JL Audio Dominion d108 Subwoofer Review
January 13, 2017 Comments Off on JL Audio Dominion d108 Subwoofer Review
” Listening to a variety of music, I did not specifically seek out bass-heavy stuff, but definitely material with high quality bass content. I called on one of my very favorite albums, System, by Seal. The near perfect blend of acoustic guitar, electronica, and moody grooves was great for helping dial in the Dominions. Stellar tracks like “Dumb”, “Amazing”, and the title track allowed me to hear the nice shimmering top end and mellow midrange with the Dominion’s low end reinforcement.”
CES 2017 LOUDSPEAKERS $20K AND UP
January 12, 2017 Comments Off on CES 2017 LOUDSPEAKERS $20K AND UP
“I have some good news and some bad news about CES 2017. The good news—and it is good news—is that the sound at this year’s rendition of Viva Las Vegas was considerably better than it’s been in years past. The bad news—and it is very bad—is that there were some 40 fewer exhibitors at the 2017 show. Folks, that amounts to an entire floor of the Venetian hotel that in previous decades would’ve been crowded with visitors and filled with the sound of music.”
MartinLogan Masterpiece Renaissance ESL 15A loudspeaker Review
January 11, 2017 Comments Off on MartinLogan Masterpiece Renaissance ESL 15A loudspeaker Review
” MartinLogan’s claim to fame was to figure out how to keep the two highly charged metal stators insulated as they tensioned the virtually massless sheet of Mylar sandwiched between them, also highly charged, into a smoothly curved surface—and keep it all that way. Sanders eventually came up with the solution, then collaborated with electronics engineer Ron Sutherland (now of Sutherland Engineering), who built the power supply to get the thing making noise. The name MartinLogan combines the middle names of Sanders and Sutherland.
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Elac AS 61GB Adante
January 10, 2017 Comments Off on Elac AS 61GB Adante
” There’s a rumor that Andrew Jones, first with TAD and now with Elac, is incapable of designing a mediocre-sounding speaker. This rumor was confirmed with Jones’s latest speaker, the Elac AS 61GB Adante, demonstrated at CES 2017. At $2500 per pair, this speaker is less expensive than the ones that Jones—seen in the photo above—designed for TAD, but more expensive than the bargain-priced offerings that were the first speakers he designed for Elac. Jones asserts that the Adante is still a work in progress; he’s still tweaking aspects of the design. Listening to a pair of Adantes, in a system with Audio Alchemy electronics, I was impressed with their clear, lively quality. To me, the speaker sounded ready for prime time!”
1MORE E1001 $100 – REVIEW
January 9, 2017 Comments Off on 1MORE E1001 $100 – REVIEW
“In regards to imaging, it is not as exact as I am used to from reference monitors. Sometimes I feel like an instrument in the orchestra shifts on an axis and wobbles a bit left and right. I also wish the soundstage had the better distinction of layers. It’s not completely muddled, though, I am just meticulous.”
OPTOMA NUFORCE STA200 POWER AMPLIFIER $1299 REVIEW
January 9, 2017 Comments Off on OPTOMA NUFORCE STA200 POWER AMPLIFIER $1299 REVIEW
“On my own recordings played back through my nearfield system I found the STA200 was among the more truthful amplifiers I’ve used. I did some A/B testing where I compared it with the NuForce ST-10 amplifier. I found the NuForce produced a bit larger soundstage, but it was a dead heat between the two amps in image specificity, low-level detail, dynamic contrast, and bass extension.”
REVEL CONCERTA2 M16 LOUDSPEAKER $900 REVIEW
January 8, 2017 Comments Off on REVEL CONCERTA2 M16 LOUDSPEAKER $900 REVIEW
The Concerta2 M16 is a class-leading compact. It operates at a level of refinement and excitement that belies its relatively easy affordability. I’ve surveyed quite a few compacts in the entry-level ranks recently and the choices are bountiful. Some recent blue-plate stars include the $499 Elac Uni-Fi UB5 and the under-$300 Elac Debut B5/B6—brilliant contenders that currently own their class. However if, wallet permitting, you’re considering stepping it up another notch, the Revel M16 is my choice for the compact monitor to beat in the one-grand-and-under segment.’
REL S/3 SHO subwoofer review
January 8, 2017 Comments Off on REL S/3 SHO subwoofer review
“The fire-fight shots around the night-club swimming pool in John Wick proved this point, and the S/3 SHO was equally good romping through some older favourites, like the Atmos-remastered The Fifth Element and space drama Gravity. While the latter film lacks a constant soundtrack of bass, the sound designers use LFE to subtly underpin effects and atmosphere. The REL’s superior tautness and articulation is in evidence here, adding that extra dimension to the aural mix without sounding disconnected. And if you regularly listen to music on your system with a subwoofer in play, those attributes translate into beautifully poised and eloquent bass augmentation.”
VANDERSTEEN AUDIO TREO CT FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER REVIEW
January 7, 2017 Comments Off on VANDERSTEEN AUDIO TREO CT FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER REVIEW
” For a final listen it was time for some digital audio. My PS Audio DirectStream DSD DAC was streaming from my NAS via the Bridge II Roon ready Ethernet connection. The DAC was playing through the PS Audio BHK Pre with AudioQuest MacKenzie interconnects, with the stack sitting on Stillpoints Ultra SS isolation pods. Time for a personal all-time favourite. Sting’s Ten Summoner’s Tales [Lossless CD rip at 16/44 AIFF, 1993 A&M Records] has been played countless times in the Neff man cave. ‘Shape of My Heart’ has an intimacy and sense of space and resonance that almost begs you to turn the lights down and close your eyes.”
HIFIMAN HE1000 VERSION 2 HEADPHONES $2999 REVIEW
January 6, 2017 Comments Off on HIFIMAN HE1000 VERSION 2 HEADPHONES $2999 REVIEW
” To sum up, the Audeze sound was skewed slightly more towards the bass end of the audio spectrum, and had excellent detail, but not the glorious highs of the V2s. And although the Audezes are respectable in the area of soundstaging (better than most ’phones I’ve heard), the V2s are even better—both better than I would expect to hear from headphones. The most significant difference was comfort: After wearing the V2s, it was almost unpleasant to go back to the Audezes. And the longer I wore them, the stronger that impression became. The V2s looked far better than the rather utilitarian Audezes—not that I could see them while listening, but if you’re shelling out big bucks, it’s not goofy to want a headphone with looks to match.”
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