SVS SB16-Ultra subwoofer $1,999 Review
April 28, 2019 Comments Off on SVS SB16-Ultra subwoofer $1,999 Review
“Now let’s get serious about guilty pleasures when it comes to music — the kind of stuff we’re loathe to admit is on our playlists. I reckon what harm could come of this, so I start playing music that should not benefit from a subwoofer, only to discover that these tracks actually have low-octave content. Hot damn, there are bass lines to be plumbed in and at depth. Not what I expected and I am being forced, in a very good way, to re-listen to a number of recordings all over again.
The Dayton Audio subwoofer is indeed serviceable, with its 120 watts of amplification and downward flared ported design it comes in at the princely sum of $148.00. Is this model the last word in subwoofers? No, it is not. Is this model a great entry point for the novice? Indeed it is, and more. For someone as cynical and skeptical as myself it is not in me to jump in with both feet. So here I am, already searching out the upgrade path. I’ve got SVS squarely in my sites. Gary Yacoubian, SVS President, was so helpful in pointing me in the direction of Ed over there, so it is down to two models of theirs, both sealed box variants: the new SB-4000 or the SB16-Ultra. Either one would take me to a whole new level and, now that I am more at ease with the subwoofer as more than a concept, I am prepared to take that next step. I went with the SB-16 Ultra because size does indeed matter, and if I was going to risk physical injury with a component that size, I reckon I’d go all-in.”
HUM DOLORES $1699 REVIEW
April 27, 2019 Comments Off on HUM DOLORES $1699 REVIEW
“HUM keep it kind of simple with their packaging. Perhaps too simple for a product costing this much. I would love to see some retail packaging to go with the strikingly attractive modified 1010 case they offer for carrying your Dolores around.
The Pelican 1010 is dust and element proof and has some soft and very protective rubber finishing on the inside so it is pretty good for day to day use, throwing it in the bag or just throwing it if you are that way inclined. For attachment purposes, you also get a detachable carabiner lock.
Inside you get your pair of Dolores, the Tara cable, 3 sets of silicone tips and a cleaning brush. And, ‘that’s all she wrote folks’
XTZ DIVINE DELTA STAND-MOUNT LOUDSPEAKER REVIEW
April 26, 2019 Comments Off on XTZ DIVINE DELTA STAND-MOUNT LOUDSPEAKER REVIEW
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It’s not a completely clean bill of health, though. Those overproduced albums of the 1980s and early 1990s always sound syrupy, but can sound almost edgy here. James Taylor’s ‘That’s Why I’m Here’ from the album of the same name [Columbia] is a perfect example, as it’s all Yamaha DX7 synths backing an over-ripened James Taylor vocal. This particular recording might have been one of the progenitors of MP3, but the full 16/44 CD recording can easily show any brightness to the sound or spitchiness to the vocals, and both were displayed here. In truth, the vocal ‘spitch’ sound was minimal, and as much a function of the recording itself, but even with the treble set at -3dB, it never quite tamed that slight zing to the top end. I tried not to let the price get in the way of the review, but it’s here the price becomes an issue, in a good way. That zing would be unacceptable in many of those classic high-end designs that also sport Accutons, but here it’s just a function of a good middle-priced loudspeaker trying to make a well-balanced sound. It’s also the kind of zing that is only really noticeable if you have logged lots of hours with the more upmarket competition. Many will never notice. ”
ISOTEK EVO3 NOVA POWER CONDITIONER REVIEW
April 26, 2019 Comments Off on ISOTEK EVO3 NOVA POWER CONDITIONER REVIEW
“The big question is would you buy the EVO3 Nova if your system was never going to require more than an EVO3 Sigmas, and I think the honest answer is ‘probably not’. There are some improvements to be had, but the jump in performance brought about by the EVO3 Sigmas is fairly substantial in its own right. The Nova isn’t quite gilding the lily, but the jump in price between the two is more justified if you are edging toward running out of sockets. With a relatively humble high-end system now comprising a streamer and a server alongside a turntable, preamp, phono stage, DAC, power amplifier or amps, and potentially a reel-to-reel and CD player, the Sigmas fast runs out of road next to the EVO3 Nova.
