Elac Discovery Music Server $1099 Review
August 15, 2017 Comments Off on Elac Discovery Music Server $1099 Review
“Upping the ante further to Kubala Sosna’s Expression cables—which retail for twice the price of the Discovery—and now timbre and tone closed the gap to my twice as expensive DAC. This was getting much closer to my reference and suggests to non-audiophiles what makes people audiophiles. It’s a measure of accomplishment, to me at least, that performance with the Discovery so ably distinguished cables. Yes, my more expensive DAC delivered a more realistic timbre, and delivered a high level of detail, gently, sweetly and incisively, as well as deeper bass and higher highs, if you will. But at no point was I suffering with the Discovery in my system.”
Conrad-Johnson • Classic Sixty-Two SE Stereo Amplifier $5750 Review
August 15, 2017 Comments Off on Conrad-Johnson • Classic Sixty-Two SE Stereo Amplifier $5750 Review
“Concerned that I should try a conventional speaker with the Classic Sixty-Two SE, I packed up the amp and took it to Kent Johnson’s house. Kent recently retired from reviewing at Positive Feedback and has a nice listening space featuring Revel F208 speakers driven by Primare electronics fed by an Esoteric universal player. At 250Wpc, the Primare amp has no trouble controlling the Revel’s dual 8″ woofers, but could the Classic Sixty-Two SE keep up? After a brief listening session to acclimate our ears to the sound, we swapped out the Primare for the C-J amp. I knew we wouldn’t have as much ultimate volume moving from 250 watts to 60, but neither of us listen too loudly, so my fears weren’t warranted. I was pleased that the Classic Sixty-Two SE sound was instantly recognizable and similar to my initial reactions after break-in.”
Margules Group U-280sc “Black” Amplifier $10,800 Review
August 14, 2017 Comments Off on Margules Group U-280sc “Black” Amplifier $10,800 Review
“As much as I like the “Black” in triode mode one of the amp’s strengths is how good it sounded in the ultra-linear mode. This gives one the opportunity to own a Class A amp that can drive rather inefficient speakers. I should also mention this amp brought out the best of a very good digital source. Some might say that means it is a forgiving amp, but I’d rather say that somehow it lets you hear the best of the source as long as it is a good musical source.”
Tekton Design Brilliance Floorstanding Loudspeaker $3000 Review
August 14, 2017 Comments Off on Tekton Design Brilliance Floorstanding Loudspeaker $3000 Review
“Within my 6000 cubic foot room I did very well with 18 Class A watts from my SET monoblocks. In a smaller room, 8 Watts from a 300B tube should do quite nicely at reasonable listening levels. The same principle applies to solid state amplifiers if you lean in that direction and to other components in your rig, as well, although I would caution against going cheap at your front end. Everything matters and the affordable price of the Brilliance may leave you with additional funds to improve other areas of your system.”
SONY DSC
LINN PRODUCTS KLIMAX SYSTEM £58,700 REVIEW
August 13, 2017 Comments Off on LINN PRODUCTS KLIMAX SYSTEM £58,700 REVIEW
“Those wanting a damn fine system with no pre-existing Linn Konditions are a little more nuanced in approach, but not much. In a way, the complete Klimax system makes multiple arguments at once: it makes a case for the Linn way of doing things, it makes the ultimate expression of active, Exakt, and Katalyst performance, and it suggests why that “the source is in the speaker” tag line actually makes quite a lot of sense when you listen to the ultimate expression of that concept.”
Tidal Force Wave 5 Planar Magnetic $300 Review
August 13, 2017 Comments Off on Tidal Force Wave 5 Planar Magnetic $300 Review
“Just because they share similar specs and overall design doesn’t mean they sound the same. In fact, Tidal Force says that while the two headphones share similar industrial design, both the outer and inner earcups on the Wave 5 are improved over the Monoprice and that customization of the planar drivers results in better bass response and soundstaging. While I didn’t have the M560 on hand, I did have a pair of the $299 HiFiMan HE400S planar magnetic headphones, which are comparably priced with the Wave 5. So I spent some time comparing these two.
JWM ACOUSTICS ALYSON AML LOUDSPEAKER REVIEW
August 12, 2017 Comments Off on JWM ACOUSTICS ALYSON AML LOUDSPEAKER REVIEW
” The JWM Acoustics Alyson AML have some unusual strengthens. As I spent more time with the Alyson’s I came to the realization that the Alyson’s are the most coherent speakers that I have ever heard. They sound even more coherent than full range electrostatics. I think that is because they present a consistent tonality across the frequency of the music being reproduced. Coupled with the superior rhythmic timing and the terrific dynamics of the JWM Acoustics Alyson AML design the music is presented as a complete organic whole. The speaker is elegant in its reproduction of harmonics.”
Playback Designs Integrated Single Chassis Sonic Masterpiece: The IPS-3 $13,000 – Review
August 12, 2017 Comments Off on Playback Designs Integrated Single Chassis Sonic Masterpiece: The IPS-3 $13,000 – Review
” When the IPS-3 arrived, as always hope poised against skeptical experience. It took little time for me to feel as if I’d climbed high promontories, finally (without strain), as if magic came to visit not long before Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dropped by to listen to his hero, and mine, Bobby Hutcherson. I love basketball at its zenith. So does Kareem. I love the inimitable jazz heritage”
Chord Blu Mk II + DAVE – Review
August 11, 2017 Comments Off on Chord Blu Mk II + DAVE – Review
“Considering all that, the Blu transport, even in the new Mk II version, may seem like an addition to the “main” product, or even a redundant product. In fact, it is the Blu, the inconspicuous CD transport, that allows DAVE to achieve a new level. Pairing Dave with third party CD transports as well as with media players / file servers, worked really well, but it seems that the Blu Mk II + DAVE are the ultimate solution. As if there was an open slot waiting for the new Chord’s transport, which when finally closed executed an additional program.”
AudioQuest’s Niagara 1000 $995 Review
August 11, 2017 Comments Off on AudioQuest’s Niagara 1000 $995 Review
“Unlike hi-res PCM, MQA, DSD et al, this change up benefitted ALL music, not just those nominated for special treatment by rights holders. For this indie rock fan where production values are variable at best, seeing more life shine from lesser recordings’ eyes was a real boon.”
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