Gold Note DS-10 headphone amplifier $2995 review
May 18, 2020 Comments Off on Gold Note DS-10 headphone amplifier $2995 review
“The unit supports MQA, although it surprisingly does not give an obvious visual indication of this on its front panel. And, as always with MQA, it’s a bit hard working out exactly what’s going on. For example, playing the ‘M’ (Master) version of Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness on Tidal, the app clearly indicated MQA and said that the stream was 24-bits and 96kHz (and that the bitrate was 1694kbps, for what that’s worth) but the DS-10’s front panel reported the audio as ‘PCM 192kHz’. Was the app doubling things?
But when I played some test MQA music I’d downloaded, the app reported MQA, 24-bits and 352.8kHz sampling, but the front panel showed 176.4kHz. So perhaps the app was reporting the coded music but was not performing the last unfold.
Another test track that the app reported to be 44.1kHz was also shown as 176.4kHz on the front panel, while a further 44.1kHz one was shown as playing back at 44.1kHz by both the app and on the DS-10’s front panel. Clearly the unit is doing something with MQA, and they all sounded fine.”
Parasound NewClassic 200 Integrated Amplifier $1,195 Review
May 18, 2020 Comments Off on Parasound NewClassic 200 Integrated Amplifier $1,195 Review
“Streaming hi-res music from Tidal and Qobuz produced the anticipated result: clean, defined, highly dynamic sound with plenty of punch. The 200 Integrated’s 110 watts per channel was something of an overkill for small two-ways at a 20-inch listening distance, but the effortless dynamics I heard confirmed my long-maintained belief that more power is always better than less power.”
HEDD AUDIO HEDDPHONE REVIEW
May 17, 2020 Comments Off on HEDD AUDIO HEDDPHONE REVIEW
“With an impedance of 42Ohm and only 87dB, the HEDDphone isn’t the easiest to drive and that shows with the different amps I’ve used it with. It’s not that it’s impossible to drive though, but you’ll see the volume dial go up compared to your regular planar magnetic and dynamic headphones.
When I first heard the difference between balanced an single ended mode I figured it was the Niimbus US4+ that was acting up, but when I switched to the Topping DX7 Pro, I got the exact same result. The DX7 PRO is an incredible DAC/AMP and it totally outperforms its price. With the DX7 Pro and HEDDphone combo, you get more energetic upper mids and treble in both modes. The upper mids and vocals are even more clear and defined as it’s where the Topping DX7 pro really shines.”
Nitty Gritty 1.0 Record Cleaning System $529 Review
May 17, 2020 Comments Off on Nitty Gritty 1.0 Record Cleaning System $529 Review
“Cleaning your records regularly with the Nitty Gritty is an absolute must to reach the full potential of your record playing enjoyment. Most of my records are well over 30 years old and the sound is very often better than a newer but dirty record. The only thing the Nitty Gritty system will not do is remove skips and scratches.
The Nitty Gritty company sells a wide assortment of record cleaners ranging in price from $529 to the Mini-Pro 2 at $1,579. The Mini-Pro automatically wets, rotates, scrubs, and vacuums both sides of the record simultaneously. They also sell a special solution for 78 RPM records that I have not tried. Their products are widely available in just about every high-end stereo shop along with a number of record stores. Just about every online high-end retailer also sells the Nitty Gritty line. Coincidentally I purchased my Nitty Gritty from the same place I purchased my Hana EH phono cartridge: Reference Audio Video in Gardena, CA.”
Sonus faber Olympica Nova V Loudspeaker £14,900 Review
May 16, 2020 Comments Off on Sonus faber Olympica Nova V Loudspeaker £14,900 Review
“Elsewhere in the spectrum EPDR is very well controlled, with a narrow dip to 2.0ohm/35Hz and to 2.6ohm/826Hz. So the Nova V isn’t as hard to drive as it may first appear. Forward frequency responses measured on the tweeter axis [Graph 1] show a rising output above 4kHz, which strongly suggests the speaker should be auditioned a little off-axis for the most neutral tonal balance. Response errors reflect this up-tilted treble at ±4.8dB and ±4.4dB, respectively, but with careful alignment it should be possible to reduce this to ±3dB or so. Pair matching error over the same 300Hz-20kHz range is disappointing at ±1.7dB but this is largely due to a minor narrowband disparity at 2.1kHz. Without this the figure would have been a respectable ±1.0dB. Diffraction-corrected nearfield measurement showed the bass extension to be 43Hz (–6dB re. 200Hz). The cumulative spectral decay waterfall [Graph 2] is free of resonances in the upper treble but shows three modes associated with the response peaks at 1.2kHz, 2.3kHz and 3.8kHz”
Chord Electronics Hugo TT2
May 15, 2020 Comments Off on Chord Electronics Hugo TT2
“There is a lot more ground to cover on the Hugo TT2, not least how it pairs with the TToby. I have the TToby hooked up to the Hifiman headphone amp adapter for use with the HE6 and I will try to cover that also.
