AGD ANDANTE PREAMPLIFIER AND VIVACE MONOBLOCKS $15,000 REVIEW
September 15, 2020 Comments Off on AGD ANDANTE PREAMPLIFIER AND VIVACE MONOBLOCKS $15,000 REVIEW
“Comparing the two, the music, like the amps themselves, is lighter weight with the Audion. (6.5 pounds for each Audion versus 22 pounds for each Vivace.) The soundscape is equally broad, but the musicians seem more firmly anchored in place with the Vivace and there is a greater sense of physicality, not only in the musicians and the music, but of the space among the players — more room tone, if you will. The atmosphere of the venue becomes more prominent in live performances, whether rock ‘n roll, jazz, or classical. With the larger power supply, there is also greater control of power passages, whether crescendos in rock, classical or deep organ. Sustained notes extend without wavering. The similarity to tube amplifiers is uncanny with smooth, three-dimensional notes, particularly when used with a tube preamp.
What this adds up to is greater involvement with the music. It takes less mental energy to convince yourself that you are listening to live music and the music reaches out to you and pulls you in with realism that I have rarely heard before — and only in much more expensive systems, or with music that was not complex. This is not the pull of romantic musicality such as you get with a high-efficiency speaker driven by a 2A3 SET amp, but the pull of seemingly live music being performed in front of you right at home. This was my response to the Vivace driven by my Coincident Statement Line Preamplifier and Statement Phono Preamplifier. But read on. The story gets even better, and perhaps even worse.”
Acora Acoustics SRC-1 Loudspeaker $28,000 Review
September 15, 2020 Comments Off on Acora Acoustics SRC-1 Loudspeaker $28,000 Review
“My listening notes abound with specific examples addressing the rest of what TAS reviewer Anthony Cordesman has called “The Sonic Checklist,” but just one recording will suffice to underscore how consistently the Acora SRC-1s deliver more than a taste of the real thing. For several years now, Bernard Haitink’s 2010 recording of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15 with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, specifically the first movement Allegretto, has been among the first selections I put on when I’m at the critical listening stage with a component. The Acoras met all the challenges this recording presented. The glockenspiel notes that open the piece were focused and precisely localized. Solo woodwinds were correctly scaled and timbrally believable. Each note of the two trumpets’ unison triple-tongued triplets registered with clarity, and the ominous-sounding bass drum thuds underlying nervously chattering strings were presented with a sense of the instrument’s volume and the kind of mallet used to strike it. The full orchestra climax five minutes into the movement crested majestically, and there was a superb sense of the Amsterdam hall, one of the finest places on earth to make a recording or, better yet, hear a performance. The Acoras did all that, without exaggeration or artifice.”
Olympica Nova V Floor Standing Speakers $16,500 Review
September 14, 2020 Comments Off on Olympica Nova V Floor Standing Speakers $16,500 Review
“Downsides? Very few if any really. Entry into this game is no small chunk of change. The lack of truly protective grills will cause some to hesitate, especially if they have animals and little humans around. Needing help to set them up could be seen as a concern, but once they are set minor adjustments are not difficult and who doesn’t have a friend that can give you a hand? I have truly enjoyed the speakers during their stay here. If and when I am in the market for a new set of speakers these will be on a very, very short list of candidates. (That list is no more than five so that is saying quite a bit). I would opt for the wenge finish, but that is just a visual issue and has nothing to do with the overall elegance and beauty. I could live just as well with these walnut ones. Perhaps one day the speaker fairy will drop a set in my audio room.”
Ayre Acoustics K-3 preamplifier $3250 Review
September 14, 2020 Comments Off on Ayre Acoustics K-3 preamplifier $3250 Review
“The low-noise phono section uses essentially the same topology as the line stage. It has enough gain for any cartridge currently available, and includes a totally passive, zero-feedback RIAA circuit, which allows the high and low parts of the equalizer to be split into two independent sections instead of being tied together in the usual feedback loop. There are two gain blocks: high-frequency EQ is accomplished in one, low-frequency EQ in the other. The result is, according to Hansen, “ruler-flat, dead flat response from 100Hz to 20k.” We’ll see what Technical J. Norton’s measurements show. The remote control circuit does not use a microprocessor, so there’s no high-frequency garbage bouncing around inside the chassis. This innovation clearly required lots of work by Hansen, but since he’d already done it for the K-1, passing it on to the K-3 was no sweat—unless you ask his accountant.”
Hegel Music Systems H95 Integrated Amplifier-DAC $2000 Review
September 13, 2020 Comments Off on Hegel Music Systems H95 Integrated Amplifier-DAC $2000 Review
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 ”
Yamaha A-S3200 integrated amplifier $7499 Review
September 12, 2020 Comments Off on Yamaha A-S3200 integrated amplifier $7499 Review
“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.”
Alpha Design Labs Stratos
September 11, 2020 Comments Off on Alpha Design Labs Stratos
“A CD of string quartets by Alec Roth performed by the Allegri Quartet showcases the delicate fingering of the strings in the pizzicato sections of Dancing (1) from String Quartet No.2. The energetic and lively plucking is believable, superbly clear and the four instruments occupy well-defined locations within the soundstage.
Switching to the USB input with a 16-bit/44kHz file on my PC of Cécile McLorin Salvant singing Nothing Like You, the clarity of the double bass and drums is superb with each instrument in a clearly defined location within the soundstage – as is McLorin Salvant. Connecting the line output of the Stratos to my hi-fi, I am once again bowled over by the clarity of this piece – in particular, the hi-hats, which are crisp and mellifluous. Furthermore, the balance of the piano is absolutely spot on.”
Hidizs AP80 Pro Review
September 11, 2020 Comments Off on Hidizs AP80 Pro Review
“As with all the AP80 variants, the AP80 Pro is no different in tonality presentation with EQ deactivated. The experience is a bit dry and lacking. It isn’t until the MSEB or EQ is activated and used properly that the experience is a blessing for portable consumers in this hobby.
The AP80 Pro fidelity factor is still very good for the price, but again, this is a can-do all or most things well DAP. So, that doesn’t shock me in the slightest.
Due to the extra power of this model, the entire bass experience feels more solid and dense. A noticeably different low-end texture and presentation, although I feel the fidelity to be the same as the previous model.
FOSTEX TH909 REVIEW
September 9, 2020 Comments Off on FOSTEX TH909 REVIEW
“Here’s my take on the overall design: I think it’s a love it/hate it kinda vibe. Whereas the TH900 gloriously celebrates itself with those big red cups, the TH909 looks somewhat confused, and compromised. While it did grow on me during the time that I spent with it, I think the grilles don’t really reconcile with the Urushi outer cups. And with the big hole cut in the middle of the cups, you wonder if it was worth going to the trouble of getting that fancy laquer at all on the TH909. Still, when you hold them you do recognise that you’re holding something special. Quibbles with the headband aside, they very much fit the bill of ‘flagship’ not only in terms of the materials used but also the emotions they invoke – while I didn’t buy this pair (and I don’t get to keep them either), I reckon I’d feel pretty proud to have them taking pride of place on my desktop.”
Legacy Audio i·V 7 Seven-Channel Amplifier $7,950 Review
September 9, 2020 Comments Off on Legacy Audio i·V 7 Seven-Channel Amplifier $7,950 Review
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.”
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