Avantgarde Acoustic UNO XD Loudspeaker £21,500 Review
May 7, 2019 Comments Off on Avantgarde Acoustic UNO XD Loudspeaker £21,500 Review
“Another striking quality of this speaker is its super-precise midband and treble. Whatever else it does well – and it does much with great distinction – you always keep coming back to the sheer focus that the UNO XD provides. For example, Ride’s ‘Leave Them All Behind’ [Going Blank Again; Reprise Records WPCP-4776] is a very dense bit of guitar-driven indie rock from the early ’90s. As a recording it’s very much of its time – super dry and crisp with lots of detail. It’s a great challenge for any hi-fi loudspeaker, because of the wall of distorted guitars that runs throughout the track, and the heavy compression.
Despite this, the speaker delivered a remarkably finely-etched sound, capturing every last strum of the backing guitar, and each rimshot and cymbal strike. Indeed instruments separated out from one another with great clarity, so one could hear a host of different things under that heavy, effects-laden backing guitar layer. This speaker practically unpacks the production before your very ears.”
Cayin N5iiS $499 Review
May 6, 2019 Comments Off on Cayin N5iiS $499 Review
“Whether or not you listen to music on the go, there’s always room for one more piece of audio equipment. Herein lies my dilemma – I am head-over-heels in love with the musical presentation of the Cayin N5iiS, but I am having a hard time recommending it to people who, like me, focus on the user experience as a whole. Perhaps future firmware updates from Cayin will fix the noticeable lag in the response.
That aside, the N5iiS is a heavy portable powerhouse and will cater to listeners who want a player with both sound quality and connectivity options. Oh, and did I mention it has two (two!) TF card slots?”
Audeze LCD-4z Headphone $4,000 Review
May 6, 2019 Comments Off on Audeze LCD-4z Headphone $4,000 Review
“According to Audeze the 4z features their patented Fazor Element Waveguide to assist in reducing sound wave diffraction, their “most advanced diaphragm design” which consists of the company’s “exclusive nano-scale film [which] actually weighs less than the air it displaces.” Audeze says the benefits of these technologies “include faster response for better transient/impulse response, imaging, and the flattest, deepest, most accurate bass response of any headphone available.” They go on to claim that the Double Fluxor Magnet Arrays “nearly doubles the magnetic force: bringing the magnetic flux to 1.5 Tesla, nearly doubling the power driving the diaphragm for improved transient response and far greater resolution.” This type of nomenclature sounds fantastic to me… and in real-world listening I cannot refute these claims. The 4z are a slam dunk with spy-satellite resolution and detail, beautiful timbral and tonal colorations, lasting decay off upper-register notes (piano and keyboard in particular), a real sense of speed, deep, powerful bottom end and most importantly to me; real human-imbued musicality, rhythm and timing to their playback capabilities. They pretty much give you exactly what you’re feeding them from without flourish, attenuation or goosing.”
Read more at https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/audeze-lcd-4z-headphone-review#DkKdUtcCpL5810iQ.99
Magico A3 speakers review
May 5, 2019 Comments Off on Magico A3 speakers review
“Yes, this is quite an enthusiastic first impression write up. Magico A3 speakers managed to entrapped me with their character free nature into the instant and unplanned prolonged initial listening.
There are loudspeakers and there are THE high-end audio loudspeakers. Magico A3’s laboratory-like precision and stand out potent nature allows an extraordinary music voyage. Literary out of the box they were capable of painting the sonic canvas with what a grander portion reality than expected!”
Verity Audio Monsalvat Amp-60 power amplifier $58,000 Review
May 5, 2019 Comments Off on Verity Audio Monsalvat Amp-60 power amplifier $58,000 Review
“Steve and I were of one mind about the gorgeous midrange that enriches mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa and pianist Fazil Say’s award-winning recording of Debussy’s Trois Chansons de Bilitis (24/96 WAV, Erato 564483). Turning to very different music, a recording of Xenakis’s Psappha on percussionist Kjell Tore Innervik’s superbly recorded Utopias (MQA 24/352.8, 2L 2L-141), I was thrilled by how masterfully the Monsalvat Amp-60 conveyed the contrasting colors of Innervik’s various instruments, and how well it handled the sustains and natural decays of their sounds. The complex overtones, undertones, and sonorous core of a single bell resounding in space were conveyed to perfection. Lows sounded a bit boomy and lazy, but everything else was of demonstration class.
