Kuzma XL AIR turntable Review
March 27, 2022 Comments Off on Kuzma XL AIR turntable Review
The turntable is such a neutral vinyl platform, it allows the differences in arms to be rendered in the sharpest focus, both in terms of similarity and difference. You understand why the XL AIR has multiple arm positions, and why so many XL AIR users use more than one arm. The turntable was honest and neutral enough to ensure the ‘order’ of the Air Line and the ‘flow’ of the 4Point 14 were rendered so accurately, it wasn’t an either/or option; the choice of the arm was a natural reaction to different records. This is not audiophilia nervosa, just the logical extension of how an arm, cartridge and record interact when the turntable is simply doing its job better than all the rest.
FIIO FH9 SEVEN DRIVER HYBRID IN-EAR MONITORS $599 REVIEW
March 26, 2022 Comments Off on FIIO FH9 SEVEN DRIVER HYBRID IN-EAR MONITORS $599 REVIEW
Clear, dynamic, musical, with excellent deep tight bass and enough flavor combinations to satisfy even the most picky of connoisseurs, the FiiO FH9 In-Ear Monitors are well deserving of the title of flagship and easily competitive with any IEM in its price range. They easily handle any form of music and scale up well to higher resolution electronics. The combination of silicone tips and their semi-open back design makes them extremely comfortable for long-term listening, while bass heads will love them with the foam tips whether into Hip Hop or Death Metal, the FH9 deliver all music without prejudice. They even worked well with the $149 K5 Pro ESS desktop amp (review pending). So once again, FiiO delivers excellent value for the money with class beating musicality and performance.
Vivid Kaya S12 loudspeaker Review
March 26, 2022 Comments Off on Vivid Kaya S12 loudspeaker Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/vivid-kaya-s12-loudspeaker
Hypnotized and inspired, I listened to all four Viking of 6th Avenue sides, and at some point, it hit me: What was so different with the Linn and S12s playing Moondog was how intensely resolved and minutely detailed the reproduction was. I had never before peered this microscopically into the mechanics of the album’s construction. Tiny sounds I’d never heard before sounded precisely rendered and meticulously presented. I could easily identify every strange instrument and background Foley noise. I could see how the mix was laid out and marvel at every little paint stroke of Moondog’s surrealistic circus show.
Pass Laboratories XP-22 Line Pre & XP-27 Phono Pre Review
March 25, 2022 Comments Off on Pass Laboratories XP-22 Line Pre & XP-27 Phono Pre Review
Regardless, the Pass Labs XP-27 didn’t magically transform this album into a live-in-the-studio recording. Much of the music on this album is the musical equivalent of CGI, yet they had no internet or computers when recording this album. The creativity dripped from the turntable as if it were a half-used candle. The gated reverb on the drums on “Intruder” and “Biko” passed through my body not because the bass frequencies were powerful and infinitely deep, as they shook my gut and the window frames in my listening room. But I mostly mean that they went through me emotionally, as the music on this album disregarded the laws of physics, and my music brain followed suit. Yes, the midrange of the XP-27 was scarily transparent. Even though I’ve been listening to this album all my adult life, I would still lean forward in an attempt to hear every nanosecond of, for example, the reverb trail of Gabriel’s voice on “Biko,” the last track on the LP.
For this album, Peter Gabriel instructed drummers Phil Collins and Jerry Marotta not to use their cymbals on their drum kits. This left space for the treble energy of other instruments. On this cymbal-free album, the XP-27 reproduced the highs as if they were magical, regardless of the instrument, voice, or sound effect it was reproducing.
The treble sounds from every instrument and voice would fill the enormous soundstage with sparkling, reflected sound waves that sonically resembled embers rising from a campfire – the paths of the individual embers presumably random but in actuality determined by air currents.
Qln Prestige Three floorstanding speaker £8,995/ Review
March 25, 2022 Comments Off on Qln Prestige Three floorstanding speaker £8,995/ Review
In the hardbound manual that Qln supply they suggest that the Prestige Three be placed three to four metres apart and at least 50cm from the rear wall. Given that my room is on the bass light side I started with them at closer to 30cm and found the bass to be prodigious, a little too much so, so moved them out a bit further to what seemed like a better balance. However it wasn’t until I put Qln’s suggestion into practice did everything come together, the bass remained uncannily powerful for the size of speaker but was cleaner than a closer placement, and the mid and treble were better balanced against it. This is a calm sounding loudspeaker, it’s extensive use of damping and resonance control mean that there is little in the way of additive distortions that can be discerned, instead you hear the quality of the recording and ultimately of the music, loud and clear.
