AURALiC Polaris – REVIEW
April 19, 2017 Comments Off on AURALiC Polaris – REVIEW
“For US$4K, it might be possible (nay, easy) to compile a separates rig that outshines the Polaris. To point this out is to miss the point of AURALiC’s finest offering to date. It also ignores the time suck and cash drain of going mix n match. Like Devialet and Peachtree – and the increasing number of super-integrateds coming to market – their intent is simplicity without audible sacrifice.”
Monitor Audio Platinum II PL300 II Loudspeakers $14,495 Review
April 18, 2017 Comments Off on Monitor Audio Platinum II PL300 II Loudspeakers $14,495 Review
” Still, it was all too easy to forget that the Monitor PL300 II costs only $14,495/pair — it performed at levels achieved by speakers costing far more. The PL300 II’s subtly “polite” sound actually enhanced their reproduction of Chantal Kreviazuk’s In This Life, erasing any hint of aggression in her voice at loud volumes — I preferred listening to this album more through the Monitors than through the Rockports. There was also an appreciable difference in how the two speakers reproduced bass notes. The Monitors consistently provided more slam, kick, and energy in the lower octaves, particularly at lower volumes. T”
VPI Industries Prime Turntable – Review
April 18, 2017 Comments Off on VPI Industries Prime Turntable – Review
“The benefit this awarded to the sound was immediate: A tightening up of the sound of instruments (and voice) and a tighter arrangement of the placement of instruments within the imaging. It was like someone had carefully listened to and studied the position of instruments in the soundstage, slightly modified their positioning to optimize–and then nailed each down on its perch to stay put!”
SIMAUDIO MOON NEO 230HAD HEADPHONE AMP/DAC $1499 REVIEW
April 17, 2017 Comments Off on SIMAUDIO MOON NEO 230HAD HEADPHONE AMP/DAC $1499 REVIEW
“The 230HAD occupies a very competitive space. Several highly-accomplished manufacturers including Questyle and Ayre have exceptional offerings in this price category. Simaudio holds its own against all comers. The 230HAD has a rightness to its presentation that allows for untold hours of effortless listening enjoyment. Whether you are doing critical listening to audition that new pair of reference headphones or simply wish to get as deep into your music as you can, the Moon Neo 230HAD will be your guide to your own private audio nirvana. Highly recommended!”
RESONATE ROCK JAW AUDIO $159 REVIEW
April 17, 2017 Comments Off on RESONATE ROCK JAW AUDIO $159 REVIEW
“This is a very musical, fun sounding IEM that offers a variety of tonal presentation types. Hard pressed to say any other $150ish IEM’s offer similar. In fact, I know of none. The build quality is excellent, the cable is fantastic and the set is very laid back and easy on the ear, deep reaching in bass depending on what filter setup used and lastly responds nicely to EQ.”
Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Momentum Phono Stage Preamplifier $28,000 – Review
April 16, 2017 Comments Off on Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Momentum Phono Stage Preamplifier $28,000 – Review
“The Dan D’Agostino phono preamp has so many other positive sonic qualities that discussing them one by one could easily be the subject of a series of follow-up reviews for the rest of the year. Although, in my listening notes, after a while I began repeating myself, my notes centering on the fact that each record I played sounded the best I’ve ever heard it. Familiar titles sounded “new” again, and those less familiar titles let me hear what I imagined to be the exact intentions of the musicians, ”
First Watt F7 Amplifier $3000 Review
April 16, 2017 Comments Off on First Watt F7 Amplifier $3000 Review
“This was accomplished by simplifying the circuit, paying close attention to the selection of parts used in the design, closely guarded assembly techniques, and the final twist of balancing the opposing forces of negative and positive current feedback in the circuit. The result is a 20/30 WPC stereo amplifier that measures respectably well, but can reproduce music in a natural manner, with a degree of authenticity that eludes so many audio components. This amplifier is not the most powerful design in its price bracket, its specifications are not head and shoulders above its competitors, the circuit is not an elegantly complex tour de force, and it is not a weighty beast that is a testament to an overbuilt chassis and power supply. If that is the kind of amplifier you desire, there is no shortage of products out there built in that manne”
KEF Reference 3 Loudspeakers $13,999 Review
April 15, 2017 Comments Off on KEF Reference 3 Loudspeakers $13,999 Review
” In terms of neutrality and detail from the midrange up, the Reference 3 and Blade Two for the most part ran neck and neck, and the two pairs of speakers projected soundstages of comparable width and depth. Where the Blade Twos stepped ahead of the Reference 3s was in imaging — the Twos can position images anywhere on the stage with uncanny precision. By a lesser margin, the Blade Twos also sounded a bit more open in my room than did the Ref 3s — as did the Oval B1 Decades (see below). They projected their sounds more freely into the room, leaving no telltale cues of sounds emanating from their enclosures.”
AUDIO RESEARCH VT80 TUBE POWER AMPLIFIER REVIEW
April 15, 2017 Comments Off on AUDIO RESEARCH VT80 TUBE POWER AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“If you’re like my friend, Walter, who buys quality, and then keeps it virtually forever, the amortized “per year” cost of the VT80 becomes insignificant. However, it bears saying that the majority of us won’t ever be in the market for an $8,000 amplifier however good it might be. But before you make that decision, and if the price is even remotely affordable to you, find an Audio Research dealer and listen to this amplifier. Given its extremely high-quality construction, amazing sound, and consistently high resale value, you might just change your mind. Before you spend any fraction approaching 50% of the price of this amplifier, you owe it to yourself to at least hear the Audio Research VT80 tube amp. It’s that good.”
Paradigm Persona 3F Floorstanding Speaker Review
April 15, 2017 Comments Off on Paradigm Persona 3F Floorstanding Speaker Review
“It’s worth pointing out that, if you’re part of the “Objective Criteria Mean Nothing, I Only Care About How Speakers Make Me Feel” crowd and you tend to prefer quirky speakers with their own unique voice, the Persona line probably isn’t for you. There’s nothing wrong with that, mind you, but these speakers come as close to disappearing from the equation as any I’ve heard at anything near this price point.”
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