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.”
Stenheim • Reference Ultime Loudspeakers $195,000 Review
August 29, 2018 Comments Off on Stenheim • Reference Ultime Loudspeakers $195,000 Review
“Which in turn raises the question, what price the active option? Bearing in mind that the switch to the active version of the Reference Ultime involves far more than simply shelling out extra to buy the crossover itself — you need to double up on your main amplifier, as well as add a couple of levels of equipment support and some extra cables. It’s far from a straightforward or affordable option. So what does it deliver — more of the same or something different — and does it risk throwing the baby out with the technological and conceptual bath water? After all, given that the Reference Ultime passive is built around the concept of topological simplicity, doesn’t adding all that extra hardware rather undermine that philosophy?”
AIR TIGHT ATC-5 PREAMPLIFIER REVIEW
August 29, 2018 Comments Off on AIR TIGHT ATC-5 PREAMPLIFIER REVIEW
“When it comes to the purity of sonic deliverance Air Tight ATC-5 is anything but. One of the biggest surprises was the open, transparent yet always palpable sonic performance. Being all tube preamplifier one would expect the complete opposite.Yes, Air Tight ATC-5 is a single-ended preamplifier and as such it provides only RCA inputs. It was undoubtedly designed to fit within the Air Tight’s family tree of products and to be accompanied with other non-balanced front ends and power amplifiers.”
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