Sonner Audio Legato Unum $4750 Review
November 5, 2020 § 1 Comment
Sonner Audio Legato Unum
“Unum’s soundstage, replication of scale, and dimensionality were solid considering its humble size. Images were cleanly spaced and stable. Orchestral section-layering was indicated, but ultimately stage depth was limited. To my ears, Unum had a more focused signature, emphasizing a musician’s direct sound rather than extended ambient decay, a trait that registered with me as I listened to The San Francisco Opera’s live performance of “Somewhere” from West Side Story. The ability to send ambient information fanning across a stage to the furthest edges of the soundfield was notoften fully realized—nor were the tactile and textural backing that supports and reinforces individual musical images and allows those images to fully inhabit the soundspace.
In terms of unbridled output and dynamics, Unum’s physical size is a factor, so mind those 100dB P’s and Q’s. While it can’t fully break the bonds of its own compact genetics, I’m not suggesting Unum needs to be coddled, either. Never shrinking from a challenge, cue up the heavy dance groove of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” [Thriller], and you’ll likely be as surprised as I was by the amount of whomp, rhythm, focus, and drive coming from such a small speaker. Or, an even more extreme case, try listening to the gale-force depth and impact of the Kodo Drums during “Air” from the soundtrack to The Thin Red Line. Of course there’s some compression, and certainly there are limitations to how much kettle- or bass-drum air a compact can launch into the soundspace of a room, but the Unum surprised me time and again at its effectiveness in capturing the broad range of sonic color of this powerful material.”
Allnic Audio L-8000 DHT Preamplifier $22,900 Reviews
November 5, 2020 Comments Off on Allnic Audio L-8000 DHT Preamplifier $22,900 Reviews
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2020/4/30/kershawallnicl8000
So, what was different than the already expensive and wonderful L-7000? Can you imagine living with repertoire for fifty plus years, playing it, conducting it, studying it, eating and sleeping the damn stuff, and still managing to be so moved by something new, something magical? The audio cynic in me was asking a lot of questions. As I choked up.
But there it was, the slow movement of the Jupiter Symphony, with Mozart weaving magical spells in the violin opening melody and daring us not to cry at the utter genius of it. The L-8000 allows more magic in. Simple. You’ll get more sweetness, more event space, better imaging and the aforementioned timbral accuracy, which to my old musician ears is super accurate.
This went on all morning.
Later in the month and after many hours of listening, the magic spark was still there, poking at me this way, tugging another. Yet, the auditory system is a cruel mistress, at least in audiophile terms. In fact, most neurological systems are too soon to forget. I had a cataract done a year ago after the blur was getting too much. As soon as the bandage came off, it was if I had X-ray vision. 8K clarity. It was amazing. A day or two later, meh. Back to the standard here and now. If only we could maintain that new car smell.
PMC Twenty5.23i $6250 Review
November 4, 2020 Comments Off on PMC Twenty5.23i $6250 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/pmc-twenty523i
PMC has always promoted transmission line bass loading over the use of reflex ports or sealed cabinets, and things are no different here. The idea is that the rear-firing sound from the mid/bass driver passes through a folded path inside the speaker cabinet.
This path is carefully lined with damping materials so that all but the lowest frequencies are absorbed. These frequencies exit from the opening at the base of the front panel and augment the bass from the drive unit. It’s important to note that the transmission line’s output is in-phase with the drive unit.
NICEHCK NX7 PRO
November 3, 2020 Comments Off on NICEHCK NX7 PRO
I decided to change it up and move to the Classical genre. I started with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise, Op. 34”. This is one of my favorite pieces and it did not disappoint on the NX7 Pros. The mids were nicely pronounced, especially when the oboes come in. The background was entirely black and the highs did not feel “too sharp” as many of the more affordable IEMs often do when playing classical but were still a little pronounced.”
