Axiom Audio M5HP Loudspeakers $968 Review
February 6, 2018 Comments Off on Axiom Audio M5HP Loudspeakers $968 Review
“Although, like most audio reviewers, I tend to throw around a large number of descriptors to convey the sounds of products, that doesn’t guarantee that the reader is left with clear senses of those sounds. While I can (and do, below) use many adjectives to describe the aural character of the Axiom M5HPs, much of what I heard from them can be summarized in three words: clean, effortless, neutral.”
Feliks Audio Espressivo MKII OTL Tube Headphone Amplifier Review
February 6, 2018 Comments Off on Feliks Audio Espressivo MKII OTL Tube Headphone Amplifier Review
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I could go on and on about this amp, but to me what sums it up is my willingness to just listen out of it for hours on end, with nothing but pure joy. So is it worth the money? Well at €799 it is not cheap, but it is an investment, and also a work of art. It is expertly hand crafted, and built to bring you years of service. So if you have some higher impedance full size headphones that you will be holding on to for a few years, then the Espressivo MKII should be on your list of amps to pair with them.”
DYNAUDIO SPECIAL FORTY STANDMOUNT LOUDSPEAKER $2,999
February 5, 2018 Comments Off on DYNAUDIO SPECIAL FORTY STANDMOUNT LOUDSPEAKER $2,999
“The Dynaudios captured Bebe’s voice with a rare quality of immediacy and razor-sharp focus that would do credit to far more expensive loudspeakers. But what was equally impressive was the way the Special Forty’s revealed not only the subtle sound of the bassist’s fingers on the strings of the instrument, but also the sound of the amplifier—clearly positioned a few feet away from the bassist—reproducing the amplified sound of the performance. The result was one of the most intensely realistic hi-fi moments I’ve experienced in quite a while. I felt almost as if I had been permitted to sit within the studio as Bebe and her accompanist rehearsed the enchanting song.”
EARSONICS ES-5 REVIEW
February 5, 2018 Comments Off on EARSONICS ES-5 REVIEW
“This is one of the better sub-bass signatures with excellent depth and presence as well as an above average level of control. The pace of the low-end driver is spot on. It never lingers with a balanced level of decay to sound fairly natural yet never boomy or sluggish.”
Pass Labs XA25 Stereo Amplifier $4,900 Review
February 4, 2018 Comments Off on Pass Labs XA25 Stereo Amplifier $4,900 Review
“There is an old platitude often used in high-end audio: the perfect amplifier would have the best of both worlds–the beautiful colors, lack of grain, and space/imaging of a great tube amplifier and the dead quiet nature, rock-bottom/tight bass, and transient speed of a great solid-state amplifier. In my 30 years of listening to great amplifiers from Threshold/Pass Labs, I believe that Nelson Pass and his team have come closest to this utopian ideal with the new XA25 amplifier than ever before in their long and illustrious history.”
Gold Note Mediterraneo Turntable $5,973 Review
February 4, 2018 Comments Off on Gold Note Mediterraneo Turntable $5,973 Review
“It’s worth noting that Gold Note offers an excellent instruction manual, something not all turntables offer. And the table comes well packed. Once removed, the Mediterraneo should take you about 10 minutes to assemble; install the platter on the spindle assembly, string the belt and then fine tune the tonearm for your cartridge. Tracking force is straightforward, and anti-skate is adjusted with a small weight on a string. This table is easy to work with, falling into place quickly. Even analog newcomers should have no problem setting it up quickly and easily.”
Bluesound Node Review
February 3, 2018 Comments Off on Bluesound Node Review
“A streaming DAC with a variety of inputs, outputs and features, all wrapped in a low profile package. No giant black boxes here! And even though the hardware has been on the hump for some years, Bluesound’s ongoing series of software updates slows the ageing process. And who doesn’t want that? It wasn’t so much the Node 2’s sound quality that led me to its purchase. Parent company Lenbrook’s pedigree with NAD and PSB means that was almost a given. It was Node 2’s broad feature set that tipped me over the line. Because function matters.”
Magnepan • MMGi Loudspeakers $650 Review
February 2, 2018 Comments Off on Magnepan • MMGi Loudspeakers $650 Review
“A final test of the MMGi’s came when I sought to re-create an event recently experienced in New York City. A month before this review was submitted, my significant other and I were treated to the Joe Lovano Nonet performing just a few feet from our ears in the claustrophobic cellar of Max Gordon’s iconic Village Vanguard. With ten musicians — five saxes (including the leader), trumpet, trombone and rhythm cutting loose on tunes inspired by the late, great Tadd Dameron, the sound came close to overpowering the room. It was hair-raising, but in a good way. Nothing went unheard, including the occasional subway train.”
Astell&Kern Michelle Limited Headphones $399 Review
February 2, 2018 Comments Off on Astell&Kern Michelle Limited Headphones $399 Review
“The Michelle Limited is more transparent, with more precise imaging, but the ample bass will either be welcomed or sound like too much of a good thing. Personal tastes vary, but I will say that when I’m listening away from home, a little extra low end helps mask some of the rumble of a train, plane, or bus. At home in a quiet room, the bass could be intrusive.
ZMF EIKON $1399 REVIEW
February 1, 2018 Comments Off on ZMF EIKON $1399 REVIEW
“At the end of the day, the Eikon sounds great, looks great and feels great. It performs very well and is set up for a flat EQ line, most of the time. If you like a natural tonality that isn’t overly clinical or cold at all, but also one that isn’t very warm, something with a very good coherency factor that makes vocals and the center image instrument in the track seem lifelike and very well formed, then I suggest you pick this up asap. Zach does great work”
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