Fyne Audio F700 Loudspeakers Review
December 5, 2021 Comments Off on Fyne Audio F700 Loudspeakers Review
https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1067-fyne-audio-f700-loudspeakers
Let me be clear up front: Fyne Audio’s F700 is a riot. I queued up Seinabo Sey’s “Younger [Acoustic Version]” from her debut album Pretend (24-bit/44.1kHz MQA, Universal Records/Virgin EMI Records/Tidal) and laughed out loud when I heard the finished product. The Swedish singer’s voice emerged from between these stylish two-ways in commanding fashion. The Fynes were decidedly not shy, propelling Sey’s closely-miked vocal into my room with a forwardness and immediacy that was impossible not to admire. The flanking piano lines were marked by a similar vibrancy; the aforementioned lower treble prominence is quite real, so careful equipment partnering is a must to ensure that this quality doesn’t become too much of a good thing. I need to emphasize that while I was sitting unmistakably front row, center seat for “Younger,” both Sey’s voice and her piano were utterly refined and silky smooth. This is not a bright-sounding loudspeaker, just forward. The F700 is so much more than a quick thrill. Stereo imaging of Sey’s vocal was terrific, with strong spatial definition; not exactly a shock given the Fynes’ coaxial driver arrangement. And detail retrieval was excellent for the price point. I easily picked up Sey’s mouth movements and inhalation of breath before she delivered her opening lines, and the track was as engaging at low volume as it was when I cranked my Hegel’s volume dial. It all sounded so effortless, yet hugely expressive and invigorated.
NAD C 298 Class D Power Amp Review
December 4, 2021 Comments Off on NAD C 298 Class D Power Amp Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/nad-c-298-class-d-power-amp
I’ll not fall into the ‘but it’s a Class D amplifier’ trap. There’s no elephant in the room here, just a relatively compact black box sat on a kit rack. Yes, NAD’s C 298 might not bring the mug-of-cocoa warmth and smoothness one might expect (or demand) from a hot-running transistor or tube amp but that’s because it’s voiced for a very direct sound, presenting the music without gloss. In this instance there’s no fear the experience becomes clinical or dry, turning listening from a relaxed pleasure into something more demanding. There’s so much excitement to be had from its exuberance, power and rhythmic ability that any craving for something mellower doesn’t last for long.
I finished with The City Of Prague Philharmonic’s performance of Elmer Bernstein’s ‘The Magnificent Seven’ [100 Greatest Film Themes; Silva Screen Records SILCD1309]. Here, the brass instruments and rat-a-tat snare drums emerged from silence with the speed of an Old West sharp-shooter, but there was a light touch to the proceedings too. The C 298 didn’t overstate its power, and the sweeping string notes that followed were writ both large and lush. The amp also let the piece’s warmth and energy shine through. Magnificent? At this price, I’d say so.
Active Speakers from Cabasse: The Pearl Pelegrina €25,000 MSRP
December 3, 2021 Comments Off on Active Speakers from Cabasse: The Pearl Pelegrina €25,000 MSRP
https://stereo-magazine.com/article/exklusiv-active-speakers-from-cabasse-the-pearl-pelegrina
At the heart of the new speakers is the tri-coaxial TCA driver, also found in Cabasse’s La Sphère and Baltic V speakers, which combines woofer, midrange and tweeter into one driver. A built-in 30-cm subwoofer with Cabasse’s HELD technology is added to that. Thanks to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, DAC and active technology, the Pearl Pelegrina can be used as a complete streaming system; additional digital and analog inputs are also available.
The Pearl Pelegrina additionally offers DSPs and room correction – which works via a built-in microphone – to further optimize the music signal. The wireless speakers are also multi-room capable via the StreamCONTROL app, and can be controlled with the included Bluetooth remote.
The Cabasse Pelegrina are limited to 70 pieces and are said to cost €25,000 (MSRP for Germany including stand). Each model also features a numbered aluminum plaque.
Wells Audio Cipher DAC $5000 Review
December 3, 2021 Comments Off on Wells Audio Cipher DAC $5000 Review
I tend to find that ESS based DACs have a sound that I describe closer to etching than to painting when it comes to how they present the sound stage. The Cipher is not an exception to this. It etches the sound stage in front of you, with incredible detail, space, and depth. While the Mytek Brooklyn does this as well, I find that the Mytek is drier and more forward in its presentation. This creates too much of a good thing depending on the recording. Said a different way, give the Brooklyn the wrong material in the wrong signal chain and it can sound overly sharp and bright to my ears.
Unlike the Brooklyn, the Cipher never sounded overly harsh or dry to my ears. I assume that a big part of the reason why is Jeff’s output stage. I found that every recording has a minimum amount of body or weight. This weight when combined with the extremely detail of the ESS chipset balanced the sound and created something really special.
