iFi iDSD Diablo Headphone DAC/Amplifier Review
June 1, 2021 Comments Off on iFi iDSD Diablo Headphone DAC/Amplifier Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2021/4/23/ifi-diablo
Bass notes by the late Chi Cheng had all the visceral buzz and pop you could ask for, and none of it was lost in the incredibly dense mix. Tone was good, if a little on the dry side, but the transient attacks were remarkably vivid. The aggressive drum fill that begins the next track ‘Rapture’ was startling, ferocious, but every head stroke was exquisitely defined, and filled with energy. On ‘Beware’, a long time demo-track for me, the frequency range presented by the Diablo-Sennheiser combo was impressive, almost other-worldly, with deep controlled bass, and extended airy highs. However, the synthesizer and other electronic samples didn’t have the warmth and body that I come to expect in truly high end DACs.
Reel-to-Reel for Life
June 1, 2021 Comments Off on Reel-to-Reel for Life
https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/international/soundstage-uk/1550-reel-to-reel-for-life
Ultimately, though, the valve comeback surprised everyone. In 2021, tube supplies are no longer an issue, and the dark years of dodgy valves from China are pretty much over. Indeed, the standards for many tubes today are as high, if not higher, than they were when tubes were the sole electronic device prior to transistors. Just look closely at today’s best 300Bs, 6550s and KT88s; the more recent KT90s, KT120s, and KT150s; or the smaller input tubes such as ECC88s from the specialists. Tube-o-philes have, indeed, been blessed.
If you now substitute “LPs,” “vinyl,” or “records” for every mention of valves or tubes above, it’s the same state of blessed rescue, but with an even greater, more successful rebirth because the appeal of LPs is broader than that of tube electronics. Whatever the numbers, though, the point here is that not once but twice the hi-fi industry responded to resurrections of dead or near-dead technology, and the music biz revived a deceased format. As one who witnessed the decline and rebirth of both, I remain stunned.
SILVERSMITH AUDIO FIDELIUM SPEAKER CABLES
May 31, 2021 Comments Off on SILVERSMITH AUDIO FIDELIUM SPEAKER CABLES
Silversmith Audio Fidelium Speaker Cables
I love a great entrepreneur story. A designer has a concept and the engineering chops to see it through to completion and then devotes years to perfecting that concept. I particularly love it when the engineer is also a military veteran who continues his work and passion between deployments overseas. Jeffrey Smith followed his dream for twenty years while on active duty or the reserves. Now that he has retired and has at the same time developed this best iteration of his research, it is time to get the word out about the Fidelium Cable. In the world of high-end cables, it is a steal. $995 USD for each 6ft. stereo set. These cables do compete with higher-priced cables. They also look terrific—a deep gold river running from your amp to your speakers.
Over time great values in audio reveal themselves. Gear that performs to an audiophile’s expectations yet leaves room in the budget for other gear or more music. Gear like an ELAC speaker or KEF LS50, a Luxman integrated or a VPI Scout turntable. Each find improves the system yet leaves some budget on the table for later. Seasoned audiophiles recognize these products for their performance versus their affordable prices. The Silversmith Audio Fidelium speaker cables should join the conversation, and as an audiophile, you should take notice and find a way to schedule an audition. I suspect you will have some new cables in your system soon. Highly recommended.
Dan D’Agostino Progression Integrated $23,000 Review
May 31, 2021 Comments Off on Dan D’Agostino Progression Integrated $23,000 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/dan-dagostino-progression-integrated
It’s a taut and precise presentation; one that edges towards the lean side of neutral without going as far as to be criticised for being thin or lacking in tonal colour. It’s this balance that allows the amplifier to sound so nimble for something so muscular.
Stereo imaging is terrific. The Progression paints a broad and expansive soundstage and populates it with crisply focused instruments. The orchestra is convincingly layered and there’s a pleasing impression of depth. This positional grip isn’t compromised when the music gets difficult either.Advertisementhttps://9a57bdb350320d1455158b06de8bb766.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
We switch to Massive Attack’s Heligoland and are floored by the D’Agostino’s low frequencies. They’re superbly defined, beautifully layered and punched out with rare agility. There’s plenty of muscle and authority of course, but that’s to be expected given the power output on offer. What surprises – and impresses – us the most, though, is the Progression’s articulate nature.
Technics SU-G700 Integrated Amplifier $2,500 Review
May 30, 2021 Comments Off on Technics SU-G700 Integrated Amplifier $2,500 Review
Technics SU-G700 Integrated Amplifier
The SU-G700 has no negatives, and we haven’t even discussed the beautiful enclosure and attention to detail that goes along with this product. From the thick front panel, to the delicately lit power meters and even the high quality of the silk screening on the meters is in five-figure product execution range. If you are a build/style junkie, you’ll freak out by the level of overall quality present here. This is one beautiful piece of hifi gear – and it’s also available in black.