PRO-JECT VC-S MKII RECORD CLEANING MACHINE
November 3, 2020 Comments Off on PRO-JECT VC-S MKII RECORD CLEANING MACHINE
TM-8 has been around since 2014. It is a reformulated version of the highly-regarded Torumat TM-7, which was developed decades ago by a chemical engineer and rocket fuel designer named Toy Shigekawa. Groovy purchased the TM-7 formula and engaged two chemical engineers to secure production through currently available resources, including the highest quality commercially available ingredients. The result, says Groovy, is an ultra-pure, chemically-sound fluid that will not break down over time. Because one of the design goals was to clean the record without the use of substances that might harm or otherwise degrade vinyl, TM-8 contains no alcohol. Another goal, addressed by the use of ultra-pure ingredients, was to remove as much residue from the record as possible without requiring a separate rinse. Groovy maintains that TM-8 lowers surface noise and improves tracking, resulting in increased resolution and a neutral sonic signature. While Groovy does not recommend the use of TM-8 with ultrasonic record cleaning machines such as Audio Desk,
PMC FACT.12 SIGNATURE FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER £14,995 Review
November 1, 2020 Comments Off on PMC FACT.12 SIGNATURE FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER £14,995 Review
http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/pmc-fact12-signature-floorstanding-loudspeaker/
“OK, so scratching the surface, there are some observations to be made. The fact.12 Signature’s room-flexibility might weigh against it when shoe-horned into a really tiny room, or used where the Fenestria should sit; in other words, there are speakers that might be a better ‘fit’ for really challenging room volumes. The other observation is that if you hook the fact.12 Signature to some really meaty power amplification and play it loud, something’s gotta give… and that something is your ears. These speakers play clean, loud, and undistorted. If you like to play music at ‘a fair lick’ a lot the fact.12 Signature’s headroom means your usual ‘turn it down, it’s distorting’ point could be ‘turn it down, my ears are relaxing on each beat’. “
Synergistic Research PowerCell SX Power Conditioner Review
October 29, 2020 Comments Off on Synergistic Research PowerCell SX Power Conditioner Review
The PowerCell SX comes with three options of power cord: the Atmosphere X Euphoria Level 3 cord (5’, $3995 if bought separately, total price $8495); the Galileo SX cord (5’, $6000 separate, $10,495 total); or the SRX cord (6’, $10,000 separate, $12,995 total). The SRX, Synergistic’s best currently sold power cord, is similar to the SR25 Limited Edition cord ($20,000, sold out): a long, flat, flexible, layered EM cell containing two smaller folded cells, one each for the hot and neutral conductors. Synergistic claims that the SRX provides state-of-the-art filtration of AC.
While all of these cords are actively shielded, their power supplies are internal — no external wires are used to deliver the shield’s DC bias. With the PowerCell SX, Synergistic also sent me Atmosphere X Euphoria Level 3 and SRX power cords, and a High Definition Ground Cable ($400) for use with my Active Ground Block.”
Monitor Audio Gold 200 Loudspeakers $5500 Review
October 29, 2020 Comments Off on Monitor Audio Gold 200 Loudspeakers $5500 Review
https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1485-monitor-audio-gold-200-loudspeakers
Eddie Vedder’s deep, resonant baritone in “Society,” from Into the Wild, sounded remarkably similar through the two pairs of towers. Switching back and forth between them, I was always treated to a consistently clean, open sound. The Monitors created a slightly deeper soundstage, this most evident when the backing singers harmonize with Vedder. Otherwise, whenever I thought I heard a difference, I’d then switch to the other speakers and not be so sure. Given that the Performa3 F206 is one of the best speakers I’ve heard, this is a testament to the quality of the Gold 200, which was never outclassed by its American counterpart.
As I listened to “m.A.A.d. city,” from Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city (16/44.1 AIFF, Aftermath/Interscope), the Gold 200s had a bit more bass oomph than the Performa3 F206es, whose sound was lighter in comparison. But Lamar’s voice was clearer through the Revels, as if it had been mixed a bit farther forward. And as clean as the Monitors sounded, the super-transparent Revels outlined Lamar’s voice more precisely. Ultimately, I appreciated how both pairs of speakers reproduced this track and could live happily with either — but if forced to choose, I’d pick the Monitor Gold 200s for hip-hop: Their weightier sound is, overall, better suited to the “
Audio Note UK TT3 turntable system $10,795 Review
October 28, 2020 Comments Off on Audio Note UK TT3 turntable system $10,795 Review
“On a subsequent to Soundhounds they demonstrated the Audio Note UK TT2 – I was impressed. This had the tactile speed and lightness of touch of the Voyd – it had the nimble bounce and energy of the Voyd – well – almost. The TT2 sounded more transparent and “locked in” in terms of pace. It had energy and pizzazz where some of the store’s high mass turntables sounded bloodless and overly polite to me in comparison. I was drawn to the sound of the TT2 over some dearer turntables from Linn, Clearaudio, and Oracle.”
EMPIRE EARS HERO $1,349 REVIEW
October 28, 2020 Comments Off on EMPIRE EARS HERO $1,349 REVIEW
“The Hero can be put down in a few sentences as a monitor with impactful, authoritative and extended lows. It has a beautifully smooth mid-range that puts upper mids lightly forward. Vocals
on the Hero stand out the most as its best quality in my opinion. The treble is a bit conflicting, as it can be on the edge of sharpness at times, but generally it has an agile top that delivers a great
sense of air.
Hero reaches deep into the sub-bass and does so with good drive. It has a slightly forward bass presence, that does not overshadow any other frequency range. Hero does keep its lows well”
Audiophilepure 
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