Denon DP-450USB Turntable Review
February 14, 2020 Comments Off on Denon DP-450USB Turntable Review
https://hometheaterreview.com/denon-dp-450usb-turntable-reviewed/
“The Denon DP-450USB is a curious turntable, all things considered. It’s gorgeous to look at, easy to use, and has enough of the right features, making it a legit contender at its price point. But, the DP-400 at $499 is likely the better value among the two, since the DP-450USB’s distinguishing feature–USB audio recording–is a non-starter for me due in large part to its poor quality and limited utility.
Moreover, the dust cover is more of a nuisance than an asset, making an otherwise well-thought-out design suddenly clunky The DP-450USB is still worthy of consideration, though, but it’s not without a great deal of competition, which is why I would urge anyone reading this to listen to one for themselves if possible before making any final purchasing decisions.”


Schiit Audio Ragnarok 2 integrated amplifier $1799 Review
February 13, 2020 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Ragnarok 2 integrated amplifier $1799 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-ragnarok-2-integrated-amplifier
“I compared Ragnarok 2 to the Ragnarok using these XRCDs and the Tascam CD-200iL CD player connected with Triode Wire Labs Spirit II RCA interconnects. Only after switching out the amps four times did I start to understand what I was hearing. Instrument tone and impact were superior through the new amplifier. The orchestra’s soundstage was slightly wider. Brass and reeds, placed hard left and right, sounded farther back on the soundstage. On the piano/ acoustic bass introduction of the Montgomery Brothers’ “Bock to Bock (Back to Back),” there was more air around the higher piano notes. These were small differences, but the Rag 2 definitively improves on its sibling’s performance.”



McIntosh MCD600 SACD/CD Player Review
February 13, 2020 Comments Off on McIntosh MCD600 SACD/CD Player Review
“As I mentioned, I’ve been using the same CD player as a reference for the last nine or ten years. It has dual DACs, and a quartet of 12AU7s in the output stage. It sounds really good, and that was all I needed back in 2010. It cost about $4500, and I always thought it was a good value and a strong performer, which is why I still use it.
The MCD600 is $7000, and in 2020 that sounds like a lot of money for a CD player. For that extra $2500 over my existing deck, you do a get a lot—especially when you consider the cost of an outboard headphone amp that sounds this good, or four separate high-resolution DACs, or the choice of fixed and variable outputs, or the ability to play USB thumb drives or DVD data discs.”

STAX SR-009S ELECTROSTATIC EARSPEAKERS $4,325 Review
February 12, 2020 Comments Off on STAX SR-009S ELECTROSTATIC EARSPEAKERS $4,325 Review
http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/stax-sr-009s-electrostatic-earspeakers/
Next, the SR-009S proved to have greater transient agility and increased levels of dynamic expression relative to the SR-009. A track that showcases these qualities is ‘Stank” from Jamey Haddad, Mark Sherman, and Lenny White’s Explorations in Space and Time [Chesky, 24/96]. ‘Stank’ is a percussion extravaganza—at times delicate, but at other moments explosive, employing everything from high-pitched chimes and cymbals to low-pitched bass drums. The SR-009S navigated the track’s complex instrumentation and multi-layered dynamic challenges with effortless clarity and a sense of dynamic brio—as if relishing the chance to strut its stuff.
Finally, the SR-009S offers superior bass performance to the SR-009, both in terms of resolution and dynamic wallop. The ‘Lopsy Lu/Silly Putty’ medley from S.M.V.’s Thunder [Heads Up, 16/44.1] made this abundantly clear, as master bassists Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten took turns showing off their chops and the distinctive voices of their basses. Thunder is a serious low-frequency challenge, but the SR-009S tackled the track with an exuberant quality of dynamic swagger and punch the SR-009 could not have matched.”

Focal Chora 826 Three-Way Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review
February 12, 2020 Comments Off on Focal Chora 826 Three-Way Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review
https://hometheaterreview.com/focal-chora-826-three-way-floorstanding-loudspeaker-reviewed/
“Each Chora 826 sports one pair of binding posts, so bi-wiring isn’t accommodated. Overall, I really love the quality of the binding posts, as they’re easy to loosen and tighten and look quite lovely. If I have one concern, it’s that tightly fitted black and red caps will need to be removed if you intend to use banana plugs (as I always do), and these caps do put up a good bit of a fight. I had to end up resorting to needle-nosed pliers to extract them, and it felt a bit like pulling a tooth. By the time I had them out, the caps were more than a bit mangled.
From there, though, setup is a breeze. Due to the front-ported design of the speaker, you don’t have to be quite as concerned with distance from rear boundaries. In my relatively small two-channel listening room, this is a blessing. Being able to position a pair of speakers six inches from the wall rather than eighteen definitely leaves me with more breathing room and affords a wider soundstage, since there’s more distance between me and the speakers.”

