Schiit Audio Bifrost 2 DAC Review
November 1, 2019 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Bifrost 2 DAC Review
Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression Stereo Amplifier $22,000Review
October 31, 2019 Comments Off on Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression Stereo Amplifier $22,000Review
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The Progression Stereo Amplifier consistently exercised a great deal of control of the speakers that allowed them to reproduce more of the detail in the signal coming from the preamplifier. Of course, such high levels of detail and control do come at a cost: if your other electronics or source material is subpar, you will definitely hear it. On the other hand, good quality recordings coming into the Progression Stereo Amplifier have the potential to sound amazing in a properly setup system. I found myself engrossed in my listening sessions, with many of them lasting far longer than intended as I became engrossed in the music rather than concentrating on audio nuances.”
dCS Bartok D/A processor/headphone amplifier $15,000 Review
October 30, 2019 Comments Off on dCS Bartok D/A processor/headphone amplifier $15,000 Review
“There’s something to be said for those DACs that have been influenced, directly or indirectly, by the needs of pro audio. Pro audio needs DACs that approach transparency, to the point at which several passes through the DAC (round-tripped via a companion ADC) change the sound negligibly. That puts consumers at a huge advantage, since the music only passes through our DACs once—any alteration in the sound will, therefore, be a fraction of what it would be in a studio.”
CAMBRIDGE AUDIO EDGE A INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
October 30, 2019 Comments Off on CAMBRIDGE AUDIO EDGE A INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“My memories are still fond of the Cambridge Audio DacMagic that was released back in 1996, and it’s hard to believe that it was that long ago. Perhaps I’m showing my age. To my mind, Cambridge Audio has always represented great value and produces products that punch well above their weight. Cambridge Audio’s Edge A is no exception.
The simplicity of styling and operation are outstanding and fresh in a copy-cat kind of world. It is a well thought out package and is in step with modern needs. But it’s the sound quality that really has me excited. It delivers sound the way that I prefer, with enthusiasm, youthfulness, dynamic expression and musicality that only genuinely great products deliver. It’s fun to listen to and begged me to keep playing a little longer.”
Technics SU-G700 Stereo Integrated Amplifier Review
October 29, 2019 Comments Off on Technics SU-G700 Stereo Integrated Amplifier Review
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I’m not going to beat around the bush here: The Technics SU-G700 stereo integrated amplifier is the kind of product I get a little weak in the knees over. It has both style and substance, coupled with a retail price that is on the saner side of the audiophile spectrum. While there are other integrated amplifiers on the market that may have a few more inputs, output, or features, the SU-G700 gets the balance just right for the price. It’s nice, in 2019, to come across a product that is decidedly modern in its approach to sound reproduction, and yet feels altogether familiar–dare I say comfortable in its everyday use.”
IsoTek EVO3 Aquarius AC Power Conditioner Review
October 29, 2019 Comments Off on IsoTek EVO3 Aquarius AC Power Conditioner Review
“All genres of music benefitted from the addition of the IsoTek Aquarius, but truth be told, the fullest realization of its potential occurred while listening to purist, uncompressed acoustic music with naturalistic tonal, ambient, and reverb characteristics. A favorite example of mine is Laurel Massé’s a cappella rendition of the Quaker hymn “How Can I Keep from Singing?” [Feather & Bone], recorded in the superb acoustics of the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in New York. Via the Aquarius, the spaces between images seemed to open up and the entire cavernous hall seemed to exhale in relief, as if, after holding its breath, it could finally inhale again.”
HIFIMAN HE1000se Headphone $3,500 Review
October 28, 2019 Comments Off on HIFIMAN HE1000se Headphone $3,500 Review
“Featuring a planar-magnetic open-back configuration with a diaphragm listed as one nanometer thick, the HE1000se is equipped with HIFIMAN’s newest shaped-neodymium magnets which were developed to present a smaller surface area “dramatically reducing wave diffraction turbulence.” This, the company says, degrades the sound. The unique magnet-design implementation makes the drivers “faster and more dynamic than ever before, with even greater levels of detail and lower distortion than previous iterations. But perhaps most significantly, these powerful magnets also make the headphone much more efficient…” How much more efficient? The engineers managed to goose it from 91dB to 96dB, yet retain the same 35 Ohm impedance and 8Hz~65kHz frequency response of the award-winning HE 1000 V2 ($2,999 USD), which in the real world translates into making the 1000se reasonably mobile-friendly for those who would take it on the road.”
Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII Floorstanding Loudspeaker $6,500 Review
October 28, 2019 Comments Off on Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII Floorstanding Loudspeaker $6,500 Review
“Sonus Faber markets the Sonetto VIII as a “budget” loudspeaker. While I can’t exactly call any floorstander with a $6,500 USD price a “bargain”, even the blindest of men amongst us can see the luthier-level of finish carpentry crafted into this speaker. The breathtaking walnut veneer and real leather top panels on my review samples garnered universal praise. Despite its imposing size, the Sonetto VIII has an extremely high WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor).
Many speakers in the Sonetto VIII’s price range claim to offer superb bass. Truthfully, far too many of these sonic pretenders emit lower frequency noises that sound like little more than drunken duck flatulence.
To achieve greater articulation and accuracy in the lower registers, this floorstander uses a downward firing reflex port and outriggers with conical spikes. The outriggers are bolted to the bottom of each speaker with eight screws. The uniformity of bass excursion created by this circular port makes speaker placement a cinch to dial-in.”
Martin Logan Motion 35XTi $1,300 Review
October 27, 2019 Comments Off on Martin Logan Motion 35XTi $1,300 Review
” The choir’s singing was quite lovely and ethereal, but, of course, that is mostly a matter of the original performance and also the sound engineering rather than the reproduction side of audio. However, the speakers were able to convey this intended sound and did nothing to inhibit the performance that I could detect. It sounded authentic. The 35XTi speakers made the choir sound like a collection of voices rather than a blob of vocal sound. The voices were unified when they needed to be and individually delineated when necessitated by the recording. Such gorgeous music given such a crystal clear rendition was very much an aural delight. Every music lover should check out the album ‘Mass Transmission,’ and when they do, they ought to listen to it a high-fidelity sound system on the level of the 35XTi speakers.”
Burmester 088/911 Mk 3 Review
October 27, 2019 Comments Off on Burmester 088/911 Mk 3 Review
“Take a look inside and you’ll find the circuits are beautifully laid out, and it’s obvious that the company takes a great deal of care in the quality of components used and in minimising unwanted interaction between them. There’s even a carbon fibre suspension system to reduce the amount of external vibration that enters the 088’s chassis. The aim of this isolation is to optimise clarity and reduce distortion.
The preamp’s connectivity is good. There are six line level inputs – all balanced XLRs – and the option of having a DAC, line, moving magnet or moving coil module. You get one of these modules as part of the price we’ve quoted, but if you want another it’ll cost a hefty £2,600. If any of your sources only have single-ended outputs, don’t worry, Burmester can supply RCA to XLR adaptors to make things work.”
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