Degritter Ultrasonic LP Cleaner Review
December 1, 2021 Comments Off on Degritter Ultrasonic LP Cleaner Review
Degritter Ultrasonic LP Cleaner
In practice, the Degritter delivers all the incontrovertible benefits of ultrasonic cleaning. I pulled out a copy of Joni Mitchell’s classic Court and Spark that I bought more than 40 years ago (and have since replaced with a remastered version), and listened to it before and after cleaning. I also compared the sound before and after cleaning with another record I’ve had for decades, Bill Evans’ You Must Believe in Spring. I also tried a couple of recent used acquisitions, Linda Ronstadt’s For Sentimental Reasons (a spectacular recording, by the way), and Dexter Gordon’s The Monmartre Collection, Volume Two (that was sent to me in a Montmarte Collection Volume One jacket). This record, not available in any digital format, captures Gordon in his prime (1967) with a terrific band. With all these LPs, a cycle through the Degritter didn’t just reduce surface noise, as you’d expect; it also presented a startlingly blacker background that made the music seem to exist independently of the physical medium. The effect is a more believable presentation and a heightened sense of contemporaneous music-making. I really heard this on the Dexter Gordon record; the feeling of hearing a four-piece group play in a jazz club was more pronounced after cleaning. Ultrasonic cleaning also seems to make it easier to hear individual instruments, as though each exists as its own entity rather than being fused into a single fabric.
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G Loudspeaker Review
December 1, 2021 Comments Off on Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G Loudspeaker Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/monitor-audio-silver-500-7g-loudspeaker
Inside there’s also a new crossover, which the brand says was designed concurrently with the Silver 500 7G’s drivers, one project informing the other. Ceramic resistors, polypropylene and polyester capacitors, and air-core and steel-core inductors are used across an optimised three-way (800Hz/2.7kHz) network.
For £1725, these floorstanders are rather imposing. If you want a loudspeaker that will fit neatly in a small/mid-sized room, investigate the Silver 200 or 300 models, as these use 156mm woofers and so don’t have this cabinet’s 23cm girth. The Silver 500 7G enclosure is deep too (33cm), and once Monitor Audio’s new – and smart – moulded ABS outriggers are attached you’ll have lost a lot of floorspace.
It’s useful, then, that the new styling of this seventh generation is right on trend. Monitor Audio describes it as ‘crisp-edged’, but that sells it short. There are no curved faces, but corners are smooth and the finish of our ‘High Gloss Black’ and ‘Satin White’ samples was spectacular. There are three other colourways to choose from: Black Oak, Natural Walnut and Ash variants that dress the cabinet in real wood veneers. The last of those is intended to evoke the ‘Scandinavian look’, so ABBA fans should hunt it down.
Nordost Premium QKORE Wire Review
November 30, 2021 Comments Off on Nordost Premium QKORE Wire Review
The major impact of the Premium QKORE wires is purity of the high frequencies. Secondary effects include increased image mass, a boost in dynamics, and dialing in focus. On the subjective side, there’s more drama and impact.
I’m tempted to say the system is clean after installing Premium Wires everywhere, but I won’t fall into that trap again. You can be sure the RFI daemon lurks and will show up again after the next advance goes in, whatever that might be. That there will be a next advance is extremely likely, as RFI combating is on the frontlines.
Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G Loudspeaker Review
November 30, 2021 Comments Off on Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G Loudspeaker Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/monitor-audio-silver-500-7g-loudspeaker
Generally speaking, the Silver 500 7G’s high frequencies are crisp, clear and airy. There’s some lack of sweetness, and I noted an occasional tendency for them to slip into bright, sharp territory depending on the recording. The high-fret bends during the guitar solo in The Marshall Tucker Band’s ‘Can’t You See’ [Tidal Hi-Fi download] appeared to find a place that the speaker’s C-CAM tweeter didn’t really agree with. Elsewhere, however, the loudspeaker’s warm, enveloping voicing is sure to please its mid-budget audience.
Time spent positioning the Silver 500 7G reaps rewards. My pairing imaged very well – I didn’t find them fussy regards toe-in to get them focused, and even when sat off-axis I still felt invited to the party. Yet the dual bass drivers’ output requires some management. These speakers have considerable low-end reach and impressive stop-start ability, but site them too near boundary walls and these admirable traits can suffer. Four foam bungs are provided for the bass-reflex system, giving flexibility over tuning, and with the speakers positioned 45cm from my wall, I found using them on the lower HiVe port tightened up the LF
Linn Klimax DSM network streaming preamplifier Review
November 29, 2021 Comments Off on Linn Klimax DSM network streaming preamplifier Review
A reviewer’s job is to trip products up, but the best products trip us up instead. When this happens, we play music that we think will show limitations in a device, and they end up highlighting their strengths instead. So it was with the Klimax DSM; I played the Overture to The Pirates of Penzance [D’Oyly Carte, Decca] which is a great test for imaging, but ended up being so musically bouncy and fun (as it should be) I felt like I should have mutton-chops and be wearing a smoking jacket. I played ‘Back In Black’ by AC/DC [Atlantic] on Tidal and air-guitared my way to dislocating a shoulder and I played some Miles Davis to check on that complex interplay on Shhh/Peaceful [In A Silent Way, Columbia] and now I have a $1,000 per day coke habit. And that’s the big thing about the Linn Klimax DSM; you feel rolling out the same old terms for audio performance when you are dealing with a product that is so very much about the music isn’t just wrong, it’s positively asinine. Of course, it ticks all the audiophile boxes of good soundstaging, outstanding levels of detail, excellent vocal articulation, superb image solidity and dynamic range and fluidity of sound that could give a turntable a run for its money, but that’s just par for the course in high-end streaming. What this gives over and above that is a sense of being as one with the musical intentions of the composer or musicians.
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