Rockport Technologies Lyra Loudspeaker $169,500 Review
November 12, 2017 Comments Off on Rockport Technologies Lyra Loudspeaker $169,500 Review
“The Rockport Lyra pushes forward the state of the art in loudspeaker design in its elaborate and innovative construction as well as in sound quality. The Lyra delivers a horn-like visceral immediacy with its absolutely stunning dynamic performance. The musical effect cannot be overstated; the Lyra sounds “alive” in a way that other speakers do not. Yet for all its verve and panache, this is a speaker of great delicacy, capable of conveying the subtlest nuance of texture and shading. It’s also the most beautiful in timbre that I’ve heard, combining high resolution with lush textural liquidity. The icing on the cake is the Lyra’s small size—for a world-class reference, which it certainly is—that allows it to fit in many more rooms than other speakers of this price.”
PMC TWENTY5.26 FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER £7,350 REVIEW
November 11, 2017 Comments Off on PMC TWENTY5.26 FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER £7,350 REVIEW
“The twenty5.26 is a subtle and revealing loudspeaker; every tweak you make to the system is audible and this means that all the fine details of recordings can be enjoyed. With Javier Perianes’ piano playing [Manuel Blasco de Nebra Piano Sonatas 1-6 Op.1, Harmonia Mundi], the sense of deliberation in his timing is palpable and the precision of decay and micro dynamics totally absorbing. It’s almost like the quieter the notes the more you are drawn into them. Yet, more energetic material is equally enthralling; in fact when I dropped the needle on ‘16 Shells from a Thirty-ought-six’ [Tom Waits, Swordfishtrombones, Island] it was all but impossible to sit still, so compelling was the lop-sided rhythm. If Waits isn’t a Captain Beefheart fan, I’ll eat my hat. ”
Schiit Freya tube preamplifier $699 Review
November 10, 2017 Comments Off on Schiit Freya tube preamplifier $699 Review
“With Freya’s tubes engaged, Miles Davis’ “The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions” album’s sound blew me away. Its at-times almost-ambient music completely fills my room. Amazing, and then Davis’ killer rhythm section kicks in, and oh boy the band takes off and the music’s dynamics rocked my world. Switching from the tubes to the Freya’s buffer stage the soundstage flattens, becoming smaller and more two-dimensional. The music feels less dynamically alive without the tubes in the signal path. Still, listening with the passive or buffer stages was perfectly enjoyable and probably more neutral. Anyway, it’s easy enough to switch between passive, buffer and tube stages to decide for yourself which one sounds best.”
McIntosh MC1.2KW Power Amplifiers $24,995 Review
November 9, 2017 Comments Off on McIntosh MC1.2KW Power Amplifiers $24,995 Review
“The dynamics were amazing and again, all who listened were surprised how easy it was to use up 1,000 watts per channel. It’s worth mentioning that no matter how hard I pushed these amplifiers, even when driving the Magnepans very loud, the MC1.2KW’s never got more than slightly warm to the touch.”
MC1.2KW Angle
Unique Melody ME-1 Planar Magnetic IEM Review
November 8, 2017 Comments Off on Unique Melody ME-1 Planar Magnetic IEM Review
“The ME-1 is certainly a competent planar IEM, the sub-bass presence is excellent but the mid-bass is lacking a bit of dynamic punch. The lower midrange is slightly boosted giving certain male vocals the edge; however the upper midrange is a little recessed and leaves some female vocals sounding a bit unnatural. The highs are detailed and well presented and as a whole are a good IEM. Some small EQ tweaks can improve these, and if you get the chance to audition them I suggest you do so.”
PIONEER XDP-300R DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER REVIEW
November 7, 2017 Comments Off on PIONEER XDP-300R DIGITAL AUDIO PLAYER REVIEW
“Bass still retained its signature tight rumble, whilst midrange was effortlessly and accurately reproduced.
It seems that doubling down on the specs has turned the Pioneer portable into a capable powerhouse. This is a welcome change, as this was an issue with previous releases from Pioneer.”
Gold Note DS-1000 Streamer DAC Review
November 6, 2017 Comments Off on Gold Note DS-1000 Streamer DAC Review
“I hope everyone who had read this review notices that I’ve written as much about the music I played through the Gold Note DS-100 as the component’s features and sound quality. That’s because the DS-1000, besides being an extremely modern piece of high-end audio kit, is a very musical product. Its reason for being seems to be the enjoyment of music, and the fact that it can stream music and decode files either when connected wired and wirelessly is the icing on the cake. To me, this musicality is the highest compliment I can give an audio component.”
Naim Audio Uniti Atom All-In-One System Review
November 5, 2017 Comments Off on Naim Audio Uniti Atom All-In-One System Review
“Did it better my 25K amplification/digital setup? Nope. Attached to the truly special 10K Raidho Acoustic XT-1 Loudspeakers, my Jeff Rowland/Bel Canto/Antipodes Audio setup has killer synergy, definition, and superlative inner detail with accurate bass. And at 35K compared to a 5K setup, it damn well should be better. But I was so impressed with the Atom, I’m going to request the top of the line Naim Uniti Nova ($6,995) doubling the power and upping the internal component quality. That should be a hell of a shootout, and I will be happy to report back to you. ”
WARBLER PRELUDE REVIEW
November 4, 2017 Comments Off on WARBLER PRELUDE REVIEW
‘The performance Warbler brought to the market is incredible. You may or not like its typical signature with more forward voices but it’s tonality, detail, speed and precision are exemplary and Warbler certainly sets the bar very high for the competition and who knows for their own multiple driver customs down the line if they do decide to go there.”
Optoma/NuForce BE Free8 Wireless Earphones Review
November 4, 2017 Comments Off on Optoma/NuForce BE Free8 Wireless Earphones Review
“Dynamics through the BE Free8 were better than I expected, given that all the power for the built-in power amplifier came from the batteries inside the earpiece capsules. To my surprise, though, the BE Free8 had some serious jump factor with dynamic selections. Jade Bird’s “Cathedral” from her album Something American has some big drum sounds that gave the BE Free8 a workout. Up to about 65 percent on my iPhone SE’s volume slider, these earphones did a great job, but above that the sound gradually came unglued.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.