Focal Elegia $900 Review
February 7, 2019 Comments Off on Focal Elegia $900 Review
“Switching over to the A&K SR15 and its Quad-core CPU, Cirrus Logic Dual-DAC CS43198 and MasterHIFI chipsets the difference between the iPhone and the SR15’s DAC/amp and processing power was immediately laid bare. Bass weight and impact, dynamic response, transient speed, midrange detail, upper frequency extension, decay off notes, spatial separation of instruments – all of these improved by an order of magnitude. Hope’s playing on “Adagio for Violin…” suddenly seemed to come to life with timbral and tonal color through the Elegia where before things lacked similar punch and just as importantly – real depth to the sound stage, shedding it’s 3D compression that was nascent on the iPhone. High-res PCM or DSD (DSD to PCM conversion on-the-fly) files I listened to through the &norma added further to the little DAP’s impact, showing off the Focal’s transparency to source and its ability to easily translate differences in DAC, file type or codec-processing capabilities.
Moving over to the MacBook Air using Roon through the Naim DAC-V1 which is packed with a 40-bit SHARC DSP chipset, single-ended Class-A head amp and 24/384 synchronous USB input, the Elegia took the change-up in stride and gave me even more of what I was hearing through the SR15 with further perceived dynamic range at frequency extremes (coming across as deeper, more fleshed-out bass and more air around instruments and vocals reaching into the upper registers). Through the Naim the Elegia further cemented its ability to deliver emotional playback without a hint of digital artifice: something that became increasingly noticeable as I climbed the price/performance ladder during this review and the headphones delivered exactly what they were being fed from each distinct source. Where the SR15 had a slightly brighter treble-region presentation and leaner, more forward spatial imaging, the V1 added midrange pop and heft.”
Revel Ultima 2 Speaker Series Review
February 6, 2019 Comments Off on Revel Ultima 2 Speaker Series Review
64Audio A6t $1299 Review
February 5, 2019 Comments Off on 64Audio A6t $1299 Review
“Amongst the sea of sub-$2000 do-all in-ears in the market today, 64Audio’s A6t emerges as a true cut above – thriving on youthful zing, tonal finesse and an outstandingly solid midrange. While it boasts a similar liveliness as its peers, a unique physicality accompanies its rhythmic drive. Instruments are not only fun to listen to, but they’re tangible as well. Although it may lack the effortlessness and transparency of 64Audio’s monstrous flagships, the technology that’s trickled down onto the A6t ensures admirable performance at a fraction of the cost. With 3D-Fit and apex, you have yourselves one heck of a package. Whether on the go, on stage or behind the desk, the A6t unfailingly delivers punchy, accurate and refined audio. It may not necessarily be 64Audio’s poster child, but I smell a clear best-seller for years to come.”
Fluance RT84 turntable Review
February 5, 2019 Comments Off on Fluance RT84 turntable Review
“The RT84 would be a fine choice for your first turntable, or a nice upgrade over your first budget or hand me down turntable from your parents or relatives. You’ll be sure to notice how much quieter and clear all of your LPs and singles sound. Better yet when your music isn’t competing with the sound of clicks, pops, and other noises it sounds better. The RT84 frees the music from the LPs grooves, so you hear deeper into your tunes.
If the Fluance RT84’s price puts it out of reach, no worries, their RT81 at $249 is still an outstanding ‘table, a great way to dip into the wonderful world of analog audio, try it, you’ll like it.”
Meze Empyrean $2999 Review
February 4, 2019 Comments Off on Meze Empyrean $2999 Review
“On initial impressions, the leather pads feel a bit more reference in their presentation and the detail is indeed excellent. I don’t honestly find the leather pad tonal alterations to produce a cold or clinical sound, an HD800 it is most certainly not.
However, With the leather pads, you get quite a neutral sound with a little more upper mid and lower treble emphasis which seems to jive with the perception of the Empyrean having a very linear and flat low-end to 1k frequency response. It sounds incredibly coherent but may lack a little warmth and body compared to the Alcantara pads juicier and more expansive presentation.”
Devialet Expert 220 Pro Integrated Amplifier Review
February 3, 2019 Comments Off on Devialet Expert 220 Pro Integrated Amplifier Review
“This is an exceptionally quiet amplifier whatever source is selected. Only when using the phono-stage did I ever hear any noise, though that is to be expected. All sources go through a choice of 24bit/96kHz or 24bit/192kHz digital stage, the heart or “intelligence” of the Pro as they refer to it, though at no time in my listening did I even consider this could degrade the sound. First listening was digital via the excellent Krell KPS20i CD player. Vincent Belanger “Pure Cello” is a beautiful CD, produced by Audio Note. This was an engaging performance. The solo cello playing was a positive and forceful performance without being over-powering or tiring. Indeed, all analogue sources I connected into the line input gave a positive performance in terms of accuracy of sound and covering all frequencies with a flat response. Listening to ‘Live at the Citadel’ from my friends The Enid was deep in bass yet top frequencies were equally detailed and clean, with a good sense of being there in the audience. I originally heard the band in the 1970’s and fell in love with the references to Rachmaninov in much of the music as well as the use of synthesiser. The soundstage was large and detailed, without sounding clinical. Listening to sources via USB and SPDif was equally detailed and spacious giving some of the best performances whether FLAC, WAV or DSD. Pat Metheny ‘The Way Up’ and the second track confusingly named “Part One” had a great top end and bass that was relaxed but authoritative. Similarly, Muse Resistance album and “Uprising” has a deep bass at the start which was clean and clinical, though no less enjoyable. Listening to Supertramp ‘Breakfast in America’ on CD the sound was noticeably digitised than when I play my vinyl version of the album. Interestingly, playing it from vinyl, which still goes through a 24/192 ADC, sounded superior. The Devialet performed well in all I played, whether analogue or digital, though vocals and mid-frequencies were more forward in the presentation. Indeed, whilst the Expert 220 Pro worked great with all types of music and instrumentation my only slight concerns as a critical reviewer was a very slight sibilance with some vocals (mainly female), and the sound lacking some warmth in performance.
