BAT REX DAC $19,900 REVIEW
June 24, 2019 Comments Off on BAT REX DAC $19,900 REVIEW
“Getting it to work with the Sony HAP-Z1ES HDD audio player was as simple as running a USB cable between the two units. With the Windows-based PC running jRiver Media centre, all you have to do is to download and install the drivers from the BAT website and select the relevant option on the media-playing software. For Mac users, it’s simply plug-and-play, of course.
As expected with a complement of six tubes, the REX does run hot, so ensure that it has sufficient ventilation; an air-conditioned room will also add to your personal comfort.
With all that in place, the only thing left to do is to let the music play and immerse yourself in the REX DAC’s marvellous sonics.
And simply glorious it is. It’s not about analysing in detail each and every aspect of its performance, it is the gestalt, the sum of its parts, the ability to draw you into the sonic landscape it paints that beguiles and keeps you listening hour after hour.
Acapella Audio Arts: The $650K Sphaeron Excalibur loudspeakers
June 24, 2019 Comments Off on Acapella Audio Arts: The $650K Sphaeron Excalibur loudspeakers
PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant P20 Mains Generator Review
June 23, 2019 Comments Off on PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant P20 Mains Generator Review
“When I say that mains regenerators are no panacea it isn’t just because they can’t, at a sweep of the hand, make a bad system good – there’s no magic bullet that can. Rather, it reflects my repeated experience that low-consumption items like DACs and headphone amplifiers almost always benefit from a squeaky clean mains supply, whereas power amplifiers can be more finicky. None more so than Naim power amps, I’ve found, perhaps because Naim traditionally devotes so much attention to its power supplies.
SONY IER-Z1R $2,000 REVIEW
June 23, 2019 Comments Off on SONY IER-Z1R $2,000 REVIEW
“While there is top-notch clarity and a fairly transparent midrange, its lower registers lack the presence which in turn takes away just a little of body and weight on snares and other percussions. Nonetheless, the midrange of Z1R remains transparent and open-sounding while providing a good level of attack.
The focus on the upper midrange of the Z1R is more prominent when I took it for a spin on Alice in Chains’ track “Brother” from their MTV Unplugged album. The track portrays a well-layered vocal presentation from both Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell. While Z1R is able to achieve superb separation on the vocals, the upper midrange spike provides more clarity and presence on Staley’s high-pitched voice compared to the low-pitched voice of Cantrell which is pushed back just little bit.
Listening to the acoustic guitars from the same track, high notes on the chords are more highlighted but the low-pitched strings still manage to maintain satisfactory weight and body even with the slight lower-midrange roll off.”
Cowon Plenue D2 Review
June 21, 2019 Comments Off on Cowon Plenue D2 Review
“Previously, sensitive earphones were real buggers to pair with the D. They hissed. Really sensitive ones might even render audible screen interface calls. The D2 so shields all that from the signal that all is black and quiet. Yes, that includes earphones like Shure’s SE846, which hiss even when plugged into the vacuum of space.
All is not perfect, though. Under extreme load at max volume, jitter jumps way up over unloaded targets, and otherwise pristine signals suck to extreme separation at 2k and 5k with a small mountain of minor joined stereo between them. Can you hear this? I doubt it. Will you be listening to similar loads (Earsonics SM2) at such volumes? No. But when pushed beyond reason, the D2’s output fails there.”
T+A elektroakustik Talis S 300 Loudspeaker Review $13,900
June 21, 2019 Comments Off on T+A elektroakustik Talis S 300 Loudspeaker Review $13,900
“I do want to emphasize that the qualities described above were not evident when the S 300s were freshly unpacked—they needed 150–200 hours of playing music to come into their own. Before that, the speakers were quite “accurate” with loads of detail, yet provided only a very ordinary listening experience. With time, the preternatural clarity remained, joined by an organic ease and naturalness surely related to the tonal verisimilitude noted above. Loudspeakers under $20,000 are the class of products I cover at shows, and I’ve not heard ones better than the S 300s. Sonically, they hold their own with competing models from Wilson and Magico that cost thousands more, despite having to cross an ocean to get here, and the T+As will likely get higher marks for appearance than products from those other two fine manufacturers. Most importantly, the Talis S 300 can make you forget that you are listening to a recording. And that’s what it’s all about, right?”
PHOBOS ORTHODYNAMIC $2,199 REVIEW
June 20, 2019 Comments Off on PHOBOS ORTHODYNAMIC $2,199 REVIEW
“Those looking for thunderous bass like the Sony MDR-Z1R flagship headphones, better look elsewhere. What you will get here is wonderfully textured and defined bass that only gives you what the recording engineer wanted you to hear. Cymbal detail and shimmer was almost perfect. Extended, detailed while never sounding strident is the best description I can give. Simply put a very balanced overall tonality that should make any listener smile; regardless of the genre of music that you throw at them. Finally, I want to mention that this session was conducted with the flagship DAC Chord Electronics DAVE and boy did these headphones scale with the improved upstream gear! Everything just sounded better across the board and really let me hear the differences between the Hugo2 and DAVE”
Audio Research Reference 6 Preamplifier $15,000 Review
June 20, 2019 Comments Off on Audio Research Reference 6 Preamplifier $15,000 Review
“In my time with it, I quickly learned that Audio Research’s Reference 6 preamplifier is one of those rare products capable of producing a quality of sound greater than might be suggested by the sum of its parts. The Ref 6 also offers outstanding build quality, instinctual ergonomics, and sexy appearance, all for only $2005 more than the cost of its predecessor — a 15% premium. Moreover, it’s the first tubed preamplifier I’ve heard that can match and in some ways exceed the performance of my reference, the solid-state Simaudio Moon Evolution P-8. This tells me three things: 1) some seriously astute engineering is going on under the Ref 6’s hood; 2) even at $15,000, the Ref 6 is a heck of a value; and 3) I’d be an idiot to return the review sample. Audio Research’s Reference 6 has just become my new reference preamplifier. Wholeheartedly recommended.”
McIntosh MC611 Amplifier $15,000 Review
June 19, 2019 Comments Off on McIntosh MC611 Amplifier $15,000 Review
“What then do we have with McIntosh’s latest series of big-power amps? To me, these amplifiers demonstrate firstly that you can have high-output power in a musical sounding package. No matter what genre, source, vinyl or otherwise, I threw at these amps, the transformative nature of each cut – when called for – was heard clearly and undeniably. There are amps that make music sound more or less similar; there are amps that contour music emotionally; there are amps that reveal the last bit of detail, ambience and microscopic inflections of each note played. There are very few amps however, that manage to package all these attributes into one design that does it all generally equally well. That breed of amplifiers is rare indeed – yet, McIntosh somehow managed to do just that at a price point that in today’s terms is downright affordable. Add to that genuine high-end support, an honest Made in America badge, and knowledge that these amplifiers will sound as good in twenty year’s time as they do the day you bought them and you have yourself a winner. I was prepared to spend considerably more for a high output solidstate amp; that the MC611 won me over and left money in my pocket was a genuine surprise that I didn’t see coming. Well done and most definitely worth an audition. Highly recommended, A++++.”
Audiophilepure 
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