FIRST WATT AMPLIFIERS BY NELSON PASS F7 REVIEW
September 20, 2016 Comments Off on FIRST WATT AMPLIFIERS BY NELSON PASS F7 REVIEW
“Solo soprano exhibited plenty of energy and presence via the J2/Druid pairing. Perhaps there wasn’t quite the sense of silky smoothness I heard when using the SIT-1s, but the extension and presence were greatly appreciated and enjoyed. The J2 also did a fine job of letting the microdynamics of the female voice shine through, as I easily registered those slight variations in tone, texture, and volume that a really good vocalist can call upon when required. Oh, and the massed choral voices …. Oh my”
Bryston Limited 4B³ Stereo Power Amplifier Review
September 19, 2016 Comments Off on Bryston Limited 4B³ Stereo Power Amplifier Review
“Much of what makes these qualities stand out is the superb quietude the amp exudes. No mechanical or electrical artifacts intrude on the listening experience. No hum or faint buzzing clouds the sonic picture. Superbly low distortion levels allow the amp to capture tonal signatures fully intact, meaning that one needn’t sacrifice accurate tonal reproduction for maximum detail retrieval. The 4B³ lets listeners have their cake and eat it too.”
PASS LABS XA30.8 CLASS A STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER $6,800 REVIEW
September 18, 2016 Comments Off on PASS LABS XA30.8 CLASS A STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER $6,800 REVIEW
“The Pass Labs XA30.8 is a very expensive amplifier. It does not have a lot of power output, although it does have a lot more power on tap than the 30 W per channel specification would suggest. But it’s one of the best amplifiers I have ever heard. Certainly the best amplifier I have tested in my listening room. If you have even moderately sensitive speakers, and especially if your system has powered subwoofers, the XA30.8 might just be the perfect amplifier. It has everything you could ever want, with the exception of massive power output. Most people do not need massive power output.”
Sound Galleries Monaco Serve – Review
September 17, 2016 Comments Off on Sound Galleries Monaco Serve – Review
“I spent a full two weeks listening to the T+A driven by my Auralic Aries, Windows 10 laptop via Ifi Audio iusb, Tascam DA3000 (AES/EBU), and Oppo (S/PDIF). This allowed me to calibrate my ears prior to evaluating what the SGM brings to the party. My initial impressions of the T+A DAC driven by my usual selection of transports was competent @ the price point for PCM and better than its price point for DSD. In truth, it was a fairly large step down from my resident Golden Gate as you would expect at ~20% of the price.
MODWRIGHT TRYST HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $3000 REVIEW
September 17, 2016 Comments Off on MODWRIGHT TRYST HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER $3000 REVIEW
” This tune has great energy, a kickin’ horn section and tight guitar work. All in all, it is a very involved and active track that can lead to a smeared presentation as the amp tries to keep up with the action. It is also a 40-year favorite. I am pleased to say the Tryst delivered with the Layla’s. The Layla’s themselves had no trouble with the complexity of this piece and they passed along the Tryst’s wonderful delivery with clean authority. The sense of scale from the many talented musicians was very apparent. One point I also liked was that, at low volume there was virtually no audible hiss into these sensitive IEM’s. A well executed implementation for IEM’s”
NUFORCE HEM2 REVIEW
September 16, 2016 Comments Off on NUFORCE HEM2 REVIEW
“The HEM2 is mildly sensitive. At home, I’m comfortable listening to classic New Order through Ryuzoh-modified AK100 at a volume of 29, which would be the upper limit with which I’m comfortable listening to my Ultrasone IQ on the train. It reveals only a little of the AK100’s relatively high levels of hiss and none through the iPhone 6, iPod nano 7G, and similarly noiseless players. This is a great balance. Through most of my favourite earphones, the AK100’s hiss is annoying. HEM2 helps me enjoy the music”
Grado GS2000e headphones Review
September 16, 2016 Comments Off on Grado GS2000e headphones Review
“Next, I pitted the GS2000e against the Hifiman HE560 headphones, and I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. The HE560’s low bass was deeper and more visceral, my ears literally felt the difference. Bob Marley’s “Lively Up Your Dub” took on a weightier presence over the HE560, returning to the GS2000e the sound was leaner, but the texture of the drums leapt out of the ear cups. With trumpeter Jon Hassell’s brilliant audiophile recording “Fascinoma,” the HE560 shrank the sound stage to a considerable degree, and Hassell’s horn sounded less alive than what I got from the GS2000e.”
JE Audio IS250 Integrated Amplifier-DAC Review
September 16, 2016 Comments Off on JE Audio IS250 Integrated Amplifier-DAC Review
“Turning on the IS250 was a bit tricky, and is not well described in the manual; here’s what I found: After everything is connected and the IS250’s power cord is plugged into the IEC socket on the rear panel, first turn on the power switch adjacent to that socket. This places the IS250 in standby mode; the LED over the Power/Mute button on the front panel should glow red. Turn the volume control all the way down. Now, push and hold down the Power/Mute button for about a second. That will take the amp out of standby, warm up the tubes, and get it ready to play. ”
The Peachtree Nova150 integrated amplifier
September 14, 2016 Comments Off on The Peachtree Nova150 integrated amplifier
“The Nova150 was an even better match with my Magnepan .7 flat panel speakers. The .7s crave power, and the Nova150 delivered gobs of it. Bass definition and oomph were truly exceptional, better than I’ve heard from the .7s mated with other integrated amps. The speakers transparency shined ever so brightly, and since the .7s are almost five feet tall their sound was closer to life-size than any bookshelf speakers, or even most comparably-priced tower speakers could produce.”
Gold Note Valore Plus 425 Turntable and PH-7 Phono Stage Review
September 14, 2016 Comments Off on Gold Note Valore Plus 425 Turntable and PH-7 Phono Stage Review
“To more precisely dial-in the load of specific cartridges, Gold Note also offers optional male RCA-style loading plugs which can be plugged into a pair of female RCA input sockets located on the back of the unit. I like that Gold Note has engineered a simple solution to handle any potential issues with capacitance and/or gain for exotic cartridges. There’s no need to crack the PH-7’s case open and make internal settings as with other phono stages.”
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