Audio Physic Step Plus loudspeaker $2599 Review
February 18, 2019 Comments Off on Audio Physic Step Plus loudspeaker $2599 Review
“Digitally sourced music gave further evidence of the Step Plus’s prowess. As I played CDs through an ATC CDA2 Mk.II CD player into the Parasound integrated amplifier, the Steps reproduced quality bass tonnage that was extraordinary. I’m not talking a merely passable low end, but deep, round frequencies. The best example of this was Forq, from the scrappy funk-jazz quartet of that name (CD, groundUP 8829514692). Forq includes members of Snarky Puppy, and their organ-generated robo funk sounds as if recorded inside a bass drum. Every ounce of bass-drum air—most plentifully produced by jazz drummers who don’t mute the drum—is present on this bass-grip-of-doom CD. Imagine Chic by way of the Meters and Tower of Power: Forq is that lowdown and dirty.”
CH Precision I1 Universal integrated amplifier $38,000 Review
February 18, 2019 Comments Off on CH Precision I1 Universal integrated amplifier $38,000 Review
“I also felt that the I1 conveyed music’s full emotional impact. When I wrote in my notes that Shostakovich’s Quartet 15 “ends with a tragic epilogue in which each disruptive pluck and skirmish conveys unadulterated fright . . . [in] music that chills with its emotional honesty and despair,” I did so in full confidence that I was hearing all the music had to offer.
Nonetheless, it was my trusted reference tracks—whose every note, dynamic shift, and emotional nuance is now inscribed in my DNA—that truly told the tale. While that long tale began to unfold, I soon confirmed that adding an outboard clock—in my case, the dCS Scarlatti—invested the sound with considerably more depth and life. Music became more involving because images were more realistically defined and three-dimensional, and set farther back on a more resonant and convincing soundstage. With additional air around individual instruments as well, the sound seemed to expand more organically in acoustic space. Bass was also more profound.
Air Tight ATM-300R power amplifier $16,995 Review
February 17, 2019 Comments Off on Air Tight ATM-300R power amplifier $16,995 Review
“After spending so much time listening to George Bernard Shaw’s two favorite composers, I found myself in the mood to hear something from Brahms, whom the playwright and occasional music critic—the latter under the name Corno di Basseto—held in contempt. The Air Tight did a lovely job with Rafael Kubelik and the Vienna Philharmonic’s recording of Brahms’s Symphony 1 (LP, London CS 6016). String and woodwind tones throughout were lusciously textured and colorful, but not pushed to unrealistic extremes in those regards: tones were beautiful and faithful. The kettledrum in the introductory measures had realistic force, and a convincing increase in intensity leading to that portion’s climax. In the scherzo-like third movement, both the clarinet’s tone and the believability of the air surrounding it in the recording space were remarkable—and the ATM-300R conveyed the rhythmic change as the bubbly first part led into the more accented rhythms of the Trio section. The sound was consistently involving, and held my attention right through the smooth transition into the final movement, with the swooping strings allowed a believable sense of scale: Here, as in Das Rheingold, the Air Tight was capable of letting the music sound big.”
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FIIO FA7 $300 REVIEW
February 16, 2019 Comments Off on FIIO FA7 $300 REVIEW
“I ran the FA7 on an iPhone6, an AK120, and FiiO’s own M6 DAP as these are popular lower powered devices. On these pairings, I am hearing good resolution especially on the upper vocal range. The dynamic range is good with decent texture in its low-end and excellent articulation and detail in its treble performance despite it rolling-off at the very top-end.
The FA7 performs well technically, yet the low-end quantity can be a bit overwhelming at times. To me, lower pitched vocals are a bit laid back, particularly male vocals which, at times, compete with that stronger bass bias. You may find equalizing down the midbass by 2-3dB effective in delivering more clarity to the FA7’s vocal presence.”
Gold Note PA-1175 MkII solid-state stereo amplifier $6,295 Review
February 16, 2019 Comments Off on Gold Note PA-1175 MkII solid-state stereo amplifier $6,295 Review
“One last design characteristic must be addressed, and it is important enough to mention, though not technically a design flaw. The effort to make the amp balanced through and through – remember, even to the operations of the back panel – causes a logistical connection problem for speaker cables when the amp is in BTL mode. The red/positive posts only are used to connect the + and – leads of the speaker cables when the amp operates in BTL (Mono). There is a serious shortcoming, and the word “shortcoming” is a propos to describe the frustration of discovering that not a single speaker wire I have on hand had long enough leads to reach breach the approximately 14” gap between the two red posts!
I love stereo amps that go mono, but this issue drove me crazy! For some time I could not use the amps in BTL mode because the leads of the speaker cables would not stretch a necessary 15-16”. I had, just days before, returned the last of the TEO Audio Liquid speaker cables on loan following review – it figures, as they were the ones with individual positive and negative runs for each channel.”
