AUDIO RESEARCH REFERENCE 10 LINE PREAMPLIFIER REVIEW
April 25, 2019 Comments Off on AUDIO RESEARCH REFERENCE 10 LINE PREAMPLIFIER REVIEW
“This isn’t just about hearing more from your recordings, although that is what first attracts you to the Reference 10’s performance. It’s like a reset button on your music. Tracks you know so well aren’t just replayed as if it were the first time you heard them; they are rebuilt note-by-note in front of you, opening up that music in ways you can’t anticipate until you experience them. Yes this is about detail, space, and dynamic range – Bernard Purdie’s drum pedal on ‘Memphis Soul Stew’ [KIng Curtis Live at Filmore West, ATCO] has a squeak that really high-resolution systems can resolve. Many of those are brutally analytical rendering the track hard to hear because of that ever-present squeak, but the Reference 10 forces you beyond that, to a point where it is just a part of the musical whole again. It’s just this time, there are so many more parts to that whole. Let’s put it this way; anyone who was actually at that concert almost 50 years ago might have heard that squeaky drum pedal, and I guarantee not one person walked out of the concert because of that squeak. That’s how the Reference 10 pushes ahead of the competition. That’s not to say the preamplifier is forgiving, but instead is so informative that detail alone isn’t enough; it’s like you get a new set of ears with the Reference 10 and they take everything in! Going back to more real world preamps is an exercise in disappointment.”
McIntosh Laboratory MC462 power amplifier $9000 Review
April 24, 2019 Comments Off on McIntosh Laboratory MC462 power amplifier $9000 Review
‘My own No.1 priority in the reproduction of music is the living, breathing re-creation of the harmonic series. That is the “nature” in music, the vibration of the spheres. You’ll want to be thoughtful in choosing what to pair the MC462 with, upstream and down—this amp interrogates whatever it comes in contact with with such authority that it could veer to the analytical side of the sonic spectrum. With a simpatico system the McIntosh MC462 will bring the breath of life to your music.
The McIntosh MC462 Quad Balanced power amplifier sits today on the bottom shelf of my rack like a stocky Buddha, calmly radiating energy as the forest creatures—eg, the red squirrels that winter inside the walls of our old Victorian—gather ’round, smile, and nod their heads. One thing they all agree on is the price—$9000 is more than fair for the excellence delivered, given the inflationary forces wafting through the High End. The senses of ease and literally quiet power created by the MC462 are palpable and most welcome. A first-round vote pick for induction in Class A of the next edition of our “Recommended Components.” Highly recommended—insisted on, even.”
Focal Aria 926 Loudspeakers Review
April 23, 2019 Comments Off on Focal Aria 926 Loudspeakers Review
‘The fit and finish are impressive for a speaker at this price point. Other cabinet finishes available include prime walnut, an oak colored finish, as well as the recently discontinued (hence discounted at retail) noyer. The flax drivers are quite attractive, but can be easily hidden by attaching the included full-length magnetic black grill if desired. Like most Focal speakers, I found just a single set of robust binding posts around back. Focal doesn’t typically provide multiple sets of binding posts for a bi-amping option given their easy load and higher-than-average sensitivity specs. The Aria 926 is no different in that regard, with 8 ohms nominal impedance of and rated sensitivity of 91.5 dB. That doesn’t mean they won’t still benefit from a high-quality power amplifier, though. Before moving the Focals to my dedicated listening room, I first connected them to my family room system for a couple of weeks to break them in while serving television audio duty. Next, the Focal Aria 926s were moved upstairs, taking the place of the just-reviewed Sonus faber Sonetto IIIs in my listening room.”
TechDAS Air Force Zero Turntable Review
April 23, 2019 Comments Off on TechDAS Air Force Zero Turntable Review
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The sound—oh,the sound—that the Zero produced in this setup was truly captivating. The noise floor depths were subterranean and the octave-to-octave balance seamless. It was immediately apparent to me that the TechDAS Zero was delivering a fundamentally different approach to vinyl playback. Never have I heard such 3-D presentation of musical notes. Never have I heard voices conveyed through a loudspeaker so convincingly—not only were they accurate in dynamic detail but also in their placement within the soundstage. Listening to a passage from Tosca I almost believed I was sitting ten feet away from the tenor, so realistic were the system’s sense of fidelity and lack of dynamic constraint. Chimes rang out with supreme delicacy and endlessly lingering decays.”
PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 12 Review
April 22, 2019 Comments Off on PS Audio DirectStream Power Plant 12 Review
“The improvement wrought by the P12 was, if anything, greater with the McIntosh. The midbass-to-low-bass region was clearer, with bass drums and timpani seemingly having a more solid foundation, and transients generally having crisper onsets and more rapid decays. The MC275 LE seemed to lose some of its “tubey” characteristics—it sounded more neutral, more like the real thing.”
Playback Designs MPD-8 Dream DAC review
April 22, 2019 Comments Off on Playback Designs MPD-8 Dream DAC review
“Playback Designs MPD-8 DAC has delivered one of the best, if not the best remote response, volume handling and gain distribution one box solutions I’ve had the luxury to experience. The splendid preamplifier/DAC synergy delivered an abundance of super healthy gain. This let me to directly drive my Lamm M1.2 reference hybrid monoblocks with splendid lock and load performance. MPD-8 has provided an unmatched synergy with Lamms, something I’ve surely didn’t expect! At least nowhere near this scale. Then again… This is one of the real luxuries of so much product circulations. We all benefit from such endeavors…”
GamuT Zodiac Speakers $159,000 Review
April 21, 2019 Comments Off on GamuT Zodiac Speakers $159,000 Review
“As hinted at earlier, the Zodiacs can not only play big, but they can play at whatever scale the recording dictates – expanding and contracting as necessary. They not only follow the music, but mange to be mere conduits of the music – no small feat. Where the GamuT comes out a winner, is in its ability to perform all the necessary audiophile tasks at an equally high and balanced level. Yes, the Grande Utopia is a touch more resolving, perhaps the big Wilsons have a few molecules more bass grunt, and so on, but for my money the Zodiac does more at integrating all musical aspects at a tremendously high level than any other I’ve yet experienced. That is their strength to me. I never feel like I’m listening to speakers when they are on.
KINERA ODIN REVIEW
April 21, 2019 Comments Off on KINERA ODIN REVIEW
“The bass quantity in the Odin is quite ideal and pretty much hits the sweet spot. The subbass is not dominating in any way and it doesn’t go impressively low, but the mid bass and sub bass balance is good. The focus is mostly on mid bass though, which is not a surprise from a BA monitor. So quantity and balance-wise things are very good.
However the bass is a little slow when it comes to delivering those kicks in high speed. The texture also isn’t particularly impressive. The resolution of the bass is good and the hits are very very nice. They don’t get in the way of the other frequencies which is also nice, but lows lack some texture and speed altogether. The recovery is not very fast so that sometimes forms a somewhat congested presentation. The tightness of the bass simply is not a strong suite of the Odin.”
Carver Silver Seven-t monoblock power amplifier Review
April 20, 2019 Comments Off on Carver Silver Seven-t monoblock power amplifier Review
“As for having the transfer function of a tube amplifier, I have yet to hear tubes that impart the affronting sonic characteristics introduced by the Silver Seven-t. Whether the review samples do indeed have a transfer function identical to the Silver Seven is an interesting question. If they do, then either an identical transfer function does not guarantee sonic duplication, or the tubed Silver Sevens do not sound good. I seriously doubt both of these explanations. On the other hand, if Stereophile’s review samples did not have the identical transfer function of the Silver Seven, then serious questions arise about the credibility of matching transfer functions in a mass-produced product.”
Dali Callisto 6 C Wireless Loudspeakers $5,747 Review
April 20, 2019 Comments Off on Dali Callisto 6 C Wireless Loudspeakers $5,747 Review
“The sense of effortlessness the speakers managed with Aphex Twin carried over when I streamed a high-res version of “Whole Lotta Love” from Qobuz. This 50-year-old Led Zep track sounded shockingly fresh on the Callistos: Jimmy Page’s guitar was raw and aggressive, and the combined slam of bass guitar and drums had a dynamic, propulsive effect. Listening to the psychedelic mid-section, stereo-panned effects came across in a vivid and dramatic manner. I was also surprised at how loud the system could play: with volume set to mid-point, there was more than enough level to fill my relatively large listening room.”
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