC desktop DAC/amplifiers I reviewed previously. The highs are astonishingly clean, the midrange smooth, and the bass is powerful. The musical dynamics are effortless. No matter what the recording, it makes the listening experience enjoyable. What’s amazing is that BTR7 does it with a Bluetooth connection.
SPL Elector Analog Preamplifier | REVIEW
January 10, 2023 Comments Off on SPL Elector Analog Preamplifier | REVIEW
My second quibble may be of more concern for some users. I did find that the gain of the SPL
Elector was considerably less than other preamplifiers I have on hand. I didn’t find this to be any issue for during my own use, as I just turned the volume potentiometer a little further to the right.
Never did I have to go beyond about the one or two o’clock position to get the volume I wanted
on any system in which I employed the Elector. Of course, if you have inefficient speakers
Lowther Almira Loudspeaker £12,000 Review
January 10, 2023 Comments Off on Lowther Almira Loudspeaker £12,000 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/lowther-almira-loudspeaker
Rawls’ and Dianne Reeves’ voices retained much of their correct textures, hers clear and his raspy, but the absence of deep bass created an imbalance. It was more like listening to a small two-way speaker, despite ample levels which would destroy such systems. Yes, these go loud, but even with plenty of volume in hand I didn’t even bother to try and see how far I could go. It reminded me why horns were the default choice for cinemas back in an era when 5W amplifiers were considered powerhouses.
What caused enough concern to make me question the voicing of the Almira was the Platinum SHM CD of Blind Faith’s lone, self-titled album [Polydor Japan UICY-40013]. As trivial as this may seem, it was the simple cymbal crash that punctuates ‘Can’t Find My Way Home’, a specific crunch which sounded papery rather than metallic. That version of Blind Faith is one of the best I’ve heard, and my trusty Marantz CD12/DA12 in balanced mode is as sweet as CD sound gets. Not this time.
Covering the supertweeter to see if it was responsible merely proved that it added little to the sound. The edginess came from the main driver, making me wonder if the phase plug should be returned to its rightful place, and the LPFRCB removed. One suspects that Chave, Voigt and the rest knew exactly what they were doing a few lifetimes ago.
Burmester 217 turntable £18,700 Review
January 9, 2023 Comments Off on Burmester 217 turntable £18,700 Review
Breaking down the sound of the Burmester 217 is ultimately self-defeating because it’s an extremely coherent sound. Going back to that Nic Jones album once more, his voice, guitar and fiddle playing demand a system that communicates music well, and that’s precisely what the 217 does so well. This album normally shows up a higher-mass turntable as being a bit ponderous and rhythmically challenged, but on the 217, it’s light, tight and beautifully ordered. Swap Nic Jones for Frank Sinatra singing ‘It Happened in Monterey’ [Songs For Swinging Lovers, Capitol] and the 217 nails it; both Nelson Riddle’s excellent scoring and Sinatra’s uncanny passing tones meld together exactly as you always knew they should.
My only real issue with the 217 is more ‘philosophical’ than ‘musical’. I’m still unsure if the high-end turntable market ‘gets’ the notion of a turn-key turntable like this. While there was a long hiatus when turntables were starting to be discussed in the past tense, audiophiles before and after the vinyl revival almost universally selected the turntable, arm, and cartridge from a selection rather than select them as a single entity. Even brands that provide all the links in the chain (Clearaudio, for example) don’t specify their high-end models as a turnkey solution.
Carver Black Magic 25
January 8, 2023 Comments Off on Carver Black Magic 25
The amp runs cool, and provides a sound not as romantic as a vintage Mcintosh, Marantz or Dynaco amp, yet still delivers plenty of tubey, midrange magic that you’d expect. And of course, with only three input tubes, you can roll em’ if you’ve got em’ to fine tune and experiment.
Thanks to careful design, this little jewel plays louder than you would expect a 25Wpc amp to play, even with less efficient speakers like a pair of Harbeths, or your favorite LS3/5a variation on the theme.
Q Acoustics Concept 50 REVIEW
January 8, 2023 Comments Off on Q Acoustics Concept 50 REVIEW
That last sentence is important as it describes the Q Acoustics Concept 50 perfectly; it passes every test with flying colours. It’s a £2,000 loudspeaker that sounds almost like a £4,000 loudspeaker. The design isn’t just ‘another box’ but nor are the innovations that go into the design merely there for their own sakes. A loudspeaker that is easy to drive and possessed of a classic sound yet isn’t so ‘classic’ as to be boring and isn’t undemanding of electronics in quality terms. With Concept 50, Q Acoustics more than earns a place at audio’s top table.
HiFi Rose RA180 integrated amplifier $6995 REVIEW
January 7, 2023 Comments Off on HiFi Rose RA180 integrated amplifier $6995 REVIEW
https://www.stereophile.com/content/hifi-rose-ra180-integrated-amplifier
Perhaps the GaN transistors’ decreased “dead time” helped music’s sense of smoothness and continuity. Maybe their speed aided quick and sharp transient attacks and overall dynamics. It’s hard to say, but I do know I enjoyed my time with HiFi Rose’s RA180 flagship. At times it felt hyper-responsive. Its heightened detail lent an exciting intensity to most material.
Except perhaps for this impression of heightened detail, the RA180 remained mostly neutral in its tonal balance. If anything, it ran slightly cool rather than warm. Once in a while, the RA180 verged on leaning a little too far to light, clean, and shiny, like a new penny. Yet, in any kind of music—delicate classical, hard funk, crystalline electronica, all the other stuff I played—the RA180 maintained its cool sense of control.
Audiophiles who appreciate a unique visual and functional design and fast, clear, detailed sound—especially those with biampable speakers (or, even more, who use supertweeters)—should give the HiFi Rose RA180 a long look and listen.
Mark Levinson No. 5909 Review
January 7, 2023 Comments Off on Mark Levinson No. 5909 Review
The soundstage the Mark Levinson describe isn’t the most expansive in all of headphone-land, but it’s authoritatively controlled and consequently extremely easy to understand. Every element of a recording stands securely in a personal pocket of space, enjoys absolute positivity where attack and decay of its contributions are concerned – but is nevertheless integrated into the overall performance in an entirely believable fashion. There’s nothing detached about the way the No. 5909 present music, any more than there’s anything ostentatious or self-satisfied about the way they sound. More than anything, in fact, they sound uncomplicatedly and thrillingly musical.
The post-COVID-19 world has gone a bit mad; people are paying £35,000 for an £8,000 Rolex watch now. So, getting a foot on the Mark Levinson ladder without buying either a room full of expensive equipment or a well-specified Lexus suddenly seems eminently sensible in today’s world. And if you’re fortunate enough to consider the No. 5909 a realistic option then a) lucky you, and b) make sure you hear a pair as soon as possible. You won’t regret it.
You must be logged in to post a comment.