Manger p1 loudspeaker $14,995 Review
November 28, 2019 Comments Off on Manger p1 loudspeaker $14,995 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/manger-p1-loudspeaker
“Our recommendation for setup is: The distance between speakers should be 9 feet maximum. The distance from the wall behind should be 2.3 feet or larger. It can be closer (however), as the speaker is sealed and tuned with a low Q, so the increase of bass with a closer distance works without getting boomy. Listening position can be very close as the Manger driver already radiates in far-field behaviors at around 0.45 feet. We recommend a toe-in with the drivers crossing about 1.6 feet in front of your listening position. This gives you a very precise three-dimensional image which is absolutely [stable].”
Daniela’s words gave me permission to move the p1s closer to the wall behind them. As I inched the speakers back, the bass region began to fill in. In my final position, with the speakers about 6′ apart and only 12″ from the cabinet-backs to the front wall, Frank Sinatra’s voice (LP, In The Wee Small Hours, Capitol W581) and Vladimir Horowitz’s piano (44.1 FLAC, Horowitz at Home, Deutsche Grammophon/Tidal) displayed their proper tone. My Stereophile test CD and trusty iPhone dB meter verified that 50Hz, 100Hz, 1kHz, and 5kHz were all reproduced at the same level.
Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/manger-p1-loudspeaker#HdJThS3Cx37y8BJS.99
AAW CANARY REVIEW
November 28, 2019 Comments Off on AAW CANARY REVIEW
https://headfonics.com/2019/11/aaw-canary-review/
“This is the universal version but the fit and seal are very good due to the Canary’s relatively compact size. I was looking for some sort of venting feature given the use of a dynamic driver but could not find one. I am guessing the 6mm size and push-ball isobaric technology renders one moot. Otherwise, the Canary seals as good as a balanced armature ventless driver shell with excellent passive background noise isolation.
The Canary is not quite a custom universal in shape, so there are not so many aggressive curves in its design. However, it is rounded enough with a thickish nozzle to sit securely in my ear. Even with the stock smallish silicone tips, I do not feel they are loose though they do stick out a little from my ear due to its fairly deep dimension.”
Manley Neo-Classic 250W Monoblocks $14,599
November 27, 2019 Comments Off on Manley Neo-Classic 250W Monoblocks $14,599
https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/manley-neo-classic-250w/
“In the end, how would I summarize these amps? They have great control, power, and coherence. They possess great extension in both high and low, and do it effortlessly. At no time did I feel they were straining. Reflecting on my time with these amps made me think of a great resto-modded automobile. For those who do not know what that is, a resto-mod usually consists of a classic car body with basically everything else redone to modern standards. These amps on the outside look like a classic amp, but beneath the surface they have been tweaked to modern standards without losing what made them originally special. If I had one criticism with these amps, it would be that although not clinical, they did not possess a classical tube amp bloom, or what some would say warmth. That type of musicality in an amp is subjective, and they did so many impressive things while I listened to them their strengths far outweighed a little warmth here and there when it came to reproducing human voices. What you get with the Manley Labs amps is classic workmanship, honest reproduction, and a hint of a vintage vibe that more people are coming to appreciate. It is not the newest product on the block, it is a tried and true application that prides itself on reliability, power, and control. These monoblocks are serious audio products that EveAnna and her team have made, but they also understand the joy of music and what these components can bring to the end user. Tubes rule! Give it a try. Take care!
Focal Kanta No3 Loudspeaker £9000 Review
November 26, 2019 Comments Off on Focal Kanta No3 Loudspeaker £9000 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/focal-kanta-no3-loudspeaker
“Other vaguely contemporaneous rock tracks flowed out from the Kanta No3 loudspeakers as my enjoyment of what they could do grew. The driving rhythm section of Genesis surged through the title track from Abacab [Virgin CBRCD 102], with all those keyboard stabs swirling and jangling through the mix. Meanwhile, the slow burn of Steely Dan’s ‘Babylon Sisters’ [from Gaucho; MCA 0602498605103] was wide open and slinky, with a lovely focus on the instruments and the backing vocals in particular.
This big, focused and layered sound was also very well-suited to the lush production values of a spot of yacht rock – well actually, perhaps the ur-yacht track, Toto’s ‘Africa’ from Toto IV [CBS 450088 2]. Forget the noticeable whiff of cheese and give up on trying to work out what on earth the lyrics are banging on about. Through the Kanta No3 the smiles begin with that opening percussion, grow with the great thump of bass, and continue throughout the taut gutsy sound, the synth fills beautifully clear, as are the vocals and those lyrics. Oh well, you can’t win them all!”
