2018 Editors’ Choice Awards: Loudspeakers $100,000 and up
May 11, 2018 Comments Off on 2018 Editors’ Choice Awards: Loudspeakers $100,000 and up
“Loudspeakers are often described as being a window on the performance. The best of them remove the window (and walls) entirely in an effort to place you within the performance, capture you, and let you explore—holistically or analytically—the essence of the composition as well as the individual musical lines. The Berlina RC 9 fits the description of the best of them. This is not because of its price (which is in part the result of using incredibly expensive pure-diamond midrange and tweeter drivers); it is because of the consistently stable pianissimo-to-fortississimo resolution, clarity, and dynamic capabilities methodically crafted into its DNA. This loudspeaker plays like a chameleon to music reproduction, says AJ, as well as to the source and amplification components in front of it.”
Schiit Audio Magni 3 Review
May 10, 2018 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Magni 3 Review
“You might lose a little in terms of ultimate fidelity but that’s more than compensated for by the well-balanced, musical sound. We just enjoy listening to music more when it’s fed through this box.”
Synergistic Research PowerCell 12 UEF SE Power Conditioner Review
May 10, 2018 Comments Off on Synergistic Research PowerCell 12 UEF SE Power Conditioner Review
“The Synergistic Research PowerCell 12 UEF SE is the quietest and most transparent power conditioner we’ve ever heard. As a consequence, micro/macro details are in full view without losing cohesion, texture, and body. You basically hear more of the music without losing musicality. It provided a new level of clarity, insight, dynamics, and authority while being smooth and euphoric. It is simply an enthralling piece of gear, inside and out.”
Hidizs AP200 DAP Review
May 8, 2018 Comments Off on Hidizs AP200 DAP Review
“The WiFi is not very well implemented, the signal drops out a lot and does not have very good range, so this is something to be aware of if you are planning on using it as a streaming device.
The Bluetooth is actually very good however, and it supports AptX, you can tell if it is sending an AptX signal by a small A symbol appearing in the notification bar. I got good range with Bluetooth, and the sound quality is good via AptX.”
AURIS AUDIO FORTINO 6550 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
May 8, 2018 Comments Off on AURIS AUDIO FORTINO 6550 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“In fact, there’s not much wrong with the Auris Audio Fortino 6550. Yes, by comparison to the really large valve amplifiers from the usual suspects, it lacks some dynamic contrasts and cavernous bass, and compared to a good conrad-johnson integrated at a similar price, there is a foreshortening of contrast and ‘microdynamics’, but this might be gilding the lily. The flexibility of the Fortino (even if the remote control is at best perfunctory here) makes it win out over an amplifier that is essentually a passive pot with a power amp attached.””
AURALIC ARIES G2 WIRELESS STREAMING TRANSPORTER REVIEW
May 7, 2018 Comments Off on AURALIC ARIES G2 WIRELESS STREAMING TRANSPORTER REVIEW
“As the ARIES G2 is a streaming transporter, matching it with a good DAC is the key to unleash its performance. As far as USB DAC functionality, I found the ALTAIR was up to the task in channeling high-resolution streaming capability of the ARIES G2 (higher than 44.1 or 48 kHz sampling rates). The ALTAIR, however, has a limitation in processing such signals through its coax/optical/AES inputs. The ARIES G2 is capable of outputting up to 24 bit/192 kHz signal through its non-USB digital outputs, but the ALTAIR will not process these high-sampling-rate signals at their native rates. Hence, the results will not be optimum. Pairing the digital outputs of the ARIES G2 with the Bel Canto DAC3.7, which is capable of processing up to 24 bit /192 kHz signals, yielded a better sonic results. Therefore, if you are planning on using the non-USB digital outputs of the ARIES G2, make sure you pair it with a DAC that can properly process the high-sampling-rate signals to get optimum sonic performance.”
Shunyata Research Denali D6000/S Power Distributor Review
May 7, 2018 Comments Off on Shunyata Research Denali D6000/S Power Distributor Review
“Neither the M4 nor the Figaro B can reproduce truly low bass — the M4 can go down to 40Hz only on a good day — but after switching back and forth between the Denali D6000/S and the Venom PS8 for most of one morning, I concluded that, with the Denali, the bass the M4s could reproduce was better defined. However, that difference wasn’t as easy to hear as the improvement in Baez’s voice. These differences might have been subtle, but with both sets of speakers, there was no question that the Hegel H360 sounded just a little bit better plugged into the D6000/S than into the PS8. And because of what I heard in the bass and mids, in addition to improved resolution, I’d say the Denali made a bigger improvement with the H360 than it did with the Constellation Revelation Pictor and EMM Labs DA2 Reference DAC.”
Esoteric Grandioso D1 DAC, P1 Disc Transport, C1 Linestage, and M1 Monoblock Power Amplifier Review
May 7, 2018 Comments Off on Esoteric Grandioso D1 DAC, P1 Disc Transport, C1 Linestage, and M1 Monoblock Power Amplifier Review
“Comparing the Grandioso stack to my reference gear proved instructive. My Goldmund electronics are slightly faster and airier, thanks to their megahertz bandwidth and the speed that comes with it. The Goldmund gear also more accurately follows the shapes of notes. By comparison, these rise and fall a bit too quickly on the Grandioso stack; this is my one real complaint. On the other hand, the Grandioso series is more neutral than my reference electronics. And in other areas, such as dynamics and resolution, the Grandioso stack is among the scant few components I’ve encountered that can go head-to-head with Goldmund gear.”
YG ACOUSTICS SONJA 2.2 FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER $76,800 REVIEW
May 6, 2018 Comments Off on YG ACOUSTICS SONJA 2.2 FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER $76,800 REVIEW
“Second, the 2.2 is a decidedly full-range and full-throated loudspeaker that is capable of terrific extension at both high and low frequency extremes, while also delivering premier league dynamics—subject only to the constraint that the 2.2 works best in medium-to-medium large listening spaces (whereas the larger Sonja 2.3, Sonja XV Jr., and Sonja XV models offer progressively greater dynamic clout and lower distortion when used in large-to-very-large listening rooms). But heard in its proper context, which includes rooms that would be regarded as relatively large lounge spaces in typical European or British homes, the Sonja 2.2 lacks for nothing. Bass depth and definition? Check. Explosive dynamics on demand? Check. Subtlety and nuance to die for? Check.”
Sennheiser HD 660 S Over-Ear Headphone $499 Review
May 6, 2018 Comments Off on Sennheiser HD 660 S Over-Ear Headphone $499 Review
” The treble has really nice airy extension to it, though there is just a little bit more grain to it than some higher end models like Sennheiser’s own HD 800. Running out of my Glenn OTL tube amp, I felt that my 300 ohm headphones (HD 600, HD 800, ZMF Auteur and Atticus) were all able to achieve a more grain-free, transparent sound. In other words, I don’t think the 150 ohm HD 660 S has quite the same level of scalability as the others.”
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