TFZ SERIES 1 Review
July 27, 2016 Comments Off on TFZ SERIES 1 Review
“Obviously a big positive to IEMs with this sort of design is ergonomics and comfort. That is not to say all manufacturers get it right but TFZ seem to have ended up on the right side. This looks like a CIEM in my ear and don’t feel far off in terms of comfort either. BA based earphones also tend to be the better option if you desire isolation as they traditionally don’t need venting like dynamic drivers but the Series 1 will block out most ambient noise, no issue.”
HiFiMAN Edition X Headphone $1799 Review
July 26, 2016 Comments Off on HiFiMAN Edition X Headphone $1799 Review
” Like the midrange, the treble of the HiFiMAN Edition X is well-behaved with no distinct peaks or shrillness in any territory. The amount of detail that the Edition X manages to portray without instilling any brightness into the mix is something of a unique selling point for HiFiMAN’s latest planar model. The somewhat darker tonality of the Edition X does not go amiss here either with the headphone being able to render subtle artifacts and auditory cues that bring it towards the higher-end of audiophilia. With that said though, the Edition X can lack a bit of sparkle in the very high frequency ranges owing to a subtle roll-off. With the use of different cables, however, this can easily be overcome as explained below. Overall, the Edition X’s treble brings to the table an easy-going yet highly resolving sound that spares the ears of harshness and glare that so many other
headphones are seemingly guilty of.”
AVM EVOLUTION MP 5.2 MEDIA PLAYER $8450 REVIEW
July 25, 2016 Comments Off on AVM EVOLUTION MP 5.2 MEDIA PLAYER $8450 REVIEW
“The more I listened to orchestral string sections, the more I appreciated the denser timbre of the AVM. And by this I’m not referring to colorations per se, rather something more related to the physical, fleshy presence of musicians in performance. Similarly, string instruments such as cello and bass violin exuded the full-bodied, weighted voices and appropriately stout resonant foundations that I expect them to have. I can’t say with any certainty to what extent my sonic impressions can be attributed to the AVM tube stage, but I can state that over the years I’ve found that tubes illuminate the soundstage a bit differently—as in a shift in color temperature from, let’s say, a bluer “digital” cast to a slightly redder one. And this was the case here.”
Sony SS-NA5ES loudspeaker $6000 – Review
July 25, 2016 Comments Off on Sony SS-NA5ES loudspeaker $6000 – Review
“At the end of the day, literally and figuratively, I achieved the best results—defined for my purposes as the smoothest bass response, not the deepest bass per se—when the left-channel Sony was 28.5″ from its sidewall, the right-channel Sony was 30″ from its wall, and both were 40.5″ from the front wall. I heard the best combination of spatial performance and treble naturalness when the baffles were aimed directly at my ears, and while the bass went apparently lower when I moved my listening seat closer to the rear wall, the Sonys’ spatial performance was best enjoyed from a distance of 6′ to 7′, measured on-axis from both cabinets.
Read more at http://www.stereophile.com/content/sony-ss-na5es-loudspeaker-page-2#bF5ceHkIozPzo90Z.99”
Chord DAVE DAC REVIEW
July 25, 2016 Comments Off on Chord DAVE DAC REVIEW
“Never before have I heard my CDs or my digital music files in such good quality. This is true when judged by the usual hi-fi standards but, more importantly, it is also true when judged by the music’s emotional impact. Because the DAVE merges fantastic accomplishments in the various areas into an absolutely coherent overall performance, it manages to bring out the touching emotional qualities of music. Depending on the track, music will be more relaxing, more engaging or more dramatic than before. The times that we would accuse digital music of lacking ‘soul’ are long gone by now, fortunately. And with the DAVE digital music now achieves a completely new level of intensity. And it does so without any flamboyancy, just by doing everything right.”
SHOZY ZERO IEM REVIEW
July 25, 2016 Comments Off on SHOZY ZERO IEM REVIEW
“Vocal presence is a bit darker sounding if not slightly recessed, particularly with lower register male vocals, though they do come to the fore a little bit more after copious amounts of burn in. Vocals, on the whole, are sibilant free with female vocals sounding smooth and clear in the upper registers.”
PHATLABS PHATASY AND SASSY – PORTABLE TRANSFORMER POWER
July 24, 2016 Comments Off on PHATLABS PHATASY AND SASSY – PORTABLE TRANSFORMER POWER
“Phantasy or should I say PHAntasy is the current TOTL offering from PHATlabs. Why the capital PHA, well it stands for Portable Headphone Amp of course, although we will debate that a little later on. While sassy is a hybrid and not a class A one at that, Phantasy brings together all of the PHAT principles that we started off this review with. For a start it is well and truly a tube amp, not an ounce of a transistor to be seen. Considering portable amps that feature tubes in some way or another aren’t the newest thing around, being a solely battery powered pure tube amp is something else. In fact the only other one I know of in existence is Woo Audio’s just released WA8! This really is a crazy design”
LUXURY & PRECISION L3 $399 Review
July 24, 2016 Comments Off on LUXURY & PRECISION L3 $399 Review
” The L5PRO has full bodied bass and mids and the overall sound quality of the L5PRO is incredibly good so we all expected a lot from the “little” L3. I’m very happy to report that the sound quality is no different with the L3. It simply sounds superb with the right mix of body, detail and musicality. The L3 is clean and clear and has a good resolution overall. The treble section might be a little less bodied than the bass and mid-section are. From bass to highs I’d call this a pretty linear sounding DAP though. The L3 doesn’t emphasize bass, mids or treble but it displays it smooth and effortlessly with a hint to the lusher and warmer side without losing any of the detail and without going too far away from a neutral delivery. Compared to higher end players like the AK380, the L3 misses out on depth, width and layering but there’s no shame or surprise in that. More comparisons later on”
GRADO SR225E REVIEW
July 23, 2016 Comments Off on GRADO SR225E REVIEW
” Imaging is very good and allows you to precisely pinpoint instruments whilst allowing them sufficient space for resounding clarity. Soundstage, as you would expect, is on the large side and the headphones do well in creating an airy and immersive presentation perfect for live and binaural recordings. Speed is also very good and the SR225e are one of the faster dynamic driver headphones I have heard which in results in solid levels of detail and separation. ”
Ayre Acoustics AX-5 Twenty Integrated Amplifier Review
July 23, 2016 Comments Off on Ayre Acoustics AX-5 Twenty Integrated Amplifier Review
“As good as the AX-5 was with acoustic music, it was no slouch with recordings of rock or fusion. On Allan Holdsworth’s All Night Wrong (DSD64, Sony Music), bassist Jimmy Johnson and drummer Chad Wackerman sounded propulsive and meaty in “Lanyard Loop,” providing counterpoint to Holdsworth’s rhythm and lead-guitar licks.”
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