YG Acoustics Hailey 2.2 Loudspeaker $46,800 Review
December 11, 2020 Comments Off on YG Acoustics Hailey 2.2 Loudspeaker $46,800 Review
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/yg-acoustics-hailey-22-loudspeaker/
The Hailey 2.2 is a musically expressive, revealing speaker capable of deep-reaching, tuneful bass and agile, wide-ranging dynamics. It creates focused images within an expansive soundstage into which the speakers sonically disappear as sound sources. It reproduces power musiclike grand orchestral passages and hard-driving rock very well, as is also the case with subtle solo acoustic works (and all other kinds of music, for that matter). The Hailey is the lowest-priced model in YG’s line to offer all of the company’s defining engineering features except the cabinet-in-cabinet enclosures found in all the models above it. As such, it is a compelling way for listeners to enjoy most of YG’s technology at a significantly lower price. It is a fine example of trickle-down technology yielding good results. The Hailey 2.2 deserves to be on your audition short list at its price level. Another fine loudspeaker from YG and another recommendation.
PMC twenty5.26i Loudspeaker £8495 Review
December 10, 2020 Comments Off on PMC twenty5.26i Loudspeaker £8495 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/pmc-twenty526i-loudspeaker
AC/DC’s ‘It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)’ [High Voltage; EMI 494 6712] does not have the holographic imaging of other compositions, but while the speaker did not have to dig deep, neither did its midrange driver gloss over the distorted guitar riffs, retaining the distinctive layering. The wide soundstage also stood out, with Malcolm and Angus Young’s guitar parts enjoying a breadth that mirrors their on-stage setup.
There’s a cohesive nature to the twenty5.26i’s performance that’s addictive. The effect is that you can lose the sense you’re listening to a set of speakers, the sextet of drivers instead forming a balanced, even whole, from pure-sounding bass at the bottom to grit-free highs.
Thorens TD 1601 Turntable £3000 Review
December 10, 2020 Comments Off on Thorens TD 1601 Turntable £3000 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/thorens-td-1601-turntable
Playing ‘The Dance’ from The Cinematic Orchestra’s soundtrack The Crimson Wing [Walt Disney Records 050087443269] was a joy to behold, with percussion leaping enthusiastically from the loudspeakers. Behind this, the double-bass was appropriately fruity and fulsome and, when The London Metropolitan Orchestra’s strings came in, they soared magnificently.
The TD 1601 has a lovely sense of depth and scale. It may not quite pull performers out into the room in the manner of some rivals, but it conveys good atmosphere, which fills the space between and behind the loudspeakers well.
Rotel Michi M8 Mono Power Ampiifier £5399 (each) Review
December 9, 2020 Comments Off on Rotel Michi M8 Mono Power Ampiifier £5399 (each) Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/rotel-michi-m8-mono-power-ampiifier
Whether with powering guitars and pounding bass and drums, or delicate solo and small-ensemble music, these amps are entirely in their element, as evident when falling back on an old audiophile favourite, the Antonio Forcione/Sabina Sciubba version of ‘Why Can’t We Live Together’ [Meet Me In London; Naim cd021].
The sheer focus of the sound is breathtaking, from the openness of Sciubba’s voice to each strike on string or tap on the body of Forcione’s guitar, and the subtle additions of percussion. It has probably been demonstrated to death, but in the hands of the Michi P5 preamp and M8 monoblocks it still has the wherewithal to tingle and show what made it so special.
Wadax • Atlantis Reference Digital-to-Analog Converter $145,000
December 9, 2020 Comments Off on Wadax • Atlantis Reference Digital-to-Analog Converter $145,000
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/wadax_atlantis_reference.htm
In playing these three, very different renditions, the system’s ability to capture not just the notes, their amplitude and pitch, attack and sustain, but also the gaps the player leaves between them, is paramount. Such is the temporal precision of the Wadax Reference, the clarity with which it places and spaces notes, that the yawning chasm in the expressive range that separates Uchida’s sensitive, exquisitely weighted and deeply emotive performance, from the smooth color-scape of Perahia or Lisiecki’s fireworks displays, matches the artistic separation you experience hearing these performers live, reflecting both personal preference and who you’d choose — or pay good money — to see and hear in concert. Do we really need another set of Beethoven Piano Concertos? When the performance delivers such depth of musical and emotional insight — and when we have replay systems capable of revealing that insight — then the answer is definitely “Yes.” Hearing Uchida playing these familiar pieces through the Wadax Atlantis Reference Transport and Reference DAC is an experience that not only shows them in a new light, but engages you with the full power and emotional range of those original performances. The overall temporal, dynamic and musical coherence of the musIC process has always brought impressive communicative qualities to the Wadax products. But combine it with the black silence, dynamic potential, tonal range and absolute stability of the Reference DAC’s operating environment and you have the basis for natural musical reproduction that is, in audio terms, unprecedented — something that moves us demonstrably closer to the original event.
