ABYSS AB-1266 PHI CC HEADPHONE $5,000 REVIEW
September 9, 2018 Comments Off on ABYSS AB-1266 PHI CC HEADPHONE $5,000 REVIEW
“Overall, as fantastic as the bass is with the original configuration, I found that the presentation now had among the tightest and most detailed bass there is in personal audio. To hear this level of depth, detail and texturing, I used to think you’d have to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a full two-channel stereo setup. Simply put, when you incorporate their expansive sound-staging, these headphones offer the closest speaker-like presentation I’ve heard in personal audio and the new ear-pads help the Abyss AB-1266 Phi / Phi CC headphones achieve a level that I didn’t think was possible.”
Bryston BLP-1 Turntable and Tonearm Review
September 9, 2018 Comments Off on Bryston BLP-1 Turntable and Tonearm Review
” was so taken with the two selections from the M&K Roger Wagner Chorale Encore on M&K’s sampler that I managed to find an unopened copy on the Internet of the direct-to-disc original. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a more immediate, tactile, and transparent choral recording anywhere anytime by anyone (it’s a live recording). You might not think a small chorus with piano accompaniment would be much of dynamic-range test. But this is to reckon without the sheer drive, verve, and near riotous involvement the group bring to the spirituals on side 2. The pots, pans, and assorted other “instruments” that appear in “Dem Bones” are so vividly registered they seem to pop into view before your eyes, and in “Set Down Servant” when the group sings/shouts the refrain “My soul’s so happy that I can’t sit down”—well, that pretty much sums up my response to these fabulous performances, the sonics, and the BLP-1 in reproducing them.”
ELAC Adante AS-61 Loudspeaker Review
September 8, 2018 Comments Off on ELAC Adante AS-61 Loudspeaker Review
“The AS-61s’ sound impressed me immediately. With good source material their top end was neutral—neither rounded off nor overcooked. Sibilants were clearly defined but unexaggerated (or at least as natural as close-miked vocalists can be). Lightly brushed cymbals, delicate finger sounds on guitars, the sheen of stringed instruments, and a singer’s preparatory breath intake at the beginning of a vocal track were all beautifully captured. The imaging was solid, and the sense of depth (when present in the recording) was satisfying.
The Adantes excelled on voices, both male and female, pop, and classical. Leo Kottke’s album My Father’s Face has long been one of my favorite reference discs for how clearly it shows off Kottke’s crisp guitar playing and distinctive voice. The latter isn’t his strong suit, but I’d be surprised to ever hear it sound better than it did on the AS-61s. The balance there, and with other vocalists including Nils Lofgren, Holly Cole, The King’s Singers, Sinne Eeg (if you like great jazz vocals, check out this Danish star’s recordings), Jose Carreras, and Leontyne Price, was superb”
BEYERDYNAMIC AMIRON WIRELESS REVIEW
September 8, 2018 Comments Off on BEYERDYNAMIC AMIRON WIRELESS REVIEW
“Overall, I loved my time with these headphones. Being able to “cut the cord” and walk around without being tethered to a dedicated headphone amplifier was very liberating. As well, for those who are wary of getting into a top flight pair of headphones and don’t want to spend a small fortune on an upsteam amplifier and/or DAC, they no longer have to concern themselves with these potential added costs. These are the two biggest advantages with wireless headphones in my experience and the folks at beyerdynamic have done a fantastic job in this regard. Tonality, these are incredibly open and neutral sounding headphones. Some might prefer a bit more heft or energy in terms of the bass, but I was quite satisfied with what I heard. The layering and detail of the bass quality were both excellent to my ears. The simple control functions on the earcup were both intuitive and functioned quite easily. Coming in at $699 ”
Sony TA-ZH1ES Headphone Amp Review
September 7, 2018 Comments Off on Sony TA-ZH1ES Headphone Amp Review
“The only ergonomic issues I found with the Sony TA-ZH1ES were ones of control and display placement. Because the only info display on the Sony TA-ZH1ES is on its top panel, you need to locate the Sony TA-ZH1ES so that you’re looking somewhat down at it. Also, some of the critical controls, including the source and output selector buttons, are also on the top panel, so the Sony TA-ZH1ES needs to be in arm’s reach unless you use the supplied remote exclusively. Yes, the Sony TA-ZH1ES comes with a small wand remote that lets you access basic control functions of input, output, and volume level. The remote also lets you turn on and off the DSD mastering and DSEE HX functions, so you can drive yourself nuts comparing them.”
