Wadax • Atlantis Digital-to-Analog Converter and Universal Transport $69,000 Review
April 28, 2020 Comments Off on Wadax • Atlantis Digital-to-Analog Converter and Universal Transport $69,000 Review
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That ability to allow the performance its separate voice is both rare and important, suggesting the Atlantis DAC possesses that most valuable of all talents when it comes to transducers: sonic invisibility — the power to step behind the music and out of the aural sightline. With almost no thumbprint imposed on the signal, the Atlantis can pull the same trick whether it’s a classical recording or The Cure. The recording and developmental contrasts between Three Imaginary Boys [Fiction 827 686-2], Seventeen Seconds [Fiction 25 354-2} and Faith [Fiction 827 687-2] underline the band’s steep learning curve and growing sophistication in those pre-sequencer days. Likewise, the lyrical and musical development of artists as varied as Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello, Steve Earle and Nanci Griffith, is just as clear and equally individual. If the perfect system should play all types of music, then the Wadax gets extremely close to that ideal.”
FIIO UTWS1 TRUE WIRELESS BLUETOOTH MODULE REVIEW
April 28, 2020 Comments Off on FIIO UTWS1 TRUE WIRELESS BLUETOOTH MODULE REVIEW
“The FiiO UTWS1 True Wireless Bluetooth Module is everything I want in a True Wireless headset. It is comfortable, convenient, versatile, has enough power to drive any IEM (there is some mention in their Amazon ad of noise floor issues with extremely efficient IEMs, but I did not experience this with the FH7s), has a good microphone and active noise cancelling for phone use, allows you to use them with or without a seal (though you would obviously want a seal for music as there is no bass without it), and the sound quality is about as good as you can expect from a Bluetooth amplifier of their size. The range was excellent requiring me to leave my house to lose signal even with several walls in the way.”
ASTELL & KERN SA700 REVIEW
April 27, 2020 Comments Off on ASTELL & KERN SA700 REVIEW
“And lastly, it’s gotta look good. If you’re going to have your DAP on the surface in front of you at all times, a good piece of industrial design will make that a far easier pill to swallow and make you want to regard it from arm’s length. The overall shape of the SA700 might seem a little familiar to the keen-eyed DAP-aficionados among you. That volume wheel which dominates the otherwise monolithic, rectangular profile evokes the lines of the AK120 – the original Astell&Kern DAP – from which they drew inspiration in terms of the SA700’s design. Astell&Kern set-out to combine analogue-design values of yesteryear with cutting-edge future technology in this latest chapter. Or, as they describe: ‘Past Meets Present’. The ‘party trick’ of the SA700 in the beauty pageant is the back-lit LED behind the volume wheel. depending on what sample rate or file type you’re listening to, it will glow in a nice red, green, blue or purple. It’s a nice, subtle effect and provides a comforting reminder of the device’s power and smarts while it’s sitting nearby. ”
Parasound Halo A 21+ Stereo Amplifier Review
April 27, 2020 Comments Off on Parasound Halo A 21+ Stereo Amplifier Review
https://hometheaterreview.com/parasound-halo-a-21-stereo-amplifier-reviewed/
“I’m sure a lot of people reading this review are wondering if the A 21+ sounds a lot like the original A 21. These thoughts are perfectly appropriate when nothing but a plus sign has been added to the model name. As a previous long-time owner of the original A 21, I feel confident in saying the A 21+ does in fact sound similar. However, I also feel confident in saying the sound is not a carbon copy.
In a sense, you’re getting an A 21, but with moreof everything. Specifically, the A 21+ offers more impressive dynamics, a more accurate stereo image, wider stereo separation, and I heard more impressive control over my speakers’ drivers on a regular basis. Like its predecessor, the A 21+ still punches well above its price point in overall performance and is still an amplifier that does most things right.”
VAC Statement 452 iQ Musicbloc mono/stereo power amplifier $150,000/pair Review
April 25, 2020 § 1 Comment
“Well, yes, to a small degree. For instance, take Charles Mingus’s almost violent The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (LP, Impulse A-35). Here, the trombone had better growl like a wild boar, the sax had better taunt and make an ugly sound, and the drums should pile up and knock you over. The 452 iQ didn’t quite kick it like my solid-state reference amp, but it came close enough that the music didn’t suffer. A well-regarded music writer visited recently to do some comparisons on a big rig for a feature he’s writing. After we’d finished his work, we had some fun. I played him the 45rpm lacquer of Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers’ “A Night in Tunisia” that I’ve been taking around to shows. That knocked him back! Then I hit him with the original Bob Ludwig–mastered (“RL”) version of Led Zeppelin II (LP, Atlantic SD 8236), and of course he was blown away by that, and so was I. Though the solid-state reference amp has greater “grunt” on bottom, never did the 452 iQ make me feel like I needed to switch amps so my guest could better appreciate the Led Zep tracks. The 452 iQ was an addictive-sounding amp, suitable for all kinds of music.”
