Bryston 4B3 Stereo/Mono Amplifier Review
June 28, 2017 Comments Off on Bryston 4B3 Stereo/Mono Amplifier Review
” A recording I’ve recently rediscovered is Emmylou Harris’s Wrecking Ball: Deluxe Edition, a collaboration with influential producer, songwriter, and musician Daniel Lanois (16/44.1 FLAC, Nonesuch). This album is every bit as good as Lanois’s work on albums by U2, Robbie Robertson, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan. The transparency of the 4B3 let me hear further into this recording than has any other amp I’ve had in my system — its retrieval of detail was astonishing. Although the amp was remarkably transparent, the sound was perfectly neutral and never harsh. The electric guitar and kick drum in Lanois’s “Where Will I Be” are recorded with reverb that can make them sound a little grungy. ”
KEF Blade loudspeakers $32,000 Review
June 27, 2017 Comments Off on KEF Blade loudspeakers $32,000 Review
“My first listening experience with the KEFs was at an audio show several years ago where I also listened to the big YGs. What instantly impressed me was the Blades sounded as good as the $120,000 YGs that were driven by $150,000 worth of electronics. Some large floor standing loudspeakers sound “big” no matter what is playing. The Blades could act and sound like a small studio monitor when the music required it. Then when the music was large scale, as with a recording of Beethoven’s Ninth, the Blades took advantage of their full stature to realistically recreate the experience of being seated in a concert hall listening to a full symphony orchestra and chorus performing the monumental work. And doing that without individual objects in the sound stage being inflated or sounding exaggerated.”
Technics SL-1200G Turntable/Tonearm $4000 – Review
June 27, 2017 Comments Off on Technics SL-1200G Turntable/Tonearm $4000 – Review
“This is surprising, perhaps, because pitch is of course completely fundamental to music, and getting it right is clearly important. But old tape machines were not very predictable in speed, and today it can be hard to know what the speed ought to be unless one has a definite idea of what the original pitch of the music was. (It was quite startling to listen to a reissue from a few years ago where a certain violin concerto in A minor was actually in B flat minor as put on the record.) Of course CDs made from old mastertapes can have this sort of problem, too. But with the Technics you can tune up (or, more usually, down) your music—and you need to do so surprisingly often.”
Naim Mu-so Qb Wireless Music System Review
June 27, 2017 Comments Off on Naim Mu-so Qb Wireless Music System Review
” Naim’s Mu-so Qb is a highly capable music system. Yes, it is expensive, but it’s superbly crafted and has a lot to offer in terms of playback options and, most important, sound quality. It would be hard to find a compact tabletop speaker that sounds as good as the Qb at any price
Read more at https://www.soundandvision.com/content/naim-mu-so-qb-wireless-music-system-review-page-2#TV6EvjVTIjezWiFT.99″
JH Audio Lola $1,599 Review
June 26, 2017 Comments Off on JH Audio Lola $1,599 Review
” When it comes to in-ear monitors, everyone has their preferences. Someone who’s a sound engineer may want something more balanced and neutral like the 16V2. Someone on stage, who hears more than just their own contribution to their music, may want something like the Lola or Layla/Roxanne depending on the type of emphasis they’re looking for. As for audiophiles, the jury is out on that one.”
Oppo Sonica DAC review
June 25, 2017 Comments Off on Oppo Sonica DAC review
“We’d like a touch more openness though, so instruments can breathe more freely. Compared with the Cambridge CXN, the Oppo has a suggestion of restraint to its sound”
Legacy Audio Powerbloc2 and Powerbloc4 Amplifiers $1,800, $2,950 Review
June 24, 2017 Comments Off on Legacy Audio Powerbloc2 and Powerbloc4 Amplifiers $1,800, $2,950 Review
” The Powerblocs’ pricing places them smack in the middle range of new Class D amps—not exactly cheap, but far from expensive in this context. At day’s end, about the only complaint I can summon against Legacy’s amps is their configurations. With only two- and four-channel options, supplying a five- or seven-point-whatever system means a single channel is doomed to idleness. I think I see Legacy’s problem, however. A single-module, one-channel ICEpower design would necessarily be almost as expensive as a two-channel one. A three-channel job would be too specialized, and five- or seven-channel models would mean mixing mono and stereo modules.”
BorderPatrol Digital to Analogue Converter’s $1,350 Review
June 24, 2017 Comments Off on BorderPatrol Digital to Analogue Converter’s $1,350 Review
” The BorderPatrol was changing the tonal balance, softening transients, sweetening the overall sound, but that’s sometimes a good thing. For instance, when I played the Rolling Stones’ horribly compressed and harsh 2016 album, “Blue & Lonesome,” I really enjoyed the music. That wasn’t possible with the Brooklyn converter — the music’s grit and glare came roaring back. Ah, but a great recording like Kraftwerk’s “Minimum- Maximum” live album on the BorderPatrol was a marvel. The BorderPatrol makes music — even electronic music — come alive.”
AEQUO AUDIO ENSIS SPEAKERS REVIEW
June 24, 2017 Comments Off on AEQUO AUDIO ENSIS SPEAKERS REVIEW
“The Outer Shell is a sandwich construction of hard woods on the outside and softer woods on the inside pressed with special in-house built hydraulic press with 20t of force. A total 9 layers of wood are pressed together into a compact shell strong enough to support the weight of a car: 3 layers of ultra-stiff wood, followed by 2 layers of softer wood, each of different thickness and divided by another thin layer, then finished with another 3 layers of ultra-stiff wood. This combination is still very thin but with the lowest possible amount of resonance in the entire frequency spectrum.”
MrSpeakers Ether Flow Headphones $1,800 Review
June 23, 2017 Comments Off on MrSpeakers Ether Flow Headphones $1,800 Review
“My Audeze LCD X headphones’ bass plumbed deeper than either of those two headphones, and soft-to-loud dynamics kicked harder, so if you crave high-energy impact, the LCD X has the edge. Still, as I continued listening, the Ether Flow did no wrong; nothing started to grate on me, and it’s a good deal more comfortable to wear than the LCD X.
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