I love how the HE6 and the Abyss Diana Phi sound with that huge power amp behind them both. The XLR balanced output of the Hugo TT2 might be a bit too much for these two so I need to be a bit cautious about the power obsession angle. Going unbalanced has already shown promising performance with the Susvara so there may not be a need for the additional power.
The Bluetooth angle is also worth looking into as we have a ton of wireless devices lying around this year including some good streamers. And of course, we need to compare, not just the DAC but also the headphone amp. We do have some worth competitors this year including the dCS Bartok so stay tuned for our full review down the line!”
Audeze LCD-1 Headphones Review
May 15, 2020 Comments Off on Audeze LCD-1 Headphones Review
“, the LCD-1s elicited the sort of reaction that often has me reaching for tissues to mop up the tears. Yeah, I still go dewy-eyed when music transcends the listening-for-review-purposes and gets to me, when I should be listening for stuff like bass control or stage depth. Both Kyu and Julie sang within my cranium, true, but the breathiness of the latter and the clear enunciation of the former were perfectly preserved and ‘non-intrusive’.
What is Kessler on about? How can something be in one’s skull and not be intrusive? Well, I heard both a lack of artifice and enough outside-of-the-head sound to preclude any distraction. Better was a sweetness that somehow rendered tolerable the massed violins on the Majestic Strings’ Strings For Many Moods [Tape-Mates TMS-131 3¾ips tape] over its agonising three hours.
As the above suggests, I love these headphones. My only complaint? They don’t have active noise reduction, which would make them my perfect travel cans.”
AudioQuest Niagara 1200 Low-Z Power | Noise-Dissipation System Review
May 14, 2020 Comments Off on AudioQuest Niagara 1200 Low-Z Power | Noise-Dissipation System Review
“I’ve been a huge fan of power conditioners since a salesman plugged in an early MIT (I forget the model, but is was 5K in the early ‘90s) and it transformed the system I was auditioning in a Queen St, Toronto store—an area known for crap power. Night and day. Of course, some conditioners I’ve heard, especially those not considering an amplifier’s high current needs, choked the life out of the sound. Happily, the AudioQuest Niagara Series has a wonderful consistency. Source or amplification, your gear is going to be treated with kid gloves.
If you have the cash, getting the new 3000 or the superb 5000 would elevate your system even further, but if not, the 1200 at $995 is a bargain. It’ll give you a serious taste of how Powell’s wonderful designs improve a system. Very highly recommended.
Jadis Orchestra Black integrated amplifier $3995 Review
May 14, 2020 Comments Off on Jadis Orchestra Black integrated amplifier $3995 Review
“While listening to the Benjamin Britten/Peter Pears/ London Symphony Orchestra version of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius (2 LPs, London OSA 1293), something about the Jadis amp’s playback characteristics drew my attention to the harp, a key instrument in the work’s introduction. Each plucked note had pretty good—not top-shelf, but perfectly satisfying—physicality of attack, but even better decays: maybe a slight bit too much overhang, but in a pleasant, musically consonant way. And the physicality of those notes: Wow! Every one was gorgeous, every one a mini event.”
MartinLogan Motion 35XTi Loudspeakers Review
May 13, 2020 Comments Off on MartinLogan Motion 35XTi Loudspeakers Review
“The Dynamo 800X is what tips the scales even more in MartinLogan’s favor. At $2250 for the three-piece system, this is crazy good. I can’t think of too many speakers for this amount of money that I’d rather own. They certainly don’t reach 24 Hz. They don’t have room correction or Bluetooth or wireless capabilities, nor can they be operated with my iPhone. I can only wonder what would have happened if I had told Devin to send me the big 1600X subwoofer cuz I gotta have MORE BASS. With the 35XTi, it’s still just a $3400 investment.
I’m not sure if the MartinLogan Motion 35XTi monitors and Dynamo 800X subwoofer have turned me into a 2.1 kind of audiophile. I still prefer the simplicity of two-channel audio. But if someone asks me for a recommendation for an affordable yet killer pair of satellites and sub, I’m simply going to send them the link to this review. Superb!”
Audiophilepure 
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