What the Technics SU-G700 does is provide you with a top-notch anchor for a great music system at an incredibly affordable price. It sounds great, looks fantastic, and offers an intuitive user interface too. Good as the remote is, the quality and feel of the controls just beg you to walk up to it, give the volume control a bit of a spin, and watch those power output meters come to life. Pairing it up with the SL-G700 and the speakers of your choice make for an incredibly high value proposition.
ProAc K1 review
May 29, 2021 Comments Off on ProAc K1 review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/proac-k1
While no one will see the plinth’s bottom surface once the speakers are on stands, it’s a shame that ProAc didn’t cover the base with veneer or give it some other treatment to make it look smarter. Currently, it looks a little unfinished with the plain wooden panel visible. This feels like cost-cutting that has no place in a product such as this. The way the plinth’s metal front plate is attached looks a little messy from underneath, too. Neither of these things are major issues, but at this price level, such small details matter.
ProAc makes 50cm-tall dedicated stands for the K1 that cost £995 ($1995). They require assembling and are held together by an oddly varied collection of screws and bolts. There are four columns in total for each stand and, thanks to pretty clear instructions, it doesn’t take long to put them together. The silver one in the front is solid aluminium (matching a similar piece on the front of the speaker), while the remaining three (all painted black) are hollow steel tubes. Once assembled, the stands are quite resonant, so a bit of mass-loading with sand or similar would help.
XDUOO XA-10 REVIEW
May 29, 2021 Comments Off on XDUOO XA-10 REVIEW
The xDuoo XA-10 has Qualcomm’s flagship-tier CSR8675. It supports LDAC and aptX HD. LDAC is currently one of the best Bluetooth codecs, in terms of performance. It is good to see that the XA-10 supports this codec. You can hook this DAC & AMP directly to your active speakers and control the playback through your phone, over-the-air. Bluetooth is always nice to have on these devices. Bluetooth range is also quite good, I had no drop-outs or any stability issues during my time with it. I want to say a couple of bits about controlling the device here. You already know that I can trade sluggish navigation for aesthetics but I wonder why xDuoo did not implement remote support to this beautiful-looking DAC. It would make things easier for us. In the menu, there are two subcategories only. Filter and gain setting. Upon spending around 2 hours fiddling with the filters, I can say that I haven’t heard any difference at all. Note that I am using the balanced output and streaming MQA files. There is no auto-standby setting either.
JBL 4349 STUDIO MONITOR LOUDSPEAKER $7,500 REVIEW
May 28, 2021 Comments Off on JBL 4349 STUDIO MONITOR LOUDSPEAKER $7,500 REVIEW
And, most delightfully, the 4349’s woofers don’t lose pitch definition or speed despite their size and weight. But as good as the bass is, it is NOT their best feature – that would be the midrange and treble! JBL’s horns put out a dynamic, clear, open, and extended midrange and treble. Again, I was highly skeptical about the 38mm horn driver – surely it couldn’t have the high-end sparkle and extension of a smaller driver of lighter mass? But from the first listen, the squinched-up-looking horn and its driver just astounded me. Not only did it disappear as being a discreet sound source, but the dispersion provided a holographic-sounding image with more clarity than I’d heard in my room before.
AURIS AUDIO HA2-SF REVIEW
May 28, 2021 Comments Off on AURIS AUDIO HA2-SF REVIEW
The HA2-SF can drive as good as all headphones on the market and because of the gain switch option, the VU meters now more easily dance around no matter what headphone you connect to it. With the Nirvana this is one of the downsides as it’s so powerful that the meters only move with really hard to drive headphones, or when you’re deaf and up the volume way too much. It’s nice to see that Auris listened to the market feedback, and know we have lovely moving VU meters on the front for most of the headphones you hook up to it in low gain.
NAD C 298 power amplifier Review
May 27, 2021 Comments Off on NAD C 298 power amplifier Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/nad-c-298-power-amplifier
Although my system is multichannel, there is no processor or preamplifier. The output of the DACs drives the power amps directly via balanced connections. I used the NAD’s XLR inputs in both stereo and bridged modes. When playing two-channel music, I used fixed gain. Fixed gain in stereo mode (28.6dB) also worked when playing multichannel with one C 298 powering the front L/R speakers. However, to use a pair of bridged C 298 amps, my options were to use fixed gain and adjust the channel balance in JRiver or the DAC or to use variable gain to match the other channels. The character of the amp remained constant across all these permutations
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