Icon Audio Stereo 40 MkIV Review
November 26, 2019 Comments Off on Icon Audio Stereo 40 MkIV Review
https://www.hifichoicemag.com/content/icon-audio-stereo-40-mkiv
“
Rhythmically it’s good too – living up to all the predictable, time-honoured clichés about ‘the magic of valves’. Music just chugs along in a carefree way and there’s no sense of it sounding forced or mechanical. Instead, you’re struck by the sense of musical occasion; Rush’s Lakeside Park is a simple late-seventies rock recording, but the Icon Audio makes it sing. It’s not famously open or dynamic, yet this amplifier just gets into the groove and lets the music’s natural rhythm flood out. Your mind wanders from considerations of hi-fi and instead gets preoccupied with the music itself – which is just as it should be. It’s odd in a way because it doesn’t sound especially fast – it’s not as if you’re wowed by its transient speed – and yet you still feel yourself getting pulled into the groove.”
Von Schweikert Audio Ultra 9 Loudspeaker $200,000 Review
November 25, 2019 Comments Off on Von Schweikert Audio Ultra 9 Loudspeaker $200,000 Review
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/von-schweikert-audio-ultra-9-loudspeaker/
“As music lovers and audiophiles, we live in an astonishingly exciting time. Today we are able to select from so many truly affordable speakers, electronics, and source products, all capable of producing more accurate and engaging sound than was possible from even the very best and most costly products in the early 1970s—the period that marks the start of what has become the high-end audio world we know today, as well as the start of my own audiophile quest. In addition to the number and excellence of affordable products, there have never before been so many luxury-class products capable of expanding the boundaries of what can be accomplished in the reconstruction of a live performance.
The trailblazing work that VSA is doing under the direction of its current chief designer, Leif Swanson, and CEO Damon Von Schweikert, building upon the groundbreaking work of the company founder, Albert Von Schweikert, epitomizes what can be done to recreate an authentic musical experience in the home. A product like the Ultra 9 elevates listening to music to the level of an enormously enjoyable event. At every turn, from its remarkably inert and voiceless enclosure, to its fabulously coherent drivers, to its distinct, serene, and transparent dividing network, to its extraordinary ambience, and speaker array with its unparalleled room-integration capabilities, we see how the Ultra 9 can deliver this exceptional musical expressiveness, with such heightened transparency and vanishingly low self-generated noise.”
MRSPEAKERS VOCE ELECTROSTATIC HEADPHONES $2,999 Review
November 24, 2019 Comments Off on MRSPEAKERS VOCE ELECTROSTATIC HEADPHONES $2,999 Review
http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/mrspeakers-voce-electrostatic-headphones/
“From the moment I connected the VOCE to my electrostatic energiser (that is stat-speak for an electrostatic headphone amplifier), I was struck by the sheer transparency and lucidity of its sound and by the incredible amount of musical information it was able to extract from favourite recordings. Even more impressive was the manner in which it managed to combine breath-taking clarity with exemplary smoothness and control. Some electrostatic headphones exhibit heightened levels of treble sheen, overshoot, or glare, but the VOCE exhibited none of these typical electrostatic flaws. “
$329,000 Loudspeakers – How Do They Sound?
November 24, 2019 Comments Off on $329,000 Loudspeakers – How Do They Sound?
https://audiobacon.net/2019/11/16/how-do-329000-speakers-sound-like/
- “As far as dynamics, the Chronosonic XVX is deeply scary. Especially when it comes to orchestral pieces. It has no issues with the simultaneous mixing of calm of woodwinds and the aggression of percussions. It’s able to soothe and punch without a hint of confusion or strain. “Lesser” speakers are more disjoint and could do one or the other – but rarely at the same time. Especially at this magnitude.
- In regards to the Chronosonic XVX, the careful distribution of power with the music is simply astounding. Instruments are distinct and modular in how they extrude and breathe. They carry the appropriate amount of weight, air, and presence. In contrast, relatively inexpensive speakers allocate a generic amount of density across the recording.”
Aurender W20 Music Server Review
November 23, 2019 Comments Off on Aurender W20 Music Server Review
“
It is within one of these internal sections that the W20 houses Aurender’s unique battery power-supply configuration. The system is designed to keep delicate internal audio circuitry fed off-grid via three banks of LiFePO4 (LFP) batteries that switch between themselves to continuously supply stable power while the other banks concurrently recharge. This means the W20 is completely isolated from electrical ground noise, jitter and distortion that Aurender says can be incurred during conversion of AC to DC. The batteries are also configured as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to ensure all circuitry is protected from sudden power outages. Should one occur, the W20 will soft-shutdown automatically. Aurender utilizes a fanless Switching Mode Power Supply (SMPS) enclosed in a separate compartment to deliver power to non-audio components.”
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