SONUS FABER LILIUM FLOOR-STANDING SPEAKERS $75,000 REVIEW
April 24, 2020 Comments Off on SONUS FABER LILIUM FLOOR-STANDING SPEAKERS $75,000 REVIEW
“The impulse response also can be used to plot the step response, which shows when each driver becomes active in relation to the other driver(s) when the signal voltage is initially applied. Below is the step response of the Sonus faber Lilium. The first peak on the left side is the tweeter, followed 0.23 ms later by the midrange and woofers (the midrange and woofers are the same size – 7”, and their summed output is larger than the single tweeter peak). 2.3 ms after the midrange driver is the subwoofer driver, followed by 1.7 ms later by the passive radiator. So, between the tweeter and passive radiator, there is a 4.23 ms delay. This shows you cannot fight the laws of physics. The reason there is delay is that the cones for the larger drivers have more mass, and therefore, it takes more time to “get them moving” when the signal voltage is applied. However, even though the passive radiator cone is the same diameter (10″) as the subwoofer cone at 10”, the passive radiator has to respond to the subwoofer movement rather than the directly applied voltage. So, the voltage is applied to the subwoofer, it moves, causing air pressure to change in the enclosure, and that change in air pressure then causes the passive radiator cone to move. Frankly, I am surprised there is only 4.23 ms in between the tweeter and passive radiator. That is just 4.23 thousandths of a second.”
CAYIN IDAC-6 MK2 REVIEW
April 24, 2020 Comments Off on CAYIN IDAC-6 MK2 REVIEW
“We now have 2 coaxial inputs instead of one, with the second one being a BNC connector. For those with upsampling devices or streamers such as Cayin’s iDAP-6 or the Chord Hugo M Scaler, this will be a handy additional input.
Not least with the M Scaler’s excellent switchable upsampling which is capable of delivering a maximum 352kHz rate to the iDAC-6 MK2 from a 16BIT/44.1kHz source file using a single BNC connection. With the BNC coaxial via the iDAP-6, for example, you can also decode up to 24BIT/192kHz and DSD64 (DoP only), much like its RCA coaxial counterpart.”
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MONOPRICE MONOLITH M570 PLANAR HEADPHONE $299 REVIEW
April 23, 2020 § 1 Comment
” I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Monoprice Monolith M570 headphones. Their spacious and smooth sonic character melded with an above average (for inexpensive open-back cans) level of bass reproduction and some judicious tuning in the upper vocal and lower treble range make these a great go-to set of headphones for a wide variety of music. They quickly become an easy and enjoyable listening partner. Unless you are someone who is looking for a more neutral or extremely resolving set of headphones, I think these will find favor with a lot of people who are looking in this price range. While slightly heavy they are well built and exceedingly comfortable for long stretches of time. I recommend using an amplifier to get the best performance out of the M570 when on the go. They need just a bit more juice than what most phones or small DAPs can provide so it shouldn’t be too hard to find something suitable without breaking the bank. I know it’s been a while now, but for $299.00 it still amazes me that one can get planar magnetic headphones at that price. If you are in the market for some new cans and these fall within your budget, I strongly suggest that you seek out the Monolith M570 for a listen. Highly recommended.”
Audio Analogue Bellini/ Donizetti Anniversary Pre/Power Amplifier Review
April 23, 2020 Comments Off on Audio Analogue Bellini/ Donizetti Anniversary Pre/Power Amplifier Review
“Where the Audio Analogue duo definitely came out on top was with its handling of recordings that varied in their quality. The Corrs’ ‘Only When I Sleep’ from their 1997 album Talk On Corners [Atlantic Recordings 7567-83051-2] is something of a sonic mess, sounding steely at best and clearly mixed to make it radio-friendly. Yet never have I heard it sound better than when played via the Bellini and Donizetti Anniversary pre/power. The amps simply cut through the nastiness, managing to impart a sense of order to the proceedings and even bring a hint of purity to the ragged top end.
They repeated this trick again and again, with all sorts of sonic disasters. So if you’re seeking a pre/power pairing that is not only kind to less-than-well-produced recordings but also able to serve them up with sweetness and not a little polish, then look no further.”
Rogue Audio Atlas Magnum II Stereo Amplifier Review
April 22, 2020 Comments Off on Rogue Audio Atlas Magnum II Stereo Amplifier Review
“The GM 50’s bass sounded more open, and seemed to reach deeper than the Atlas Magnum II’s, whether I was comparing them with or without the REL subwoofer connected. (REL claims that using the high-level inputs carries forward the sound of your amplifier, but as my system employs no high-pass filter, the difference with the sub could still be due, in whole or in part, to the differences in how each amplifier drove the main speakers.) For some specific examples, while the concert bass drum in the Bull violin concerto sounded big with the Atlas Magnum II, its fundamental pitch was more obviously lower in frequency with the GM 50. Likewise, it was easier to hear the fundamental pitch of the concert harp in the final movement of Mahler’s Symphony No.4, as performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Bernard Haitink, with soprano Christine Schäfer (SACD/CD, RCO Live RCO 07003). For a nonclassical example, Alan Anton’s bass in the Cowboy Junkies’ The Trinity Session (16/44.1 FLAC, RCA) sounded a bit tubbier with the Atlas Magnum II, a bit more linear with the GM 50. On the other hand, the kick drums in both The Trinity Session and Random Access Memories had noticeably more punch with the Atlas Magnum II — I felt as well as heard them.”
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