Bryston 14B³ Stereo Amplifier Review
January 24, 2018 Comments Off on Bryston 14B³ Stereo Amplifier Review
“When it was time for the Sonus faber Il Cremonese speakers to go home, I connected the 14B³ to my stock speaker system: the Vienna Acoustic Schonberg speakers in a 5.1 setup. Being so accustomed to this setup in my room, I could clearly hear the elevated clarity, dynamic range, and imaging I got with the 14B³ connected to the system. While not as impressive as the Il Cremonese, my Vienna Acoustics speakers displayed improved detail and weight in the midrange that I never thought possible with this speaker system. The Schonberg always possessed a smoothness and balanced character, and the Bryston did not take that away, but rather improved upon it with additional subtle sonic details.”
Jam Ultra $100 Review
January 24, 2018 Comments Off on Jam Ultra $100 Review
“But the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with serious gusto—like there’s a subwoofer in your skull. There are times when the vocals sound like they are distorting—as if you are listening to a very low bit rate file. This has the effect of making the vocals sound overly sibilant—not ideal at all, but especially not when they are also being somewhat overpowered by the bass response.”
CHORD ELECTRONICS HUGO 2 TRANSPORTABLE DAC/HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $2379 REVIEW
January 23, 2018 Comments Off on CHORD ELECTRONICS HUGO 2 TRANSPORTABLE DAC/HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $2379 REVIEW
“So here I am about 3 months into my Chord Hugo 2 ownership and I am still one very happy camper! This little unit has served as an excellent desktop DAC/amplifier for literally all of my headphones and IEMs, but has also performed gallantly as the guts of my portable setup too! While harder to drive headphones like the Audeze LCD-4, Abyss Phi, or Hifiman Susvara headphones will likely require a dedicated (and quite powerful headphone amplifier), I can’t think of any other pair of headphones that the Hugo 2 won’t drive without breaking a sweat! Throw in truly world class transparency and tonal balance and leading edge detail retrieval, the Hugo 2 is a slam dunk in my books”
SVS PB-4000 Subwoofer Review
January 23, 2018 Comments Off on SVS PB-4000 Subwoofer Review
“In the end, I lost … and it wasn’t any of the big, dumb action set pieces that did me in. It was a scene in which Dom (played by Vin Diesel) pulls his ’71 Plymouth GTX up to a New York City intersection, revs the motor, then floors it into a right turn. At roughly six dB above reference listening levels, the bass cranked out by the PB-4000 in this scene literally made me physically discombobulated. My chest felt queasy. My heart went floopy. I had to bring the system back down to reference levels just for the sake of my own bodily comfort. At no point during any of that, though, did I hear anything other than perfectly clean, perfectly sustained, perfectly forceful and articulate low-frequency energy.”
Sony NW-ZX300 Review
January 21, 2018 Comments Off on Sony NW-ZX300 Review
“This is a Sony very much in the manner of its personal music players we’ve had the pleasure of testing, but that brings with it the same Sony shortfalls. Were the NW-ZX300 to match its clarity with equally opulent dynamic punch it would be a shoe-in for an Award, but again this is where it misses the mark.”
Silverline Minuet Grand Loudspeakers $2,000 Review
January 21, 2018 Comments Off on Silverline Minuet Grand Loudspeakers $2,000 Review
” This was not a bad thing, just different. The lower bass was just as good but with even more detail and definition with tubes in use. I got a better sense of the space and ambiance of the recording venue with the E.A.R. equipment. The ability of these speakers to render ambiance so well is quite exceptional for such an affordable design. Oddly, the width of the soundstage narrowed but seemed deeper with a better sense of layering in depth”
Wyred 4 Sound DAC2v2SE 10th Anniversary Review
January 21, 2018 Comments Off on Wyred 4 Sound DAC2v2SE 10th Anniversary Review
“Next comes the meticulous hand-matching of all components – a tedious process considering the plethora of discrete parts employed in the device. This, plus the various upgrades mentioned by Sarmento above, allows Wyred to squeeze every last ounce of performance out of their existing design. Nearly ten years of digital adventures come to fruition here – the best DAC Wyred knows how to make in the here and now.”
VPI MW1 Cyclone Record-Cleaning Machine $1200 Review
January 20, 2018 Comments Off on VPI MW1 Cyclone Record-Cleaning Machine $1200 Review
“I found the MW-1 Cyclone easy to care for. There’s a drain tube around the back that VPI says should be used to empty the reservoir after every six records. I often spilled a bit of fluid off the edge of the record, and, per VPI’s suggestion, used a cloth to soak it up right away. The seams around the edge of the plinth (for want of a better term) are sealed with clear silicone caulk — the Cyclone seems essentially waterproof. But it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially given that under the plinth are a motor and bearing, neither of which will appreciate coming in contact with water.”
Constellation Audio Revelation Taurus Mono Amplifiers $39,000 Review
January 20, 2018 Comments Off on Constellation Audio Revelation Taurus Mono Amplifiers $39,000 Review
“Although the Revelation Taurus Monos’ high power was far more than the Dynaudios needed, as I was already reviewing them, I used the Taurus Monos for them anyway because of how well they controlled the speakers’ drivers, particularly the woofers, and how much detail they could provide. I felt as if I was giving the Fortys their best chance to shine — which they did, with hi-rez sound very transparent to what was on the recordings (save for the low bass). When that review is published, you’ll read that I describe the Forty as being one of the most neutral two-ways Dynaudio has ever made. I felt confident coming to that conclusion because I knew that the amps were contributing no colorations of their own, which makes them a great reviewing tool for speakers.”
MrSpeakers AEON Flow Open-Back Headphone $799 Review
January 19, 2018 Comments Off on MrSpeakers AEON Flow Open-Back Headphone $799 Review
“Once they’re on your head, they’re pretty difficult to take off. With its superbly warm-blooded and soulful sound, I went through more playlists than usual without even realizing it. They’re tonally engaging while being fun, accurate, and largely genre-independent. A very sonically-controlled headphone where voices never get lost and music never sounds congested no matter what you’re listening to.”
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