iFi Audio’s iGalvanic 3.0 Review
December 17, 2017 Comments Off on iFi Audio’s iGalvanic 3.0 Review
“Where the Recovery cannot match the iFi piece is on its go anywhere flexibility. A wall wart power supply is required to get the Recovery out of bed whilst the iFi sucks on the host device’s bus power. For yours truly, that meant marginally better sounding MQA-d Bowie (A New Career in a New Town box set) with the Meridian Explorer2 driving a pair of Fitear Air CIEMs, all whilst sat in a hotel lobby with Microsoft Surface Pro 3 on lap. Perhaps we should see iFi’s iGalvanic 3.0 as the goto USB fixer-upper for road warriors.”
STAX SRS-3100 ELECTROSTATIC ‘EARSPEAKER’ SYSTEM REVIEW
December 16, 2017 Comments Off on STAX SRS-3100 ELECTROSTATIC ‘EARSPEAKER’ SYSTEM REVIEW
“The Stax SRS-3100 system is all about getting new people to experience electrostatic headphone (sorry, ‘earspeaker’) sound, and it achieves that goal brilliantly! People erroneously discount electrostatic headphone systems because ‘they are too expensive’, and then spend thousands on their dynamic headphone system. This deserves to be better known, because so many of those people would never look back. This really is ‘My First Electrostatic’ and if that fits your place in listening, the SRS-3100 is a joy to try.”
Rogue Audio RP-7 Tube Preamplifier $4995 – Review
December 16, 2017 Comments Off on Rogue Audio RP-7 Tube Preamplifier $4995 – Review
“I’m happy to say that the Rogue Audio RP-7 was good enough for me to use without yearning to switch back to my reference preamps. Of course, I did switch back to these reference preamps for comparisons sake. I put back into the system the Balanced Audio Technology (BAT) VK-33 preamplifier for a while, a vacuum tube preamp that is one I’ve used on and off in my system for over two years. This preamp sells for two thousand dollars more than the RP-7 in its standard configuration, and although this isn’t a shoot-out, I can honestly say that the two preamps are more the same than different, and that is great praise for the Rogue Audio preamp. I also reinstalled the two solid-state preamps I had on hand. After becoming accustomed to the different sound that a solid-state preamplifier offers, it was easy to deduce that both these preamps sounded superior to the Rogue preamp. But I was also astounded that the reference units were not necessarily better in every area. This is not a trivial matter, not only because both these preamps are 2017 Blue Note Award winners, but because these preamps much costlier than the Rogue Audio preamp.”
High Fidelity Cables Reveal RCA & XLR Interconnects Review
December 16, 2017 Comments Off on High Fidelity Cables Reveal RCA & XLR Interconnects Review
“I was listening to over 20+ interconnects when the Reveal line was introduced in the review queue. It quickly made it to one of my top picks. Most components are priced fairly but I believe the High Fidelity Cables Reveal line are priced unfairly…in a fantastic way. For under $1,000, especially for the RCA cables, I strongly believe it to be an absolute steal. As far as energy and resolution, I even preferred to HFC’s own CT-1 RCA interconnects.”
ProAc Tablette 10 loudspeaker Review
December 15, 2017 Comments Off on ProAc Tablette 10 loudspeaker Review
“the ProAc’s also differ to KEF’s similarly LS3/5a-inspired LS50 is on forward momentum and weight. The latter offer greater heft to better satisfy listeners trying to fill larger listening/lounge rooms, especially those who prefer to play it louder. Overdrive the ProAc and you’ll hear hints of upper-midrange strain. The KEF are the by far the more physically arresting speaker of the two.”