And that’s the reason why the IsoTek EVO3 Nova will, I believe, prove as popular as the EVO3 Sigmas does. We quickly run out of power conditioner in modern systems. Even excluding more computer-side products like the network switch or a NAS drive elsewhere on the system, the number of products in a system soon adds up, and something as versatile as the EVO3 Sigmas begins to look as if it has some shortcomings. The EVO3 Nova takes on the task for today’s bigger systems, with all the capacity and heavy-lifting needed to drive all except the most vast of amplifiers. ”
PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube DAC – Premier Review
April 25, 2019 Comments Off on PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube DAC – Premier Review
“You never know what you are missing. After about thirty minutes of listening with the PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube DAC, I was so immersed in the luxurious tonality of the reference system performance and the actual performance itself, I forgot about any comparisons. It was only much later when replacing my reference DAC, I heard the added definition and image layering. You would expect more for triple the cost. Nevertheless, the PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube DAC is fully satisfying to me, and is the first ever really musical DAC to come in under the $5000 price point in my audio”
AUDIO RESEARCH REFERENCE 10 LINE PREAMPLIFIER REVIEW
April 25, 2019 Comments Off on AUDIO RESEARCH REFERENCE 10 LINE PREAMPLIFIER REVIEW
“This isn’t just about hearing more from your recordings, although that is what first attracts you to the Reference 10’s performance. It’s like a reset button on your music. Tracks you know so well aren’t just replayed as if it were the first time you heard them; they are rebuilt note-by-note in front of you, opening up that music in ways you can’t anticipate until you experience them. Yes this is about detail, space, and dynamic range – Bernard Purdie’s drum pedal on ‘Memphis Soul Stew’ [KIng Curtis Live at Filmore West, ATCO] has a squeak that really high-resolution systems can resolve. Many of those are brutally analytical rendering the track hard to hear because of that ever-present squeak, but the Reference 10 forces you beyond that, to a point where it is just a part of the musical whole again. It’s just this time, there are so many more parts to that whole. Let’s put it this way; anyone who was actually at that concert almost 50 years ago might have heard that squeaky drum pedal, and I guarantee not one person walked out of the concert because of that squeak. That’s how the Reference 10 pushes ahead of the competition. That’s not to say the preamplifier is forgiving, but instead is so informative that detail alone isn’t enough; it’s like you get a new set of ears with the Reference 10 and they take everything in! Going back to more real world preamps is an exercise in disappointment.”
McIntosh Laboratory MC462 power amplifier $9000 Review
April 24, 2019 Comments Off on McIntosh Laboratory MC462 power amplifier $9000 Review
‘My own No.1 priority in the reproduction of music is the living, breathing re-creation of the harmonic series. That is the “nature” in music, the vibration of the spheres. You’ll want to be thoughtful in choosing what to pair the MC462 with, upstream and down—this amp interrogates whatever it comes in contact with with such authority that it could veer to the analytical side of the sonic spectrum. With a simpatico system the McIntosh MC462 will bring the breath of life to your music.
The McIntosh MC462 Quad Balanced power amplifier sits today on the bottom shelf of my rack like a stocky Buddha, calmly radiating energy as the forest creatures—eg, the red squirrels that winter inside the walls of our old Victorian—gather ’round, smile, and nod their heads. One thing they all agree on is the price—$9000 is more than fair for the excellence delivered, given the inflationary forces wafting through the High End. The senses of ease and literally quiet power created by the MC462 are palpable and most welcome. A first-round vote pick for induction in Class A of the next edition of our “Recommended Components.” Highly recommended—insisted on, even.”
Focal Aria 926 Loudspeakers Review
April 23, 2019 Comments Off on Focal Aria 926 Loudspeakers Review
‘The fit and finish are impressive for a speaker at this price point. Other cabinet finishes available include prime walnut, an oak colored finish, as well as the recently discontinued (hence discounted at retail) noyer. The flax drivers are quite attractive, but can be easily hidden by attaching the included full-length magnetic black grill if desired. Like most Focal speakers, I found just a single set of robust binding posts around back. Focal doesn’t typically provide multiple sets of binding posts for a bi-amping option given their easy load and higher-than-average sensitivity specs. The Aria 926 is no different in that regard, with 8 ohms nominal impedance of and rated sensitivity of 91.5 dB. That doesn’t mean they won’t still benefit from a high-quality power amplifier, though. Before moving the Focals to my dedicated listening room, I first connected them to my family room system for a couple of weeks to break them in while serving television audio duty. Next, the Focal Aria 926s were moved upstairs, taking the place of the just-reviewed Sonus faber Sonetto IIIs in my listening room.”
TechDAS Air Force Zero Turntable Review
April 23, 2019 Comments Off on TechDAS Air Force Zero Turntable Review
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The sound—oh,the sound—that the Zero produced in this setup was truly captivating. The noise floor depths were subterranean and the octave-to-octave balance seamless. It was immediately apparent to me that the TechDAS Zero was delivering a fundamentally different approach to vinyl playback. Never have I heard such 3-D presentation of musical notes. Never have I heard voices conveyed through a loudspeaker so convincingly—not only were they accurate in dynamic detail but also in their placement within the soundstage. Listening to a passage from Tosca I almost believed I was sitting ten feet away from the tenor, so realistic were the system’s sense of fidelity and lack of dynamic constraint. Chimes rang out with supreme delicacy and endlessly lingering decays.”
PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 12 Review
April 22, 2019 Comments Off on PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 12 Review
“The improvement wrought by the P12 was, if anything, greater with the McIntosh. The midbass-to-low-bass region was clearer, with bass drums and timpani seemingly having a more solid foundation, and transients generally having crisper onsets and more rapid decays. The MC275 LE seemed to lose some of its “tubey” characteristics—it sounded more neutral, more like the real thing.”
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