KALDAS RESEARCH RR1 CONQUEST REVIEW
December 8, 2020 Comments Off on KALDAS RESEARCH RR1 CONQUEST REVIEW
Looks-wise, the Kaldas Research RR1 Conquest is certainly unlike anything else out there on the market. It has a ‘sci-fi-meets-industrial’ kinda vibe, and it looks all business with its exposed wires on the outside of the cups and overall Spartan aesthetic. Build-wise, the RR1 employs a mix of spring steel for the headband, anodised machined aluminum for the headband assembly, and injected thermoplastic for those signature, large earcups. Finding your perfect fit with the RR1 requires you to get a bit ‘hands-on’. Kaldas supplies a pair of allen wrenches for adjusting the length of the headband, as well as the amount of articulation on the earcup yokes. It’s a little finicky, but it’s certainly in keeping with the RR1’s ‘industrial’ DNA and no doubt helps to keep the RR1’s price-point as sharp as it is. On the head, the RR1 is supremely comfortable after a few adjustments here and there and it’s certainly an ‘all-day’ proposition due to the fact that it tips the scales at only 366 grams. While the replaceable pads themselves are quite thin, the cup size is generous with plenty of room for my ears. Clamp-force is fairly light, but the leather-like suspension headband has to do most of the work
BRISE AUDIO YATONO RH2+ REVIEW
December 8, 2020 Comments Off on BRISE AUDIO YATONO RH2+ REVIEW
The 2-pin connectors are more rounded than some other cables and they have blue & red markings for left & right, together with Brise Audio logos. They look pretty nice and complementary to the rest of the design and they also feel rock solid to me. In this Yatono model, they have a gray painting to reflect this particular series.
One thing I really liked though is the memory wire area. The memory wire is short with a good balance between flexibility and stiffness. Also, the material on the memory wire is soft, so it doesn’t bother your ear with its presence, even with long listening periods. This is critical for my experience with aftermarket cables.
Another exceptional detail for the memory wire is that Brise Audio uses a slim titanium rib for bending the memory part around the ear. Also, the tips of that titanium rib are twisted to prevent any tearing problems with the wire (which happens with some stock or aftermarket cables), and also for the users’ health. The attention to detail here is astounding.
QUESTYLE CMA TWELVE REVIEW
December 6, 2020 Comments Off on QUESTYLE CMA TWELVE REVIEW
As it turns out, I’ve had a Questyle product rooted firmly on my desktop for the past couple of years now – their CMA600i DAC/amp combo unit. I’ve used the CMA600i as both my daily solid-state headphone amp as well as my benchmark reference amplifier when it comes to testing headphones, and as a reference benchmark for testing other source and amplification gear. It’s earned a permanent place on my desktop thanks to its killer build and superb flexibility when it comes to being the ‘heart’ of my desktop system, performing flawlessly as both a balanced headphone amplifier and as a preamplifier. The CMA600i was released several years ago now, but it still hasn’t been knocked off its perch around these parts despite having had much more expensive gear pass across my review desk in the meantime. As well as being brilliant to live with, the chief reason I love the CMA600i so much is that its all Class-A ‘Current Mode Amplification’ (hence their ‘CMA’ prefix) stage just so happens to sound bloody”
Rosson Audio Design RAD-0 Headphon REVIEW
December 6, 2020 Comments Off on Rosson Audio Design RAD-0 Headphon REVIEW
“The bespoke nature of the Rosson Audio Design RAD-0 is a nice bonus at this price point. Surprisingly, it’s not common in the space outside of custom in ear monitors, which by their very nature have to be customized to fit the wearer’s ear. The colors are art in and of themselves, and the way the material is crafted pushes the quality to something above and beyond the average. It’s very original in that way, a slight escape from the black plastic or sanded wood options from the rest of the competition.
Sound quality is equally unique to the headphone. It’s artful and constructed with purpose. The low bass is tasty, while the vocals have weight and presence to them. One of the best constructed headphones I have ever reviewed. Sturdy, heavy and audiophile to the core. It’s surely one to add to your collection, the variation from the pack is just enough to add something (aka fun) without detracting. But if it’s your only top tier headphone, you probably wouldn’t need another to fill the space.
Audiophilepure 
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