Sonus Faber Electa Amator III review
February 10, 2020 Comments Off on Sonus Faber Electa Amator III review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/sonus-faber-electa-amator-iii
“A carefully calibrated crossover, packed with high-quality parts such as ClarityCap capacitors and Jantzen inductors, links the two drivers. The crossover frequency is an entirely conventional 2.5kHz. Connection to the speaker is via two pairs of rather lovely multi-way speaker terminals. These are beautifully made and thoughtfully shaped to make handling easier.
Being a Sonus Faber speaker, we’re not surprised to find that the cabinet is made of solid walnut rather than the usual veneered MDF. The 25mm thick panels use a damped, sandwich construction to help rigidity and resonance behaviour, and once the 30mm thick Carrera marble base and thin brass plate are added, the result is an impressively sturdy structure. High quality, soft leather covers both of the front and back panels, which feels lovely to the touch.”


Fiio M15 Flagship Music player Review
February 9, 2020 Comments Off on Fiio M15 Flagship Music player Review
https://www.headfonia.com/fiio-m15/
“The DAP is pretty to me, though that of course depends on your personal preference. On top you have the perfectly finished headphone and LO outputs as well as the volume dial. The positioning of the volume wheel is a bit weird depending on what you’re used to. Where we very often see the volume dial on the right, Fiio has placed it on the left. It’s special, but once you’re used to it, no problem.
All the M15’s button can be found on the left side. They’re rather plastic like but the design is nice and they fit perfectly in the case. On the right side? Nothing! On the bottom you’ll find the USB-C connector and the MicroSD slot. Almost forgot, the M15 has one button you can program yourself. Extra points!”

Paradigm Persona 9H Loudspeaker £34,000 Review
February 8, 2020 Comments Off on Paradigm Persona 9H Loudspeaker £34,000 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/paradigm-persona-9h-loudspeaker
“That said, the speakers can be sweet and light on their feet with Copland’s own recording of ‘Billy The Kid’ [Copland Conducts Copland; Sony Classical SS 89041] and then deploy their immense power and speed with Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s ‘Welcome To The Pleasuredome’ from the Rage Hard compilation [ZTT 177SACD]. It’s a track I have used often, both as a stern test and an absolute riot, but I don’t think I have ever heard it as clean and hard-hitting as it did via these Paradigm flagships, even with my phone’s VU SPL meter suggesting we were peaking at around 105dB some 4m from the speakers.
Scale back the musical forces, or at least the complexity, and the Persona 9H ‘sound’ showed itself well-suited to the cleanly-recorded interplay of the Oscar Peterson Trio’s A Jazz Portrait Of Frank Sinatra set [Verve 0602498625750], with subtle drumming from Ed Thigpen, Ray Brown’s bass with great snap and resonance, and of course Peterson’s delicate touch on the keyboard much in evidence. It was one of those times when you fire up one track just to have a listen, and then find yourself still gripped when the album finishes.”


Chord Poly Review
February 8, 2020 Comments Off on Chord Poly Review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/chord/poly/review
“Playing Bon Iver’s 666ʇ, they deliver the opening two-chime notes and glitchy guitar attacks with greater clarity and texture, pursuing the harmonics of the distorted instruments with greater resolve.
The stepping-stone pattern, which rides underneath as Bon Iver stacks his dense synth-washed canvas layer-by-layer, has a closer-knit correlation with everything else.
And when it’s time for his warped, auto-tuned chop to come in, it’s placed centre-stage with a level of articulacy and dynamic discernment the Cambridge can’t quite match. That insight extends to the low end, with heft anchoring the tuneful bassline.”

ELAC Vela BS 403 speakers Review
February 6, 2020 Comments Off on ELAC Vela BS 403 speakers Review
http://av2day.com/2020/01/elac-vela-bs-403-speakers-outstanding-tweeter-good-sound/
The speakers were versatile in that both listening positions provided very satisfying experiences, but I felt that the equilateral triangle method provided a more intimate experience with the singer placed just in front of the listener and the musicians spread out behind the speakers.
Compared with the resident ATC SCM50 floorstanders, the soundstage and images were noticeably smaller and the BS 403’s bass could not reach to subterranean levels. This was to be expected given the size of the ELAC speakers.
However, the bass that was present was rhythmic and lively. Imaging was solid and stable and the sheer transparency of the tweeter resulted in a very detailed sound. Overall, the sound quality was more on the neutral side of the spectrum and the star component was the JET 5 tweeter which created high notes that soared effortlessly into the blackness.

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