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.”
Pro-Ject Audio Systems X1 Turntable Review
October 26, 2019 Comments Off on Pro-Ject Audio Systems X1 Turntable Review
“Classical music sounds best to me on vinyl, and the X1 reminded me why. The first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony [Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic; Deutsche Grammophon 2531106] was a joy. All the aforementioned attributes of the deck came together with surprisingly good midband detail retrieval to create a vivid and engaging performance. Instrumental timbre was impressive, with violins having a lustre that showed off both the basic rightness of the motor unit, and the tonearm’s fine tracking ability. Overall the deck delivered a tangible sense of a real orchestra playing in a concert hall, rather than it sounding like a facsimile. Dynamics were convincing, and the music rolled along with gusto.”
Aurender W20 Music Server $17,600 Review
October 26, 2019 Comments Off on Aurender W20 Music Server $17,600 Review
“The focus on ‘silent running’ sees in-house, bespoke-tailored circuitry designed to further provide “clean, noise-free power” to the RFI-shielded, dedicated USB Audio Class 2.0 output, and continues on to the fully-isolated and damped HDD/ SSD. Both the 12TB storage hard-disk drive and 240GB solid-state, playback-caching drive are suspended on floating brackets to minimize vibrations within their own machined-aluminum drive enclosures which Aurender refers to as “Fort Knox.” According to the company “…If a selected song or album is already cached to the solid-state drive, the hard drive will remain asleep. This minimizes wear and tear on the hard drive. By caching songs to the solid-state drive for playback, electrical and acoustic noise resulting from spinning disks, moving heads and motors are also completely eliminated.” Cool. I should add that the Aurender platform invisibly integrates any music stored on external USB drives or NAS.
Focal Spectral 40th Loudspeakers $9999 Review
October 26, 2019 Comments Off on Focal Spectral 40th Loudspeakers $9999 Review
“The Spectral 40th’s midrange and top end were the best I’ve heard in my room. Focal’s ad copy describes the speaker’s sound as “vibrant” and “expressive,” and I agree. The midrange was quite forward but also impossibly smooth, and oozing with detail. Voices leapt from mixes, but never sounded edgy or irritating. There was an organic, reach-out-and-touch-it quality to the midrange that, though it may not have been perfectly flat, was intoxicatingly beautiful. I’d never quite heard this level of realism in my room before. Images of voices effortlessly floated in space with eerie palpability, with no hint of strain or cabinet colorations to spoil the illusion. I was in love”
MAGICO A3 FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKERS £11,998 REVIEW
October 25, 2019 Comments Off on MAGICO A3 FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKERS £11,998 REVIEW
“The A3 is an important loudspeaker, and not just for Magico. In truth, the audio world already knows this… the lengthy hiatus between the A3’s launch and this, its first review in an English language high-end magazine, is simply down to the sheer number of A3s ordered every time they are demonstrated. There’s a reason for that. This isn’t ‘discount Magico’ or ‘Magico-lite’, and it isn’t even ‘Emporio Magico’: the A3 is a top-class Magico loudspeaker in its own right. It’s the one to beat at the price… and far beyond.”
MONOPRICE MONOLITH™ THX AMPLIFIER & DAC REVIEW $499 Review
October 25, 2019 Comments Off on MONOPRICE MONOLITH™ THX AMPLIFIER & DAC REVIEW $499 Review
“The Monolith 788 offers an extremely pure feeling bass experience, one that would require massive amounts of DSP to alter into the realm of warm feeling. Again, this is a great trait to have for clinical enthusiasts out there.
Liquid and crystalline in physical tactility, the Monolith here pairs exceptionally well with the Sennheiser HD800, especially so in balanced mode. The extra fullness is very appreciated with proper driving power behind it, top that off with the potential to dial-up or down some problem areas via the EQ onboard and you have a great recipe for some truly amazing dynamism.”
RAAL-REQUISITE TRUE RIBBON SR1A EARFIELED HEADPHONE MONITOR REVIEW
October 24, 2019 Comments Off on RAAL-REQUISITE TRUE RIBBON SR1A EARFIELED HEADPHONE MONITOR REVIEW
“The RAAL-requisite SR1a Earfieled Headphone Monitor is a crowning achievement of what is possible in headphone design. The beautiful sound coming from the ribbon monitor was sensational. The exceptional imaging made all performers come alive and made the equipment get out of the way.
The SR1a created a midrange that was as good as I have heard regardless of price. The soundstage was wide and deep with exceptional space and air between the performers. The 299D was able to throw off a 3D stage that was sensational. Imaging was among the best that I have heard in any system. The SR1a was so special that at times I felt as if I were actually at the performance.”
Schiit Audio Aegir power amplifier $799 Review
October 24, 2019 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Aegir power amplifier $799 Review
“What makes the Schiit Audio Aegir so special is how it generates class-D-like force and clarity plus the information-dense refinements of class-A. And how, at $799, it could dare to sound as trippy and lifelike as it does.The Aegir struck me as a design that will withstand and even rejoice in the scrutiny of time—much like the affordable Wharfedale, KEF, Harbeth, and Magnepan loudspeakers I tested it with.”
Brainwavz Audio Alara Planar Magnetic Headphone $399 Review
October 23, 2019 Comments Off on Brainwavz Audio Alara Planar Magnetic Headphone $399 Review
“However, when it comes to soundstage width and, especially, depth, the HD6XX handily bests the Alara. The Alara pulls Lenny Zakatek charmingly histrionic vocals on the aforementioned “I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You” to the front, whereas they stage deeper on the HD6XX, making what sounds like a light chorus effect slightly more apparent. Likewise, on Miles Davis’s Live-Evil’s “Funky Tonk,” Jack DeJohnette’s masterful drums, which transition between scattershot madness and tight grooves and back again throughout the opening to a 23-minute track, have more front-to-back depth on the HD6XX than the Alara, leaving more room in the center of the sound field for Davis’s wah-inflected trumpet.
Given this soundstage versus extension tradeoff, is the Alara an all-around better headphone than the HD6XX? In a word, no. However, for listeners put off by the HD6XX’s somewhat polite sound or those who wish for the brighter signature and up-front detail found in the Clear or Sennheiser’s own HD800S, the Alara offers a sound signature that edges toward those pricier cans at a fraction of the cost.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.