Abyss AB-1266 Phi CC Edition Planar-Magnetic Headphone $4995 Review
February 15, 2019 Comments Off on Abyss AB-1266 Phi CC Edition Planar-Magnetic Headphone $4995 Review
“To appreciate what the Phi CC headphone does so well, try listening to a well-made live recording such as the track “Anabasis” from Dead Can Dance’s In Concert [PIAS America, 16/44.1], and note the adept way in which the headphone handles textural, transient, and spatial details in the music. “Anabasis” features a recurrent, very low frequency percussion motif juxtaposed against a shimmering and also recurrent treble percussion figure. The Phi CC Edition headphones beautifully capture the weight, depth, and incisive attack of the low-pitched drum being struck, while simultaneously rendering all the delicate, finely filigreed textures and harmonics of the higher percussion instruments. Perhaps best of all though, the headphone conveys the myriad low-level spatial cues (including subtle crowd noises, and stage and hall reverberations) that together give this track the uncannily realistic sound and “feel” of a live concert event. It’s this engaging and engrossing quality of vivid realism that sets the AB-1266 Phi CC Edition apart from competitors.”
ExaSound PlayPoint DM Review
February 15, 2019 Comments Off on ExaSound PlayPoint DM Review
“As I listened to Brenda Navarette’s album Mi Mundo (192/24), I experienced stunning realism and immediacy to this Cuban singer/percussionist’s performance – it left me grinning at the beauty of the recording. The sound spread beyond the outer borders of my speakers with excellent focus and clear reproduction of the voices and percussive instruments while always sounding natural and effortless. The dynamic qualities of the percussion and bass were reproduced with a transient quickness and impact that were a real treat for this listener.
One recording that will challenge the best of systems is Don Grusin’s live album The Hang; a 96/24 presentation that combines the musical skills of Don Grusin with a host of top-flight musicians including Patti Austin, Ernie Watts, and Sadao Watanabe. I decided to open up the volume level to allow me to feel the dynamic impact reproduced by my Wilson Alexia Series 2 speakers. If this recording sounds congested during the dynamic passages, it’s something in your system. The PlayPoint DM sailed through this album with a “you are there” presence with absolutely no layer congeal. There was terrific weight and slam to the bass and percussion with impressive reproduction of instrumental textures. The powerful rhythmic drive of many of the selections were reproduced with a lively, upbeat sound that was an absolute pleasure to experience.”
Luxman P-750u headphone amp Review
February 14, 2019 Comments Off on Luxman P-750u headphone amp Review
“To put the P-750u’s sound in perspective I brought out my reference headphone amp, the Pass Labs HPA-1 and listened again to the headphones. In every case the P-750u was the decisive winner. The sound was more freewheeling and energetic, dynamics punched harder, and treble detail was finer. I heard deeper into the recordings, so each instrument and vocal sounded more distinct. The HPA-1 sound was flatter in perspective, and while the music still sounded excellent I missed some of the P-750u’s joie de vivre.
The Luxman P-750u is an expensive component, but for deep-pocketed connoisseurs who have already amassed sizable headphone collections this amplifier will be a worthwhile investment. It will make every headphones sound better than ever, and the ability to switch between three pairs of headphones for easy comparisons can be a lot of fun. I asked Luxman if a more affordable amp is in the works, but alas the P-750u is it: It has no plans for other amps. It’s good to be rich.”
Gold Note IS-1000 Integrated Amplifier $5,000 Review
February 14, 2019 Comments Off on Gold Note IS-1000 Integrated Amplifier $5,000 Review
“Love it or hate it, the IS-1000 is equipped for decoding MQA files, and being on the “I like MQA” side of the fence, I’m glad that Gold Note left nothing out, especially considering the ROON endpoint capability makes it so easy to stream TIDAL files encoded in this format. Everything I tried, from the oldest classic rock tracks, to recently released faire proved sonically delicious.
Like the rest of the IS-1000, the digital and streaming options all worked without incident, and did not require consulting the owner’s manual. All wireless devices synced up without problem, and ROON quickly found the IS-1000 as an additional zone. Thanks to a recent firmware update, controlling volume in the digital domain is excellent, making it easy to control the volume of your streaming based system with no more than your laptop, phone or pad.”
PS Audio P20 and P15 AC Regenerators $7499 Review
February 13, 2019 Comments Off on PS Audio P20 and P15 AC Regenerators $7499 Review
“The effect of all this effort to deliver clean AC power was not subtle. Every aspect of the sound is touched, elevated, and refined. Everything we seek in great sound, dimension, depth and space, color, dynamics, transparency, and detail are boosted in seeming equal parts. Without the P series in the chain, the sound I have lived with, while enjoyable, now can be characterized as “you don’t know what you are missing until you know what you’ve been missing.” Like moving from an adequate camera to a professional caliber camera in the hands of a great photographer, the sound-picture really pops, where before laid a bit flat in retrospect. I’m wracking my brain trying to pick one aspect of the sound that benefited most, but since AC power is the life blood of all aspects of reproduced sound, it makes sense as to why it is so difficult to pick just one, or even two qualities that jump out. It really depended greatly on what ever recording I was listening to as to what the dominant strengths or characteristics of the recordings were. Some recordings such as Stanley Clark’s East Riverside Drive, with its pounding bass on “I’m home Africa,” a track played through every component I have ever reviewed, the low end gained definition and greater focus, becoming a more discrete part of the sound. Mid range heavy recordings, such as those by Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane, reveals subtle inflections and denser color of both Hartman’s honey toned baritone and Coltrane’s flying, lyrical alto runs.”
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