Naim DAC-V1 Review
June 7, 2019 Comments Off on Naim DAC-V1 Review
“On the 24/96 Qobuz version of Kenyan-born J.S. Ondara’s Tales Of America the V1’s genealogical timing shone through with musical, yet metronomic precision in the drum work of Griffin Goldsmith and the basslines of Sebastian Steinberg and Jon Flower. The timbral bloom off Gabe Noel’s and Evgeny Tonkha’s cellos had the Naim not only capture the dimensional cues of their bow and fret work, it allowed for a constant demonstration of the DAC’s textural retrieval qualifications as well. Ondara’s voice, with all its comparisons to that of Tracy Chapman, shines through on its own merit via the V1 with the subtle – of what I can only assume are Nairobi – inflections of his birth place flavoring his lyrics on acoustically-dense tracks like “American Dream” and the a cappella “Turkish Bandana,” which is resonant with spatial reflections loaded back onto his voice beautifully capturing the studio space of the recording.”
Chord Electronics Hugo M Scaler Review
June 7, 2019 Comments Off on Chord Electronics Hugo M Scaler Review
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Moreover, you could get a much better tone and timbre when you power a Chromecast Audio (now discontinued) via a battery and connect it to the Hugo M Scaler. There’s something so beautiful about saying “Hey Google, play Spotify on M Scaler.”Using the Chromecast Audio on the Hugo M Scaler made me realize the importance of having a higher quality streamer and server such as the Innuos ZENith Mk.II. That’s where you’ll lower noise floor, bring out the details, and mold out the music in a more convincing way.”
Novafidelity X14 Review
June 6, 2019 Comments Off on Novafidelity X14 Review
“Connecting to the 3.5mm headphone socket, the X14 starts out respectably with Nils Frahm’s Sunson – a 16/44.1 stream via Qobuz once again – but as the track continues it lacks some control as the headphone stage appears to be trying to manage too many elements and struggles to drive the Grado SR125 headphone (HFC 389) as effectively.
Conclusion
The X14 has to be praised for the degree of functionality it manages to squeeze into such a compact and elegant chassis. Its well thought out and practical approach will see it attract those looking to take the first steps into network audio, and it makes a great starter or second-room music hub that’s easy to enjoy. LD ”
Audio Hungary Qualiton A50i Integrated Amplifier Review
June 6, 2019 Comments Off on Audio Hungary Qualiton A50i Integrated Amplifier Review
“To put the Qualiton A50i to the test in more of a brute-force way, I cued up “Back in Black” from AC/DC’s album of the same name. While some would argue that tube amps are for more refined music, my tastes are broad, and I never know what the mood brings, so any amplifier in my system needs to stand up to whatever the occasion brings.
Thankfully, the A50i delivered. The amp maintained the grit and energy of Brian Johnson’s raspy voice, and struggled not in the slightest with the song’s driving bass. There was no indication of distortion, but I did notice some loss of energy at the very bottom end, which had more to do with the QLN Signature 3’s 42Hz low frequency response, not the A50i’s 30Hz -3dB point.”
Balanced Audio Technology VK-56SE power amplifier $8495 Review
June 5, 2019 Comments Off on Balanced Audio Technology VK-56SE power amplifier $8495 Review
“The BAT VK-56SE had a fine talent for pumping bass out of Harbeth’s M30.2s, but no one would mistake it for a solid-state amp. With the M30.2s, the VK-56SE’s midrange was exceedingly lush and overtly textured. But with Harbeth’s smaller P3ESR speakers it sounded distinctly not lush. Driving the mini-Harbeths, the BAT sounded more precisely focused, more like solid-state. Consequently, it made the P3ESRs “disappear” even more than they usually do. Björk’s Gling-Gló was depicted with a surprising, bright clarity and a breathy, wide-open effortlessness. The soundstage was big in every direction. Björk was now better described and easier to “see.” I noticed less electronic-ness in the space between her and her voice mike. In my room, the BAT amp sounded its absolute best with the little Harbeth P3ESRs. But . . .
When I removed the VK-56SE and connected the P3ESRs to First Watt’s astute, 25Wpc SIT-3 solid-state amplifier ($4000), which I reviewed in February 2019, I noticed, first, a slight loss in apparent woofer grip, which I perceived as a reduction in image contrast. Punch and drive were also reduced. However, these losses were accompanied by a radical increase in the density of small-scale information. The SIT-3 made trumpets, drums, guitars, and human voices sound more complex—more fully expressed, and microscopically textured. Both amplifiers sounded extremely good with the extremely good Harbeth P3ESRs, but I think I favored the BAT’s extra oomph and push.
