KRIX ESOTERIX ALTUM BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS REVIEW
February 26, 2018 Comments Off on KRIX ESOTERIX ALTUM BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS REVIEW
“The Altums gripped AC/DC’s raucous and edgy music so tightly nothing of any musical worth was pulled apart. T.N.T’s recording quality isn’t world class. That said, the enjoyment provided by the Altums as they opened up the recording’s acoustic and production values can be summed up in three words: loads of fun.
Over the following weeks, as I played different music in different formats, I got to understand what makes the Altum such a complete, high-end loudspeaker.”
MrSpeakers Aeon closed-back headphones $800 Review
February 25, 2018 Comments Off on MrSpeakers Aeon closed-back headphones $800 Review
“I’ve been playing a lot of Peter Gabriel the past few weeks before having to commit these words to print. “Solsbury Hill” from the Special Edition of his 2011 album, New Blood (16/44.1 ALAC file ripped from CD, Real World 00038), has become a favorite, Gabriel’s husky baritone set against the arrangement for piano and orchestra. The Æons slightly emphasized the “blat” of the brass instruments, the space around the instruments, and the phlegmy edge to the voice; in general, voices sounded more natural through the LCD-Xes, with more weight to the lows but less top-octave air. I’ll stick with the Audezes, but the MrSpeakers Æons, too, are headphones I could live with.
BOWERS & WILKINS 702 S2 FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER REVIEW
February 25, 2018 § 1 Comment
“This is a particularly fine loudspeaker, especially considering that it costs so much less than the 800-series models, yet offers a standard of performance that can certainly give the 802 D3 a run for its money. The latter will manage to beat this upstart over the long haul, but the sonic difference between them is nowhere near as large as the pricetag differential might suggest.”
Focal Sopra N°3 Floorstanding Speaker Review
February 25, 2018 § 1 Comment
“The Focal Sopra N°3 is definitely my favorite speaker to date–and I’ve owned Wilsons and plenty of other high-end speakers. As far as I’m concerned, the performance that these Sopra speakers delivers makes them a bargain at their price, which will likely be hard for some people to believe. They offer a smooth, almost liquid sound that just draws you into the giant soundstage they present. They can fill a large room, and you won’t be tied down to one small sweet spot to hear all that they can do.”
FINAL AUDIO D8000 REVIEW
February 24, 2018 Comments Off on FINAL AUDIO D8000 REVIEW
‘My experience with Final Audio headphones so far has been limited to their Sonorous VI (formerly known as Pandora Hope VI). Which is a hybrid headphone that utilizes a single balanced armature driver for high notes. Although it has its own strengths I have moved away from it because of comfort issues. The BA often pushed against my ear causing discomfort, but other than that it was a great headphone.”
Elac Discovery DS-S101-G Music Server $1,100 Review
February 24, 2018 § 1 Comment
“Wrapping up my take on Elac’s Discovery, I’m hard-pressed to find a good reason why someone seeking to add a networked music server to their system wouldn’t want one. The Discovery eliminates any need to use a dedicated computer to store music or operate your system (beyond your mobile device to run the app), and it works with both inexpensive USB and NAS storage options. Its compact form and minimalist design allow it to be integrated unobtrusively with an existing hi-fi rig. Also, you’ll get great sound quality from its built-in DAC, along with wired and wireless multiroom audio support, including installations that use AirPlay or Sonos speakers.”
Wells Audio Headtrip Reference Headphone Amplifier $15,000 Review
February 23, 2018 Comments Off on Wells Audio Headtrip Reference Headphone Amplifier $15,000 Review
“Given how good the Reference already sounds, it’s unbelievable that Wells Audio will be releasing a Headtrip 2 Reference which will include an improved board and upgraded resistors (pricey Vishay “naked” Z-Foil) in the entire signal path. These hand-built resistors provide a very clean and undistorted sound with no ringing. In addition, expensive Rike copper foil paper-in-oil capacitors, apparently the best sounding capacitors on the planet, will be placed before the circuit board and Rike copper foil-polypropylene capacitors will be placed onboard. As far as signature, transients are sharper, cleaner, and more refined with polypropylene while paper-in-oil tends to sound more earthy and natural. The combinations will hopefully provide the best of both worlds. I intend to review the Headtrip 2 Reference so more details will follow.”
Feliks Audio Espressivo MKII OTL Tube Headphone Amplifier Review
February 23, 2018 Comments Off on Feliks Audio Espressivo MKII OTL Tube Headphone Amplifier Review
“The Espressivo MKII is slightly fuller, better layered and overall a step closer in sound to the Elise. It just wants you to enjoy the music, it wants you to listen until the early hours of the morning, it does not try to fatigue you with any emphasis on any particular part of the frequency response.”
PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium Tube Rolling KT150 Review
February 22, 2018 Comments Off on PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium Tube Rolling KT150 Review
“Change speakers, or speaker position, and the preference for one or the other tube type based on tonality may change. I found that with the speakers positioned such that the room supported their bass by means of a sympathetic room-mode, resulting in a bass-heavy sound, the EL34’s sounded best but with the speakers placed such that the room contributed as little as possible, resulting in a clean and non-coloured sound, the KT150’s sounded better.”
NHT C3 BOOKSHELF SPEAKER $1,000 REVIEW
February 21, 2018 Comments Off on NHT C3 BOOKSHELF SPEAKER $1,000 REVIEW
“While both speakers have objectively excellent off axis performance, two differences are interesting. The Classic Three has wider coverage from about 600Hz to about 1.5kHz, and basically the same coverage over the next octave. Thus, the Classic Three does not share the C3’s overall midrange output bump. Perhaps NHT revoiced the woofer/midrange crossover? NHT suggested to me that this difference in lower midrange directivity may result from the different cabinet shape. Additionally, and surprisingly, the C3’s 1″ dome tweeter puts much more sound into the room above 7kHz than the Classic Three’s .75″ dome tweeter.”
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