AUDIOQUEST NIAGARA 1000 POWER CONDITIONER
February 2, 2019 Comments Off on AUDIOQUEST NIAGARA 1000 POWER CONDITIONER
“When I switched the big ATC P2 power amp from the wall to the high power output on the Niagara, I got a very worthwhile increase in soundstage depth and width, with increased separation between instruments and no sense of dynamic compression; the former was expected, the latter a relief. It also seemed worthwhile to contrast the NRG Y3 with the Isotek EVO3 Premier I usually use on the amp. This did something very similar to the Niagara by calming and adding weight without undermining timing, a perceived reduction in volume level suggesting that distortion and noise had dropped.
The Innuos Zenith SE server should benefit from this sort of power conditioning and the Niagara did not disappoint. A veil was lifted from low level detail which opened up the room and further enhanced musicality, turning a good piece of music into an inspiring one. As a vinyl lover, it was necessary to see if the AudioQuest would improve the sound of my Rega RP8 turntable and Tom Evans Microgroove phono stage. Here the change was more subtle, and it mainly consisted of a slight darkening of the balance alongside a slight calming with quieter backgrounds. There was an improvement but not one that matched the price. ”
AMG • Giro Turntable and 9W2 Tonearm Review
February 2, 2019 Comments Off on AMG • Giro Turntable and 9W2 Tonearm Review
“The complex, frenetic rhythms and dense, undulating mix of Talking Heads’ Remain In Light [Sire SRKC 6095] are suitably insistent, but also beautifully layered, the propulsive mobility of the Frantz/Weymouth rhythm section surging powerfully beneath the chopped guitars and stabbing keys. This is always a great record, and the AMG ‘table lets you really appreciate the multi-faceted production and Byrne’s ability to harness it to the music rather than let it swamp proceedings. There’s ample evidence that Eno could over-egg almost any pudding, but the Giro manages to combine clarity of purpose with the almost physical density. That ability to find forward traction when everything else seems to get bogged down, to find clarity amidst congestion and life in the laziest groove, are what make the Giro such an entertaining and engaging record player. Its lack of really deep bass weight and the sense of scale that goes with it might prevent it from competing with the very best — but then the very best cost considerably more than AMG’s junior offering. Besides which, in the sort of systems where the Giro is likely to find itself, those sudden dynamics and the sense of pace that go with them are going to be musically far more important. The pairing with the similarly fleet-of-foot and bass-linear DS Audio DS-W1 might be altogether too much of a good thing, except that these partners seemingly encourage each other to ever-greater heights. The results are impressive, occasionally spectacular but never, ever less than fun.”
First Watt SIT-3 power amplifier $4000 Review
February 2, 2019 Comments Off on First Watt SIT-3 power amplifier $4000 Review
“Nelson Pass is that rare type of audio-engineering maverick who measures and listens with equal facility. He’s not wasting his time and your money trying to cram a thousand crap watts into a marketing department’s bling box. He does not believe that all measurable “distortions” are, willy-nilly, enemies of high-fidelity sound. Instead, he focuses his considerable intelligence and resources not only on reducing various types of distortion, but also on studying the essential natures of those distortions. He uses blind listening and ABX testing to understand how experienced listeners perceive distortion, and the role that distortion might play in helping our brains reconstruct the original musical event. In the SIT-3, Pass has allowed a carefully prescribed dose of negative-phase second-harmonic distortion to appear at low levels, with a tiny touch of third-harmonic distortion at higher powers. The second harmonic, he says, “fosters an illusion of expanded space and image specificity; the third appears to improve dynamics.”
Sound Lab Ultimate U-4iA electrostatic speaker Review $21,300 Review
February 1, 2019 Comments Off on Sound Lab Ultimate U-4iA electrostatic speaker Review $21,300 Review
“Depending on the music, the amount of bottom-end energy could be excessive and would call for tonal adjustments to the speaker. Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Use Me” continued the impressive demonstration of the U-4iA’s bottom-end capacity, but was so overtly present in the lower frequencies that it was in danger of overrunning the upper half of the spectrum. I adjusted the midrange and treble to +3dB to compensate and an acceptable balance was restored. To my ear, leaving the tonal controls flat brings a more “tube like” character from the Sound Lab, versus adjustment upward of them bringing out a touch of solid-state forwardness. Note that this effect can also be further increased or decreased to one’s satisfaction by proper selection of cables.
Another word about the Poem of the Chinese Drums; the U-4iA exquisitely renders the nuances of the mallet and drum skin interaction. With quite a large number of speakers, mostly dynamic or hybrid dynamic, the thump of the mallet whacking the drum comes off as a shuddering burst, an LF punch that has little character of other instruments such as piano and saxophone. To my delight, a splendid amount of the subtleties of the drum were retrieved by the U-4iA. Usually at that frequency, an electrostatic speaker coughs out a stressed throb, but the musical integrity of the LF created by the U-4iA was exemplary. This gave me the sense that it was more powerful than the rated 32Hz.”
Audiophilepure 
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