Bowers & Wilkins 702 S2 loudspeaker $4500 Review
May 3, 2018 Comments Off on Bowers & Wilkins 702 S2 loudspeaker $4500 Review
“What about the really big stuff—orchestra and chorus, mebbe a pipe organ? I chose something that had it all—Mahler’s Symphony 2, “Resurrection,” in an underappreciated performance by Andrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (SACD/CD, Delos SA 3237)—and found out that the 702 S2s liked to be played loud. Throughout this masterpiece, but especially in the long final movement, the sound was glorious, the experience overwhelming. The bass was full and firm, and the orchestra balanced across the soundstage. The solo singers were a bit closer, almost in the plane of the speaker baffles, but the chorus was spread wide and extended to the back of the hall, and I could hear nearly every voice, All of the recorded dynamics were delivered, including the foundational organ-pedal notes at the end.”
Pass Labs XP-12 Preamplifier And XA30.8 Stereo Amplifier Review
May 3, 2018 Comments Off on Pass Labs XP-12 Preamplifier And XA30.8 Stereo Amplifier Review
“The Pass Labs combination is astonishingly informative dynamically, digging deep into the heart of the source signal and presenting the subtlest of fine pressure changes with finesse and, to my ears, more true-to-life veracity than most. This dynamic agility enables it to sound much more powerful than might be expected for ‘just’ 30W, though power doesn’t necessarily equal dynamic agility, and loudness and dynamics are not the same thing either.”
Dynaudio Special Forty Loudspeakers $ 3,000 Review
May 2, 2018 Comments Off on Dynaudio Special Forty Loudspeakers $ 3,000 Review
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If you seek a new set of speakers in this price range, be sure to put the Dynaudio Special Forty on your audition list. I offer sincere kudos to Dynaudio for putting this level of sonic performance, build quality, and beauty within the financial reach of so many who prioritize music in their lives. Given this benchmark of performance, I cannot wait to hear what Dynaudio has up its sleeve to celebrate their golden anniversary a decade from now!”
ACOUSTUNE HS1551 REVIEW
May 1, 2018 Comments Off on ACOUSTUNE HS1551 REVIEW
“But have they achieved their goal? We will soon find out but give them credit, they tried something different haven’t they? Take Saegusa is their director of development and I was in contact with him all the time. Take-san is very responsive and communicative, and working together with him was very easy and smooth. I wish the best for our Japanese friends there.
MartinLogan ESL 11A Hybrid Electrostatic Loudspeaker Review
May 1, 2018 Comments Off on MartinLogan ESL 11A Hybrid Electrostatic Loudspeaker Review
“This last, however, is a not without a penalty. The rationale behind the curved panels is to overcome the high-frequency beaming of most panel speakers. And to some extent this works surprisingly well, not so well as the omnidirectional Muraudio ESLs, but those who find Quads of any vintage entirely too directional will find these more satisfactory or at least much less unsatisfactory. The sacrifice, however, is less precise imaging. One member of my listening group was driven crazy by the Impressions in this regard (and also by other MartinLogans) because he felt that things never occupied a precise and defined place. I personally feel he is overreacting here. I like precise imaging but I don’t have a fetish about it, and while I’m aware of what my buddy is talking about, I didn’t find that it much impaired my enjoyment of the Impressions. But he does have a valid point: There’s always a very subtle vagary about the positional placement of solo instruments and vocal soloists within the soundstage.”
Pass Labs HPA-1 Headphone Amplifier Review
April 29, 2018 Comments Off on Pass Labs HPA-1 Headphone Amplifier Review
“Matt enthusiastically preferred the Pass to the Mjolnir. Matt and David sometimes differed in their reactions, a matter of taste, but keep in mind the Mjolnir was designed to emulate a classic triode circuit, which saturates a bit as things get loud. Single tone tests on the Mjolnir show predominance of 2nd and 3rd harmonic. However, harmonic distortion is a funny beast, sometimes it can manifest itself as presence, sometimes as warmth, and often as fat bass, very dependent on the material, so I’m not surprised at the sometimes apparently contradictory reactions depending on the musical source. Distortion is compression, it can subjectively soften dynamics, but when it’s enhancing a range, that range can seem louder and counter intuitively dynamics can appear to increase.”
Shunyata Research Denali D6000/S Power Distributor Review
April 29, 2018 Comments Off on Shunyata Research Denali D6000/S Power Distributor Review
“The next things I heard. With the ARC GS150 in the system, and standing a foot or so away from either speaker with no music playing, I could hear a very soft buzz much higher in frequency than a 60Hz hum. The buzz didn’t trouble me — I’d heard it with other amps, such as my Blue Circle Audio BC204; it was at a very low level, and was completely masked by even the quietest music. Nevertheless, though the Shunyata setup didn’t eliminate the buzz, it cut its volume by at least half. Last but not least, the sound was now slightly more dynamic in the bass, and subtly smoother and just a bit more detailed overall, which tended to make recordings with big soundstages”
HIFIMAN SUSVARA PLANAR MAGNETIC HEADPHONE REVIEW
April 28, 2018 Comments Off on HIFIMAN SUSVARA PLANAR MAGNETIC HEADPHONE REVIEW
“How does the Susvara compare to the best of the best? Well, it’s voicing is highly reminiscent of that of HiFiMAN’s Shangri-La electrostat, though with perhaps just a touch more bass energy and, if anything, even more dynamic swagger. The Susvara offers almost as much transient speed, transparency, and resolution as the Shangri-La… and even where it falls short it does not miss the mark by much. Perhaps that is the point; the £50,000 Shangri-La system is superb but priced beyond reach for many of us, whereas the £5,000 Susvara, though undeniably expensive, can get us surprisingly close to the sonic mountaintop for a much more approachable sum. True, the Susvara requires a powerful top-flight amplifier, but for now it stands as the finest planar magnetic headphone HiFiMAN has ever made.”
EAT B-Sharp Super Pack review
April 28, 2018 Comments Off on EAT B-Sharp Super Pack review
“Detail levels are good, and the 2M Blue remains as even-handed as we remember. This is a fine choice of cartridge to start off with, but we think the EAT is talented enough to be used with pricier, more capable alternatives.”
KEF Reference 1 Review
April 27, 2018 Comments Off on KEF Reference 1 Review
“or a speaker that stands just 44cm high, they dig deep and render the song’s relentless, rolling bass line with a great deal of power, punch and precision.Moving up the frequency range, the Uni-Q delivers a seamless, cohesive and impressively focused sound from the midrange upwards. Voices come through with clarity and conviction. The 1s deliver a full dose of subtlety and expression.”
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