Audiophilepure

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Next up was “I Can’t Tell You Why,” from the Eagles’ The Long Run (LP, Asylum X5E-508). I was taken aback by how clean and smooth Tim Schmit’s lead vocal and Glenn Frey’s lead guitar sounded, and by how starkly they stood out from the rest of the mix. In “Heartache Tonight,” though the weight of Don Henley’s drums was absent, I was floored by how clearly those drums and the space around them were reproduced, and by how powerful they sounded. These cuts from this LP played on the Pro-Ject X1 had never sounded so good.

I’d expected to knock the H95 a little for its lack of a built-in phono stage — after all, these days, so many entry-level integrated-DACs have one. That was all changed by the superdetailed, super-refined sound of the Pro-Ject X1 turntable and Bellari VP549 phono stage plugged into the H95’s analog input with inexpensive interconnects. The convenience of having a built-in phono stage not withstanding, I think those who value great sound and play LPs might be better off getting an H95 anyway and then finding their own phono stage — and a good one doesn’t have ”

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“Few audiophiles—perhaps none—will buy the A-S3200 for its amp section alone. But because they may use it by itself if they subsequently purchase a separate preamp, I checked it out. Switching briefly from balanced to single-ended interconnects, I used the integrated’s “Main In” jacks to bypass the preamp section and let the Rossini control the volume. On went the “Chicago, 2012″ movement from Mason Bates’s Alternative Energy, performed by the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas on the Jack Vad–engineered hybrid SACD, Mason Bates: Works for Orchestra (SFS Media 0065). This music is more than a bit facile—Bates has written much better—but its multiple sound effects, including far-left–to–far-right, back-and-forth zooms of particles in a Fermi accelerator, zingy computer effects, deep bass, groovy orchestral rhythms, and percussive snap make for a challenging listening test.”

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When I later moved the i·V 7 into my music-listening room and connected it to the JBL tower speakers, the amp proved whisper-quiet once I powered everything up for playback. Listening to “Alexandra,” (16/44.1 FLAC, Tidal) a track by British singer-songwriter Laura Marling with an early 1970s-era Joni Mitchell vibe, I was struck by the intimate, warm, and completely unstressed quality of the sound. Vocals were full and rich, and the acoustic guitar, electric bass, and drums all came through distinctly in the mix.

Playing something more challenging such as the track “Hudson” by jazz supergroup Hudson from its self-titled album (24/44.1 FLAC, Qobuz), the interplay between Larry Grenadier’s standup bass and Jack DeJohnette’s drums was thoroughly dynamic, with the slapped strings of the close-miked bass cleanly delineated from the hi-hat cymbal and snare hits. In listening comparisons with the 2 x 150-watt Hegel integrated amp, the i·V 7 delivered firmer control over the low end, fleshing out the individual bass notes while maintaining a strong foundation. Meanwhile, John Scofield’s electric guitar floated above everything, coming across as clean without being overly crisp.”