SVS SB16-Ultra powered subwoofer – Review
December 13, 2017 Comments Off on SVS SB16-Ultra powered subwoofer – Review
“The Quads and SVS sub rendered clean, solid, full bass reproduction of the sounds of many different instruments—kick drum, bass drum, timpani, and synthesizer. For a review I wrote for the October 1989 issue, I listened to Velodyne’s ULD-18 subwoofer with a recording of John Williams’s Liberty Fanfare, from Lowell Graham and the National Symphonic Winds’ Winds of War and Peace (CD, Wilson Audiophile WCD-8823). The downfiring Velodyne remained silent for the first 55 seconds of this track, then burst into life with the bass drum’s first notes. The bass-drum whack had no unnecessary overtones, no overhang, and disturbed no midrange or treble sounds. The SB16-Ultra delivered the same dense, solid punch with no added sustain, but revealed more of the bass drum’s timbre.”
FINAL E3000 EARPHONES REVIEW
December 12, 2017 Comments Off on FINAL E3000 EARPHONES REVIEW
“At £49 a pair, Final’s E3000 is down to brass tacks on what you are able to receive from a high end earphone purchase. Unfortunately the E3000s lack a noteworthy driving bass element to their sonic picture that could be hard to overlook for some. I was able to compensate the bass response by pairing the E3000 earphones with my ifi iDAC2 headphone amp. If you have the means, I found that with the proper support of a headphone amp my impression never strayed far from hearing a balanced musical picture. ”
The Absolute Sound 2018 Buyer’s Guide: Stand-Mounted Loudspeakers Under $3,000
December 11, 2017 Comments Off on The Absolute Sound 2018 Buyer’s Guide: Stand-Mounted Loudspeakers Under $3,000
“5
Classic Totem through and through, the Sky is purpose-built—clean and seamless, with rigid cabinetry and beautiful veneer finishes. The Sky is also prima facie evidence of just how far small speakers have evolved in the way of a fuller-bodied and warmer musical balance. Its tweeter and woofer sing with an of-a-piece coherence. Given the right-sized room (medium-to-smallish) and strong amplifier support, the Totem Sky just clears its throat and lets loose, eliciting tuneful bass with resonant energy, dynamic vigor, and surprising slam. With break-in, the Sky grows significantly more textured and realistic: The ambience surrounding singers, for example, becomes airier and better defined. Hats off to Totem’s Vince Bruzzese for his continuing quest to coax big-time performance from the tiny two-way, while still harnessing the virtues of speed and transparency that come with a little box.”
KLIPSCH HERITAGE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $799 Review
December 11, 2017 Comments Off on KLIPSCH HERITAGE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $799 Review
“Continuing this theme of taking a stroll back into the past is the absence of push buttons. In their place are real round knobs and up and down switches made of anodized aluminium chosen for their satisfying tactile response. And dare we say it, their link with the vintage audio gear of yore.”
Paradigm Persona B Loudspeakers $7000 – Review
December 10, 2017 Comments Off on Paradigm Persona B Loudspeakers $7000 – Review
“Electrostatic speakers in general and MartinLogan speakers in particular are known for their incredible midrange clarity. The Classic ESL 9 exhibited amazing transparency with Pidgeon’s overdubbed voice in “Spanish Harlem,” but sounded a little more crisp and ever so slightly less smooth and effortless than the Persona B. Both pairs of speakers produced very large soundstages with exceptional image specificity, but the Paradigm was better able to reproduce tiny changes in the placement and sound of the shaker in this track. With the ESL 9s I could easily sense changes in the speed with which the shaker was shaken, but it sounded slightly recessed in comparison. With the Persona B, not only could I hear the changes in speed, I could also more clearly make out the shaker’s position on the soundstage. I was even able to hear minute changes in the shaker’s pitch as its distance from and orientation toward the recording mike changed slightly each time it was shaken. I couldn’t do this with the ESL 9s. For its price, the MartinLogan Masterpiece Classic ESL 9 is an amazing, nearly full-range loudspeaker — but it couldn’t match the Persona B’s precise, ultrasmooth, grain-free sound through the midrange and up through the highs, or its seemingly infinite resolution.”
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