Sound Lab Ultimate 545 electrostatic loudspeakers $29,995 Review
June 19, 2018 Comments Off on Sound Lab Ultimate 545 electrostatic loudspeakers $29,995 Review
“I had hoped for the dawn of a technology that would lead to the development of midget speakers capable of large scale orchestral reproduction without sacrificing the ability to reenact the gentleness and lightness in Vladimir Horowitz’ playful Moscow live concert recording. But if the sonically and visually tantalizing Sound Lab curved panels are what we have to contend with, I don’t see a problem. For the mere fact that the Sound Lab Ultimate 545 was able to produce tonality of such freshness and clarity that it had cemented its position as the ultimate transducer; never-minding the occasional electrostatic crackling of the panel, a happenstance resulting from a slightly greedy increase of the panel bias, which only added to an already hopelessly fun ownership experience.”
Magico M3 Loudspeaker $75,000 Review
June 17, 2018 Comments Off on Magico M3 Loudspeaker $75,000 Review
“Obviously the M3 gets my highest recommendation. It is as good a dynamic loudspeaker as you can buy. Do remember, though, that to elicit the very best from one of the most accurate and realistic transducers on the market you’ll need electronics that are just as high in resolution and as low in distortion/coloration as the M3s. In my experience that means something solid-state from the Swiss contingent (i.e., Soulution or CH Precision) or from the best American marques (Constellation, D’Agostino, etc.). I haven’t tried the M3s with tubes, but Magicos typically don’t fare as well with glass bottles as they do with silicon semiconductors (Convergent Audio Technology being the exception). All of this means that M3s aren’t just a loudspeaker purchase; they are a system purchase (including cabling, BTW). In other words, they are for the wealthy.”
Sony WH-1000XM2 Headphones Review
June 17, 2018 Comments Off on Sony WH-1000XM2 Headphones Review
“Right now, the wireless headphone market is a win-win-win scenario for the customer looking for a noise cancelling full-sized cans. Between the Sennheiser, PSB, and Sony you really can’t go wrong. You might be able to audition all three, as well as the Bose QC 35 II, at your local big box electronics store, and if you can, I suggest you do just that. These are all great options that likely will come down to personal preference. ”
Focal Clear Headphone Review
June 16, 2018 Comments Off on Focal Clear Headphone Review
“While it would have been ideal to have a pair of Utopias and a pair of Elears lying around for A/B comparisons with the new Clear, I had to rely on my listening notes. And since those notes are more than a couple of months old, I will admit from the outset that if you are looking for a mano a mano between the Clear and Utopia, I can’t help you. They have very similar sonic presentations, but whether the Utopia’s additional cost (due primarily to parts’ costs according to the manufacturer) is “worth it” is a discussion for another place and time.”
IMR ACOUSTICS R1 REVIEW
June 16, 2018 Comments Off on IMR ACOUSTICS R1 REVIEW
“You are talking as much as a +12-18dB difference between the low-end up to 200Hz and a rather more linear curve for the official chart. The remainder of the response curve is largely unaffected beyond 2k for both charts. However, the black filter upper mids curve will seem more pronounced due to the heavier dip from the mid-bass down into the lower mids. I can only assume the relatively mild u-shape and slightly forward upper mids and lower treble of the official chart is without any filter at all.”
McIntosh C52 Solid-State Preamplifier $7000 Review
June 15, 2018 Comments Off on McIntosh C52 Solid-State Preamplifier $7000 Review
“One of the secrets of the Benchmark’s stellar performance is that it re-clocks the signal to eliminate jitter and timing errors. McIntosh addresses this issue with its own set of proprietary protocols. The C52’s digital engine deploys premium ESS chips configured in a fully balanced mode of eight DACs (four per channel) with fanatical attention to regulating power-supply voltage so precisely that it doesn’t deviate from the exact value the DACs require for optimal performance. I have no means of measuring this, but I did try to confound the C52 by replacing my audiophile-grade coaxial cable (of superb construction and shielding) with a cheap, no-name RCA interconnect. The result? Absolutely no discernable effect upon the reproduced sound. Still not satisfied, I went for the jugular, unbending a coat hanger and using it for the coaxial connection. Same difference: no effect upon the sound quality whatsoever. Suffice it to say that you can safely banish all worries about the C52’s ability to deliver a bit-perfect signal. (The coat-hanger stunt was to simulate a worst-case scenario of timing errors and jitter, but you should never use anything except a shielded cable for all digital connections owing to the sheer amount of RFI digital radiates—enough, say, to interfere with an FM tuner or other equipment used within ten to twenty feet of an unshielded connection.)”
