SVS SB-2000 Pro Subwoofer Review $899 Review
June 25, 2020 Comments Off on SVS SB-2000 Pro Subwoofer Review $899 Review
“When I selected the sealed SB-2000 Pro model over the company’s ported PB-2000 Pro for evaluation, I figured I was going for the audiophile option at its price level. But it turns out that the SB-2000 Pro is just as proficient at pumping out huge explosions in action movies as it is blending into a two-channel audiophile setup. Better still, the SB-2000 Pro is affordable enough that I would consider buying two a worthwhile option if you want to get more even bass distribution in your room. The SB-2000 Pro might lack the automated setup options found on some of its rivals, but all the essential controls are provided to get this impressive, highly recommended subwoofer sounding its best in your room.”
FIIO M3 PRO REVIEW
June 25, 2020 Comments Off on FIIO M3 PRO REVIEW
“We have seen the ESS ES9128P on some flagship audiophile phones and DAPs, however, the M3 Pro is expected to sound better than quite a lot of phones with entry-level DAC chipsets or poor implementation.
The overall sound is quite clean with some elevation in the lower-treble to help tease out a bit more perceived clarity and contrast. Overall, this closely follows FiiO’s developing house sound for the M series with a relatively neutral tuning up to the mids and good clarity.The upper mids are more aggressive than the higher-end models from FiiO but it works well with darker sounding IEMs that need a boost for the vocals to bring it forward.”
BURSON CONDUCTOR 3XP REVIEW
June 23, 2020 Comments Off on BURSON CONDUCTOR 3XP REVIEW
“The Conductor series use the SABRE32/ESS9038Q2M DAC and XMOS USB receiver chips. Its Customised USB driver by Thesycon Germany ensures low latency bit-perfect audio playback. The result is incredible processing power, accurately playing back DSD512 and 38bit/786khz audio. It also features a Qualcomm/CSR8675 Bluetooth 5.0 receiver. Playing back at 24bit/96khz with aptX HD audio codec.
So in short, the 3XP is a trimmed down version of the 3XR unit, with less power, a different power supply and no analogue inputs. Just like the other Conductor models, the 3XP comes with Burson’s special Cool Case technology. Burson likes to turn Class-A amplifiers from monsters with heat-fins into elegant, desktop-friendly machines. The case is made from high-density aluminium and electroplated to space-grey and the Cool Case basically is a unified heat-sink keeping the Class-A Conductor cool and optimized. That means the unit will feel warm, but it’s all normal. ”
Raidho TD1.2 Loudspeaker $24,000 Review
June 22, 2020 Comments Off on Raidho TD1.2 Loudspeaker $24,000 Review
“The TD1.2 is the highest-performing, small, stand-mounted two-way loudspeaker I have heard—and I have heard some of the best. Its winning combination of exceptional overall resolution, expansive soundstaging, and musical swing in the form of lightning-fast and robust dynamics is just wonderful. This is a speaker for the two-way enthusiast who is willing to acquire the best of breed.
The Raidho TD1.2 appealed to my heart and head, to my musical soul and analytical reviewer self, and to my underdog-winning delight every time I heard it belt out stunning dynamic slam. Everyone who’s heard the speaker in my system loved it and marveled that such accuracy, lack of grain, and musical beauty came in such a small package. A marvel, indeed. Highly recommended.”
Nordost QBASE Power Distributor $1599 Review
June 22, 2020 Comments Off on Nordost QBASE Power Distributor $1599 Review
“I swapped over to analog, QKORE fully engaged, and soon the complaints were replaced with compliments. “Yes! This is the sound we’re familiar with. Now it has sparkle and color.” Hmm, what’s going on?
By the next day I had it figured out. I’m always tinkering and I forgot I had doubled up the QKORE treatment on the DAC. A QKORE XLR wire was in the DIG_IN jack. In addition, the QKORE RJ45 wire was in its Ethernet jack. Doubling up made for a sonic improvement when the QKORE was only partially implemented. With full-bore QKORE, it was too much.
The QKORE effect compounds. Adding more is good…until it isn’t. You’ll know when that happens—you lose the treble and the sound becomes dull, overly cleansed, just like the guys on the panel said.
Installation
There is a family resemblance among these products. Build quality, materials, and cosmetics closely match, in line with what I’ve come to expect from Nordost. The color scheme is brushed aluminum and black, accented by a gold binding post for the QKORE wire. You won’t be embarrassed to display them on your rack.
At first, the QBASE sounds dark and tight. As the days pass, it lightens and becomes limber. Allow a full week for complete burn-in.”