Kii THREE Loudspeaker Review
September 5, 2018 Comments Off on Kii THREE Loudspeaker Review
“I have been using computer based software DSP since 2011 to custom design digital FIR correction filters in both the frequency and time domain for loudspeakers in rooms. In my own listening tests, I prefer the tilted response from 20 Hz to -10 dB @ 20 kHz. To my ears, sounds subjectively balanced or neutral from top to bottom. Whatever your preference is, this is a good place to start, as the subjective listening tests that Sean and team have performed, multiple times, with multiple participants, does correlate to a preferred in-room measured response, assuming good loudspeaker design with smooth directivity.
I hope folks get an opportunity to hear the Kii THREE’s, as an excellent example of what accurate sound reproduction “sounds” like. If you are in Vancouver, head over to Liquid Sound for a listen. This speaker measures as good as it sounds and vice versa. Smooth frequency response from 21 Hz to 20 kHz with time aligned drivers, means the music arriving at one’s ears matches as closely as possible to the content on the recording. ”
ELAC ADANTE AS-61 STANDMOUNT LOUDSPEAKER REVIEW
September 1, 2018 Comments Off on ELAC ADANTE AS-61 STANDMOUNT LOUDSPEAKER REVIEW
“There is no such thing as a perfect loudspeaker. Even the very best of them trade compromises across a range of parameters. The ELAC Adante AS-61 is no different, but the step-change in technology means it’s trading compromises at a more advanced reading age than its peers. I listen to a lot of good loudspeakers, some of which have feet that cost more than these Adante standmounts, but this is the one that gives me pause. The ELAC Adante AS-61 is the loudspeaker that takes on the high-end behemoths… and wins!”
Clearaudio Concept Black Turntable Review
September 1, 2018 Comments Off on Clearaudio Concept Black Turntable Review
“It tracked so cleanly that audible mistracking was rendered essentially theoretical. I threw a variety of 45s and 33s at it, and considered its speed stability to be rock-solid. Further, image stability was locked down with little to no smearing, even when the cartridge was challenged by a tightly packed chorus or complex symphonic instrumentation. During Dave Brubeck’s classic “Take Five” [Columbia], the macro-dynamic envelope was broad and lively, the sax filled with throaty grit and resonant bloom. Generally, the Concept Black conveyed low percussion and drums with great clarity and detail, but Morello’s familiar drum solo verged on the revelatory. It possessed openness and speed, and while it stayed in a pocket to the left of the soundstage, its energy didn’t lay back or sound muted, as it sometimes can. Laid bare with every tap of the drum stick were the tonal and textural colors of the snare, the floor tom, and the bass drum. Cymbals possessed the ring, spacious rattle, and deep-space decay that have always signaled “transparency” to these ears.”
Pass Labs INT-250 Integrated Amplifier
August 31, 2018 Comments Off on Pass Labs INT-250 Integrated Amplifier
“The results were intriguing and somewhat surprising. The INT-250 showed it’s flexibility and was an excellent match for both speakers. I was concerned that the INT-250 and Strad combination would be just “too much chocolate in the pudding” and that it would tire the senses over time. This was not the case at all as I quickly settled in on this duo for many many extended listening sessions of pure joy. Though there was excellent synergy at all frequencies, it was the bass performance that got my attention. The Strads can really deliver the thunder with the right amplifier. The INT-250 proved to be up to the challenge.
Mytek Brooklyn Amp power amplifier
August 30, 2018 Comments Off on Mytek Brooklyn Amp power amplifier
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mytek-brooklyn-amp-power-amplifier
“Mytek’s Brooklyn Amp is an unusual amplifier that brought the instrumental details of various discs to the fore in a cool-headed, involving, often surprising way. Allying one or two Amps to Mytek’s Brooklyn DAC+ makes a serious combo with a future. And because all Mytek products are said to be upgradeable via firmware downloads, you can be sure to keep up to date with the Amp’s continuing evolution.
Blossoming from an extremely low noise floor, the Brooklyn Amp’s reproduction of my music was revelatory. It exposed the focused surge of my favorite 45rpm singles as well as instrumental details I’d somehow missed, and its sound was consistently immediate and dynamic. Using two Amps in bridged-mono mode greatly increased the flesh and blood of the sound of a single Amp, with no loss of dynamics. Now if Mytek could somehow combine all those strengths in one box, they’d really be on to something.”
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