Audiovector R 6 Avantgarde Loudspeakers $24,000 Review
March 24, 2022 Comments Off on Audiovector R 6 Avantgarde Loudspeakers $24,000 Review
https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1083-audiovector-r6-avantgarde-loudspeakers
Audiovector’s R 6 Avantgarde is a gorgeously finished, methodically assembled loudspeaker, chock-full of innovative technologies. More importantly, a pair of them can effortlessly fill a room with sound and create images that are much larger in scale than their sleek, sexy profiles would suggest. The R 6 Avantgardes’ warmth throughout the midrange and sweet top end eschewed any possibility of listener fatigue while providing layer upon layer of meticulously imaged music, supported by a commanding bottom end. While I wouldn’t characterize the R 6 Avantgarde as a particularly neutral or revealing loudspeaker, I would say it is one of the more inviting sounding speaker models I’ve spent time with.
FiiO E10K-TC And K3 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier $75 Review
March 24, 2022 Comments Off on FiiO E10K-TC And K3 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier $75 Review
The mids were pure and lacking sibilance and the highs were sweet. Both rendered an amazingly wide soundstage with well-defined instruments. I was especially impressed with the dynamics I experienced using the E10K and K3. Transients were quite sharp and the subtleties of individual instruments came through. Both of these devices are very musical in their presentation. Could I dig as deep into the music as I can with my system at home? No. But what I did experience was amazing, considering I was streaming on a laptop.
I really appreciated using both the E10K and K3 at my school to listen to streaming music. It’s incredibly astounding that FiiO is able to get so much great sound out of such small packages. I would highly recommend either of these devices for playing music off a laptop, as I did. I fully intend on using them in the future to explore more music.
Focal Aria K2 906 Loudspeakers $2398 Review
March 23, 2022 Comments Off on Focal Aria K2 906 Loudspeakers $2398 Review
https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1659-focal-aria-k2-906-loudspeakers
I then turned to a track I often use to evaluate speaker transparency, which relates to the clarity of a speaker and how well it projects sound without calling attention to itself. Colin James’s “National Steel,” from National Steel (16/44.1 FLAC, Warner Music Canada), is a well-recorded, minimalist track that is an excellent test for this attribute. The tune opens with two guitars, one centered at the back of the stage, the other off to the left and closer to the front. On this track, I like to focus on the reverberation of the strings during the attacks and decays, to see if the sounds remain focused in space, or if subtle cabinet resonances “link” the aural image back to the speaker, muddying the sound and hindering the illusion of realism. I can say without hesitation that the Focals did not disappoint in this category. They placed the guitar plucks authoritatively, with attacks and decays confined to well-defined aural bubbles that hung in free space—it sounded very real indeed.
Audeze LCD-5 Planar Magnetic Headphone Review
March 23, 2022 Comments Off on Audeze LCD-5 Planar Magnetic Headphone Review
I can see some listeners maybe even finding the headphone right on the edge of too-detailed, but I didn’t think this was the case. I loved how much texture these headphones draw out of every frequency range and every genre of music. It’s addictive, though it does speak more to the analytical, gear-loving side of my brain than some dynamic headphones, which seem to focus my attention more on spatial qualities or a softer presentation. The LCD-5 won’t hide any warts in your recordings.
Soundstage on the very best DACs and amps gave me a sense of height, width and immersion in recordings that was novel for me. I tried some VR, Ambisonics and Dolby content on these and had to pick my jaw off the floor. The LCD-5’s extreme resolving, dynamic and spatial characteristics make it ideally suited to immersive audio experiences which are not merely impressive or enjoyable, but which seemed to erase any hint of gimmick and substitute it for reality. Well-heeled gaming nuts and immersive audio pros may find the LCD-5 a revelatory listen.
NOBLE AUDIO FOKUS PRO REVIEW
March 22, 2022 Comments Off on NOBLE AUDIO FOKUS PRO REVIEW
This is the most impressive side of the FoKus Pro. I don’t know if it’s the configuration or wizard’s magic, the unit has a really solid technical foundation and it should be a reference for future TWS earphones. The soundstage feels wide and relatively deep. The positioning of the instruments feels accurate and the separation is impressive. The PRaT is solid, the unit has good attack and decay, handles congestion with ease, and does not feel claustrophobic with any genre. The tonal balance is quite good too if you don’t mind EQ’ing the bass response a couple of decibels. The FoKus Pro is the most capable TWS that I’ve listened to, period. In fact, I was starting to lose hope in the development of wireless earphones. Thanks to Noble, I now am reminded that much better products can be launched into this industry and I am once again looking forward to the future.
Audiophilepure 
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