Sony PS-LX310BT Bluetooth turntable $200 Review
June 5, 2019 Comments Off on Sony PS-LX310BT Bluetooth turntable $200 Review
“The PS-LX310BT is more than just an excellent ‘my first turntable’ option. For those wanting a fully automatic deck with built-in phono stage, it’s one of the best we’ve heard.Players such as the 2018 Award-winning Rega Planar 1 (£250), might offer a superior sound, but the manually-operated Rega lacks a built-in phono stage or Bluetooth.What the Sony lacks in terms of top-quality sound, it makes up for by being fun, ridiculously user-friendly and resoundingly listenable.”
1More True Wireless $99 Review
June 4, 2019 Comments Off on 1More True Wireless $99 Review
“They did equally well with binaural recordings, resolving spatial cues, position, and distance with uncanny precision. The Tucker Zone, one of the best binaural demonstrations I’ve ever heard, was rendered with startling realism and will have you flinching, jumping, and reaching to answer a phantom cell phone. It’s mind-blowing, my 12 year old uses it to freak out his friends when they come over. I also recommend checking out Redscape Audio’s excellent binaural processing demonstration. It transforms regular stereo and multi-channel source material into a spacious headphone soundscape.
Pairing the STWs with various devices was simple and automatic. Though typically used with smartphones, these and any Bluetooth IEMs, headphones, etc. can be used with your laptop, Bluetooth streamer, or my favorite, the Apple TV for late night catching up on episodes of Saturday Night Live while my wife sleeps.”
Bergmann Audio Magne Turntable Review
June 4, 2019 Comments Off on Bergmann Audio Magne Turntable Review
“When we first attempted to level the arm, we grossly over rotated the Allen wrench and it made the arm wobble. Somewhere on the internet, I read the arm level adjustment is achieved with microscopic turns. No more than a 16th of a turn on both screws set the level perfectly. I have a bi monthly reminder on my iPhone to check level of plinth, platter and arm with a bullseye level.
Magne makes the super fine tuning of the arm’s level very easy by providing the owner with a simple plastic cylinder that fits over the arm tube. The tube floats elegantly over the 18 minute air holes in the top of the arm. The slightest imbalance and the tube floats and rolls almost imperceptibly to the left or right of the arm. When level, no movement. Ingenious. And super accurate.
Living Voice • Vox Palladian/Palladian Basso Loudspeaker System £252,000
June 3, 2019 Comments Off on Living Voice • Vox Palladian/Palladian Basso Loudspeaker System £252,000
“I might describe the Vox Olympian as inviting — as in inviting you to step into the music. The Vox Palladian shares that attribute but takes it a whole stage further, inviting you into the music and, beyond that, into the performance itself, getting you up close and personal with the performers, their character and their idiosyncrasies — and you don’t get much more idiosyncratic than Clifford Curzon under the direction of Benjamin Britten. Curzon’s 1970 recording of the late Mozart Piano Concertos Nos.20 and 27 [Decca SXL 7007] was captured at the Snape Maltings by the Decca “dream team” of Ray Minshull and Kenneth Willkinson, although it wasn’t released until 1978 as, almost immediately, Curzon felt he’d come to an even deeper interpretational understanding of the work, making him less than satisfied with the performance just laid down. Yet, Britten and the English Chamber Orchestra had already established a fine reputation for their Mozart, were playing on home turf and the combination of their intimate understanding of the hall’s warm but lively acoustic and a sympathetic production that centered on the musical performance rather than the sonic attributes, made this a wonderful record when it finally appeared. Curzon only released it on the understanding that he’d get “another go” at the 27th, but although that was scheduled for 1982, illness precluded its completion and the pianist was never to re-record a work that became something of an obsession and to dominate his later years.
ASTELL&KERN A&FUTURA SE100 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER $1699 REVIEW
June 3, 2019 Comments Off on ASTELL&KERN A&FUTURA SE100 DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER $1699 REVIEW
“Headphone compatibility wasn’t an issue with the SE100. It had sufficient gain, even from its single-ended output, to drive Abyss Diana headphones and Beyerdynamic DT-990 600 Ohm headphones with no issues. At the other extreme, the SE100 exhibited no extraneous noise or hum when playing music through a set of 115 dB-sensitive EarSonics EM10 CIEMs.
Sonically the SE100 delivers the goods. If you want to tailor the sound, you can make and save your own EQ settings. My early Rolling Stones albums especially benefitted from some EQ adjustments. When I compared the default “normal” EQ settings with EQ off, the normal EQ setting had slightly lower volume coupled with a tighter, more controlled low end. I made several “UserEQ” configurations for “bad” recordings such as my Charlie Christian box set. I especially like the fact that you can easily erase especially egregious EQ experimentations.”
Audiophilepure 
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