ELAC’s Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim loudspeaker Review
June 15, 2017 Comments Off on ELAC’s Uni-Fi FS U5 Slim loudspeaker Review
“The most immediate difference, as one might reasonably expect, is on bass reach. The floorstanding ELACs go lower and are more impactful, offering greater heft at lower volume levels. No need to crank Daniel Avery’s DJ Kicks mix quite as hard to bring peak-time Berghain sounds to one’s lounge room. However, they also demand more attention is paid to their room placement, especially for apartment dwellers like yours truly where physical space is a long way from abundant. Far less expected was the FS U5’s ability to disappear as readily as the standmount version.
Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC $2,800 REVIEW
June 15, 2017 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC $2,800 REVIEW
“A big factor in a DAC’s sound is how well the USB interface is implemented. Some otherwise superb units are compromised by less-than-stellar performance when driven by a USB input. A good way to isolate the USB interface’s contribution to the DAC’s sound is to insert the Berkeley Audio Design Alpha USB converter in the digital signal path. The $1895 Alpha USB takes in USB from the source, reclocks it, isolates the output from noise at the input, and reformats the signal into AES/EBU or SPDIF (the latter on a BNC jack). The Alpha USB is the state of the art in such devices; I’ve heard it absolutely transform the sound quality of some DACs, turning mediocre performance into excellence. Significantly, with the Yggy the Alpha USB rendered the least improvement in sound quality of any DAC I’ve done this experiment on. In other words, the Yggy’s USB input is extremely well designed.”
Hulgich Audio Astor $12,000 REVIEW
June 15, 2017 Comments Off on Hulgich Audio Astor $12,000 REVIEW
” The HiFi world is full of large format speakers costing upwards of substantially more than a first-home deposit. What Nicholas Hulgich has created with the Astor is a 3-Way floorstanding speaker that makes a visual statement as much as it is highly capable, sonically. But, it’s offered at a price many can afford, or can at least aspire to own in the near future.”
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KEF Blade loudspeakers $32,000 Review
June 14, 2017 Comments Off on KEF Blade loudspeakers $32,000 Review
” Although not inexpensive, the price of a pair of KEF Blades just doesn’t seem that extravagant in the current high-end market. What you get for your money is without doubt one of the most beautiful loudspeakers available. But make no mistake. Looks aside, the Blades are all about engineering.. Beware of being beguiled by their good looks lest you forget that what you are getting for all that cash: the most advanced state-of-the-art engineering you will find in a modern loudspeaker.”
1MORE Quad Driver Universal Fit In-Ear Monitor Review
June 14, 2017 Comments Off on 1MORE Quad Driver Universal Fit In-Ear Monitor Review
“That being said, make no mistake – the Quad is able to scale up pretty nicely with a better source. Paired with the Chord Mojo it was flat-out impressive and hard to actually stop listening to. The powerful dynamics, best-in-class sub-bass, velvety mids and grand staging always kept me flipping for one more song… how fitting. Overall, I’d happily recommend this IEM to pretty much anyone searching for an earphone around at the $199 price point. It’s hard not to get excited about a product that performs at such a high level for such a reasonable asking price. As dollar-for-dollar value goes, it looks like 1MORE has knocked it out of the park once again”
Sound Lab Majestic 545 Full-Range Electrostatic Loudspeakers $13,450 Review
June 13, 2017 Comments Off on Sound Lab Majestic 545 Full-Range Electrostatic Loudspeakers $13,450 Review
“When I was spinning Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony with Kurt Masur conducting the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig ripped from a Pentatone SACD, it made it clear that the Majestic 545 could easily handle one of my favorite symphonies this man ever wrote. I’m rather critical of speakers and components that can’t handle a large orchestra at a reasonable volume without complaining, by compressing, adding sibilance, or any other departure from letting the music flow unimpeded, especially when reproducing a piece of music I adore. The Gewandhaus Orchestra was spread across a huge soundstage that extended way past the Majestic 545s’ outer edges, and way behind front wall of my room.”
Phiaton Single Balanced Armature Earphones – Review
June 13, 2017 Comments Off on Phiaton Single Balanced Armature Earphones – Review
The audiophile world is prone to “flavors of the month”, with the newest releases nearly always lauded as great strides forward—so much so that it can be difficult to keep up. As a result, some manufacturers adopt short product cycles, special editions, and other ways of showing continuous improvement. ”
Peachtree Audio nova300 integrated amplifier Review
June 12, 2017 Comments Off on Peachtree Audio nova300 integrated amplifier Review
“The very first impression I had of the Peachtree nova300’s sound, fresh out of the box, came while listening to the Brahms Violin Concerto with soloist Hillary Hahn and the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner—whose passing last year went largely unnoticed by the media (SACD/CD, Sony Classical SS 89649). The sound was slightly dry and grainy, but not without color, and certainly not without dynamic nuance, of which there already was an abundance. Clearly, some running-in was in order; before doing any further critical listening, I subjected the nova300 to a little over a week’s worth of steady use as a background-music workhorse.”
Pass Labs INT-60 Integrated Amplifier $9000 Review
June 11, 2017 Comments Off on Pass Labs INT-60 Integrated Amplifier $9000 Review
“The stage is wide, and layering of instruments and voices is excellent. Images have body and weight and are correctly sized. The Pass manages to throw that body and weight around the room with a feathery touch, and because the amp is so quiet, musical images flood and light up the stage”
REVIEW: RYUZOH’S AK70 KAI
June 11, 2017 Comments Off on REVIEW: RYUZOH’S AK70 KAI
” The only introduction I’m going to give Ryuzoh this time is the following: you won’t find a better and more adventurous modder this side of Robert Heinlein’s Stone family. Ryuzoh’s mods have it where it counts. I’ve been told I talk too much and too loudly about his hitherto magnum opus, the balanced Mojo-Kai. I speak less about his AK100 Kai, though that’s a mistake.”
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