Cardas A8 Ear Speakers $299 – Review
August 8, 2016 Comments Off on Cardas A8 Ear Speakers $299 – Review
” Things were going so well, I brought out one of my long-term in-ear references, the Sennheiser IE800 ($800) to pit against the A8. These two sound very different; the A8’s bass goes a lot deeper, without any loss of definition or low-end clarity. Dynamics are more viscerally felt over the A8; it’s a higher-energy headphone. But the IE800’s midrange sounds more refined and natural, and the treble is sweeter. The IE800’s sound is closer to neutral but less exciting to listen to.”
Paradigm Prestige 75F Loudspeaker $3,000 Review
August 7, 2016 Comments Off on Paradigm Prestige 75F Loudspeaker $3,000 Review
” Paradigm’s Prestige 75F tower is a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship and a true work of art. The intense care and attention to detail that went into building these speakers radia= tes like an aura around each one. Remarkably, the combination of subtlety, power, and detail makes the beautiful cabinets dematerialize into an exceptionally wide, ethereal soundstage that’s rare to find in a pair of towers at this price. At $3,000 for a pair, the 75Fs aren’t cheap, but the elevated visuals and ambrosial sonics are worth their weight in gold.”
Audeze Sine On-Ear Headphones Review
August 7, 2016 Comments Off on Audeze Sine On-Ear Headphones Review
“The Audeze Sine sounds clear. It sounds detailed. It is so many things that audiophile headphones aspire to be, but don’t always achieve. Its also rests on the ear, which can affect long term comfort but is hardly something that can be avoided within the design restrictions. At $499, it’s also pretty expensive for a supraaural, but the cheapest Audeze ever made. The win for consumers is that a heck of a lot of Audeze came down to play in the sandbox, with perhaps a little refinement gleaned from a few good years under the belt making stellar-sounding headphones. If you are currently looking for a detail-oriented on-ear headphone, I can’t think of one that even comes close to the performance of the Sine.”
MCINTOSH C52 PREAMP AND MC301 MONO POWER AMPLIFIERS REVIEW
August 6, 2016 § 1 Comment
” These are not the fastest amplifiers around, and pacey rock like ZZ Top could have more tension, but if you want the music to wash over you the MC301 does a very appealing job, one that makes listening very easy. They are transparent to what comes before them as well; changing source proved that their dynamic capabilities are very much at the mercy of what’s coming down the line. Adding the C52 to the mix and using the same single ended interconnects brings a warming and smoothing quality to the sound that doesn’t get in the way of detail or the easy flow of the power amps; if anything it enhances this. ”
Kaiser Acoustics Chiara speakers EUR 22.000 Review
August 6, 2016 Comments Off on Kaiser Acoustics Chiara speakers EUR 22.000 Review
“Anyone is free to spend their hard earn money. No questions asked. What I’m putting forward as the food for the thought is the real reference and sound orientation. There is no question in my book of leafs for what should stand as the the one and only guidance. Music! Pure, unaltered, uncompress and as raw as it gets. Comparing some of the speakers with live, un-amplified, acoustical music recorded in the natural acoustic space is not only frustrating, but completely wrongly oriented. As, we’re following the robotic language of automatons rather then poetic, lyrical and tuneful nature of the music. Something is lost in the translation with many of the contemporary speakers.”
Bryston BDP-2 Server and BDA-3 DAC Review
August 6, 2016 Comments Off on Bryston BDP-2 Server and BDA-3 DAC Review
” The Bryston BDP-2 digital file and network player used in tandem with the BDA-3 DAC is the best digital front end I have had in my system. The versatility, build, ease of setup, and sound quality are unrivaled in my experience at least. The combination costs approximately $6500. From what I have heard at audio shows and dealers, this duo competes with far more expensive digital players and DAC models.”
Grado PS1000e – Review
August 5, 2016 Comments Off on Grado PS1000e – Review
“The PS1000e sounds a little bright to me, with a reduced mid-to-lower bass that adds to the sensation of brightness. The main areas of emphasis are around 2-3 khz and 7 khz, but experienced users of the SR60 through SR325 will feel right at home with this sound. There is some emphasis in the lower midrange around 200 hz, but the steep rolloff below there means that the mid-to-lower bass impact will feel pretty light. Most Headfonia reviewers mention layering of the bass sound, which is more-or-less the opposite of a “one-note” bass, but to make such a judgement requires a decent amount of bass to start with. The PS1000e bass is shy enough that I get a sense of greater bass detail compared to certain other headphones, and that’s because the bass has less tendency for boominess or muddy sound, simply because it’s recessed.”
Bryston BDP-2 Server and BDA-3 DAC Review
August 5, 2016 Comments Off on Bryston BDP-2 Server and BDA-3 DAC Review
“The BDA-1 DAC was superseded by the BDP-2, which added an asynchronous USB input, and other improvements. The BDA-3 arrived after a long-term development phase, adding DSD decoding and HDMI inputs, among other things. Bryston, in my opinion, has shown a history of ignoring trends and fashion, and defers instead to engineering and proper product design. The company could have easily put out a “DSD capable” DAC three years ago but chose to not capitalize or compromise. I admire this very much”
Bravo V3 Tube Headphone Preamp $85 Reviewed
August 4, 2016 Comments Off on Bravo V3 Tube Headphone Preamp $85 Reviewed
“After reading all of the above, your question might be: What does a thousand-dollar-plus headphone preamp give you that this $85 Bravo V3 doesn’t? For the extra zeros to the left of the decimal, you can get an even deeper soundstage, enabling you to place the instruments and vocals within their own space. The air between frequencies imbues a “presence” to the overall experience of immersive listening, especially in the higher register. Greater dynamic range translates to more impact when passages pull back before a crescendo. Transients are faster, sharper, and contribute to the feel, the pacing, and the groove by bringing into focus the precise timing of the pluck of a string, the tip of the trumpets’ trill, or the rasp of an emotive vocal.”
PRO-JECT DEBUT CARBON ESPRIT SB REVIEW
August 4, 2016 Comments Off on PRO-JECT DEBUT CARBON ESPRIT SB REVIEW
” Playing Laurie Anderson’s Strange Angels [Warner Bros] with the Debut I was struck by just how much of the recording’s character comes through. This is a polished, and distinctly eighties sounding album with sumptuous bass and mountains of reverb on the kick drum. The Debut let’s you know all of this and more in its own effortless style. Pino Paladino’s fretless bass sounds great and the guitar shines with a brilliance born of expensive studio time. The track made it clear that with an amp and speaker of appropriate price, the Debut is well balanced; it may be a little smooth, but that makes the job of the system easier than a more revealing source. Pro‑Ject didn’t get to 23 models with massive investment and a huge marketing budget; it did so by making turntables that sell and sell well. The Debut Carbon Esprit SB will undoubtedly join those ranks.”
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