Simaudio Moon 700i v2 Integrated Amplifier $14,000 Review
June 20, 2020 Comments Off on Simaudio Moon 700i v2 Integrated Amplifier $14,000 Review
“I’ve reviewed several pricey, high-end integrated amplifiers over the years, and each had some unique personality, in terms of physical design, performance parameters and, most important, sound. In that last parameter, the Simaudio Moon 700i v2 proved an exception — it didn’t peddle in euphony or coloration, artifice or parlor tricks. I heard an utterly balanced, wide-open sound that I found impossible to find fault with. It was ultra-resolving without sounding analytical, and extended and airy while in no way bright. That elusive character — defined, if at all, by its very lack of character — might not be to every listener’s taste, but there was no question that the Moon 700i v2 proved a gentlemanly steward for the musical signals I passed through it. It also let through, with unvarnished authenticity, whatever idiosyncrasies and foibles were committed by the components upstream or downstream of it.”
Pro-Ject Audio Systems VC-E Record Cleaner $499 Review
June 20, 2020 Comments Off on Pro-Ject Audio Systems VC-E Record Cleaner $499 Review
Setup was easy-peasy, but there’s an oddity in the VC-E’s design: the vacuum pump’s exhaust is blown up into the underside of the record being cleaned through a vent a few inches to one side of the spindle. I thought this a weird place for the vent, and wondered if there was a downside to having it there — such as blowing dust particles into the underside’s groove. Pro-Ject does include a clear protective plate, about the size of a 12” LP, to place over the vent. From the manual: “In regular cleaning scenarios, it is not necessary to use the protective plate. However, when cleaning many records . . . (8-10 in a row), and under certain air conditions (warm temperature and/or high humidity) steam from the ventilator outlet can become an issue. If this is the case, place the protective plate on top of the base plate of the clamp.”
Cambridge Audio Edge A $6000 review
June 18, 2020 Comments Off on Cambridge Audio Edge A $6000 review
“Stereo imaging is nicely expansive. This integrated renders an expansive sound stage and populates it with well-defined and focused instruments. There’s a pleasing amount of stability here, and the amp locks sounds in place even when the music becomes demanding.
We switch to Nick Cave’s rambunctious Babe, I’m On Fire and the Cambridge is right at home. It’s an enthusiastic listen with plenty of rhythmic drive and punch. The production is as dense as they come yet the Cambridge maintains just the right amount of control without diluting the track’s frantic feel. That’s a neat trick most rivals can’t manage.
Turn the volume up and the Edge A creates a wonderful wall of sound that makes it virtually impossible not to get engrossed in the track. We play a great deal of music from the hauntingly beautiful Found Songs by Olafur Arnalds through Bruce Springsteen’s High Hopes set and Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring and at no point does the Edge A sound unconvincing. ”
HEDD AUDIO HEDDPHONES REVIEW
June 18, 2020 Comments Off on HEDD AUDIO HEDDPHONES REVIEW
“. The tonality of this work was spot-on and I was very confident that I was hearing this song as The Hip had intended. Bass again hit hard and quickly, but never lingered more than the recording called out for. The blend into the mid-range was seamless and effortless. What truly grabbed my attention with this recording (along with the expansive sound-staging) was just how coherent and balanced the treble was. Simply put, these headphones offer some of the very best treble extension, detail, shimmer around (regardless of price point) and never once seem strident or harsh. Moving on to “New Orleans is Sinking”, the raw energy of the guitar and bass were perfectly captured by the HEDDphones and had my head bopping up and down within only a few seconds. Gord’s vocals were equally laid bare with such a high level of transparency and clarity that I was thoroughly delighted throughout the track.”
D’Agostino Momentum HD Preamplifier £47,998 Review
June 17, 2020 Comments Off on D’Agostino Momentum HD Preamplifier £47,998 Review
“That’s by-the-by. This preamplifier has, to my ears, no rivals in dynamics nor in the bass. The tubas on the various Dukes Of Dixieland tracks blasted from the speakers with all of the force of the Salvation Army Band that performs in Canterbury on most Saturdays. I hear brass bands all the time – the HD put them in my listening room, with the mass, the power and above all the extension of the actual instruments in reality.
There is danger in using the word ‘best’. But I can tell you this much: the Momentum HD is one the greatest preamps I have ever experienced. If you own a TechDAS Zero turntable, Wilson Audio WAMM Master Chronosonics, or other components of that elevated calibre, you have to hear the D’Agostino Momentum HD. It’s that simple.”
Audiophilepure 
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