Aurum Cantus Leisure 2 SV MKⅡ Loudspeaker Review
June 15, 2018 Comments Off on Aurum Cantus Leisure 2 SV MKⅡ Loudspeaker Review
“The Aurum Cantus Leisure 2 SV MKⅡ Loudspeaker is all about acoustic atmosphere, clarity, and depth. The typical trade-off for these qualities is a less meaty and a slightly lifted tone. Although not very warm…it has a sweet spectral balance. The music just envelopes you in an exceptionally layered embrace. It’ll dazzle you with vivid transparency and speed while voices are pristinely focused and intelligible.”
MEZE 99 CLASSICS REVIEW
June 15, 2018 Comments Off on MEZE 99 CLASSICS REVIEW
“The 99 Classics have a great low end; they are full with good extension yet without sounding too bloated. There is great articulation of bass guitars, and they sound relatively well controlled too. There is one tiny bit of resonance in the mid-bass that creates a little bloat, but this can easily be fixed with EQ and this is a result of the newer larger earpads. I really like the low end response of these as they have enough quantity to please most, but they are also well behaved for the most part; without bleeding heavily into the midrange. As I said previously, bass guitars have really good articulation, and kick drums have good slam. The lows only fall slightly behind when it comes to very fast and technical passages of some heavy metal where that mid-bass resonance can be a little overpowering.”
Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon turntable Review
June 14, 2018 Comments Off on Pro-Ject RPM 9 Carbon turntable Review
“The Sumiko Blackbird is a cartridge I’ve been interested in spending time with in my own home environment/context since I first heard it, and their Blue Point cartridge several years ago on a McIntosh turntable/system. I have to say this cartridge tends to the lean side, and required some experimentation with loading to get it to where the sound was what I wanted from it. Sumiko recommends 100 Ohms of loading for the Blackbird Low, but I ended up happiest with 25 Ohms through the Pass Labs XP-15/XP-17, as it fattened-up the bottom end, and added some needed midrange jam. Some might complain that the highs suffered a loss of air, which they did (ever-so-slightly), but it was a balance i was willing to live with for long-term listening enjoyment. I used the “High” setting on the impedance selector of the windings of my Audio Note SUT, which is optimized for cartridges with an internal impedance of roughly 15-20 Ohms (the Blackbird Low is 28 Ohms). The tonearm is an updated 9cc Evolution with an inverted bearing, made of carbon fibre with a dampened-metal counterweight, and a beefed-up C-collar bearing/pivot housing. All the usual suspects are present in the technical adjustment lineup for an ‘arm of this caliber including easily-tweaked VTA, overhang, and azimuth.”
SCHIIT LYR 3 HYBRID MODULAR TUBE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $500 REVIEW
June 13, 2018 Comments Off on SCHIIT LYR 3 HYBRID MODULAR TUBE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $500 REVIEW
“Unlike many tube headphone amps that exhibit the rolled off high frequencies and bottom end that a seeming majority of electrical engineers think is the “tube” sound, the Schiit Lyr 3 produces a true audiophile sound with extreme linearity in both the low bass extending into the subsonic and the upper registers, while retaining the musicality of midrange to tame the occasionally aggressive precision of the Schiit Multibit DAC. Despite the use of a shared tube for both channels, the stereo separation was competitive with many dual mono amps I have heard, and while the soundstage is a bit shallower than I prefer, it does depend a lot on which headphone you listen to, as listening through the Katanas put me exactly where I wanted to be. As to power and dynamic range, I can’t imagine a headphone that the Lyr 3 couldn’t drive easily and produce clean clear concert level volumes for those who wish to damage their hearing. I did find myself listening to higher volumes than I would normally without any fatigue, and could easily get lost in the music for hours.”
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