Using the dCS Rossini SACD/CD transport, we listened to “Duke’s in Bed,” from a reissue of tenor saxophonist Ben Webster’s 1965 recording My Romance (SACD/CD, Top Music International UD-SACD8934.2). Beyond the hard-left/-right nature of the recording, we both felt the sound was too romantically warm, and the bass was mush.”
Focal’s $3K Stellia headphones
May 4, 2019 Comments Off on Focal’s $3K Stellia headphones
“Trumpet player Erik Truffaz’s electronica-tinged jazz is highly textured, and the ultradeep bass beats coursing through his Bending New Corners album all but massaged my eardrums. The bass goes really low, but it never felt overdone — the control down there is exceptional. Reggae had plenty of drive over the Stellia.
Sadly, I didn’t have Focal’s Utopia headphones on hand for a direct comparison, so I popped on a set of Audeze LCD-MX4 headphones and the tonal balance cooled down, and I missed Stellia’s richer tone. Though the MX4 is an open-back design, the sound felt more canned than it did on the Stellias. The Focal is a very open sounding closed-back design.
Stellia is so easy to drive it sounded fine with my iPhone 8, played over the Apple Lightning-to-3.5mm dongle. It’s hardly an ideal setup, but for travel it’s perfectly serviceable. It is after all, a very large headphone, so transporting Stellia isn’t for the faint of heart. Home listening with a Mytek Brooklyn amp kicked Stellia’s sound quality up a few notches.”
MOON by Simaudio 390 $5,300 Review
May 3, 2019 Comments Off on MOON by Simaudio 390 $5,300 Review
“Easy as the 390 is to use, it never compromises sound quality for convenience. With TIDAL and Simaudio’s MiND app ready, a world of music is instantly available at your disposal. Through the 390 and MiND, even basic 16/44 CD quality provides a lush soundstage with a natural sound that checks off nearly box one would want from a great DAC. Dense, detailed, warm/musical, and enjoyable at every note. With sound this good in this price range, one might even feel guilty about somehow getting away with the steal of the century. Each successive track compels me to linger a little longer rather than skip around.
With the ease of the 390/MiND combo and TIDAL’s vast collection, there is much more music to be had. The MQA Master of “The Angel of Doubt” from the latest Punch Brothers album All Ashore starts rather subdued, but eventually builds into a bluegrass vocal rap that shows off both the diverse talent of Chris Thile & Co. and just how well the 390 can translate a more subtle track like this. The opening gentle mandolin plucking, whispered vocals, and silent spaces provide the perfect contrast to the more forceful vocal tongue twisting ending. On this track, the 390 provides plenty of low-end authority with the acoustic bass while allowing the vocals to remain clear and separate over the top.”
Chord Electronics Qutest DAC Z $1895 Review
May 3, 2019 Comments Off on Chord Electronics Qutest DAC Z $1895 Review
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The Qutest spent most of its time tethered to my near-field desktop rig, which uses the latest-generation MacPro “titanium trashcan” desktop computer for its front end. The Qutest includes options for four different filters. First there’s the “incisive neutral” filter that according to Chord “has an ultra linear frequency response…includes a 16FS to 256FS WTA2 filter.” Qutest’s second filter is “warm” which according to Chord, “is designed to introduce a little warmth to recordings…with a 16FS WTA1 filter only.” The third filter set, “incisive neutral HF roll-off,” is similar to the first one except that it includes a high-frequency filter past 20kHz. The last filter in Qutest’s stable is “warm HR roll-off,” which is similar to the second option but with the addition of a high-frequency filter above 20kHz.”
Alexus Audio 845SE Single-Ended mono amplifiers $16,995 Review
May 2, 2019 Comments Off on Alexus Audio 845SE Single-Ended mono amplifiers $16,995 Review
“The highlight for me might be One For All’s rendition of “John Coltrane,” with its sweet ride cymbal ring, bass bloom, sonorous trumpet and brooding sax which really lit up the groove. The piano body was warm and well integrated with the other instruments. Taps on the center of a cymbal held a strong place in space.
Lastly, I spun the newly-pressed and recently received “No Filter” by Jerome Sabbagh and Greg Tuohey. This is the second of Jerome’s Kickstarters I’ve backed and I can say it’s always a thrill to spin a newly-minted pressing from a project one has so closely followed. The density of the music hits you first – it’s thick and meaty, like a nice sauce, with rich textures and overtones and replete with rewarding musicianship…. but all was not all roses – overall too dark and dense for my taste with this particular mix of components. The 845SE’s show warts and all, they give you what you give them.”
Audiophilepure 
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