Tavish Design Minotaur integrated stereo amplifier
June 25, 2016 Comments Off on Tavish Design Minotaur integrated stereo amplifier
“Paired with Bowers & Wilkins’ 805 D3 speakers, the Minotaur’s transparency came to the fore. In fact, I never once thought the Minotaur sounded like a tube amplifier. There was no added warmth or richness, or softened bass I associate with tube electronics. The Minotaur is neutral and clean, and the 805 D3s made that perfectly clear. It was also powerful and dynamics were uninhibited, so the Minotaur got out of the way while letting the music speak for itself.”
CAMPFIRE AUDIO ANDROMEDA REVIEW
June 25, 2016 Comments Off on CAMPFIRE AUDIO ANDROMEDA REVIEW
” The earphones are designed to be worn over ear and as such you wont have any issues with micro-phonics. Memory in the ear guides works well, its a pretty basic design but is done right and keeps the earphones in place even when moving around a lot. A nice little custom CA branded clear jack is found at the 3.5mm point with decent strain relief attached and up the other end the TRRS connectors are equally well done They lock into the earpieces with a solid click and the swivel when engaged is butter smooth.”
Vivid Audio Oval B1 Decade Loudspeakers Review
June 24, 2016 Comments Off on Vivid Audio Oval B1 Decade Loudspeakers Review
” Although Vivid Audio’s Oval B1 received a Reviewers’ Choice award when it was reviewed, it was never recognized as a Recommended Reference Component, mostly because of its bass deficiencies. Had Laurence Dickie addressed only those problems and called the result the Oval B1 Decade, that alone would have been enough to qualify the new version as a Recommended Reference Component. But his complete revision of the B1 has made the Oval B1 Decade a considerably better speaker than its forebear in many aspects of its sound — a speaker that not only deserves being included in our list of Recommended Reference Components, but that can also be called one of the best speakers available at any price.”
Constellation Audio Inspiration Preamp 1.0 Preamplifier Review
June 24, 2016 Comments Off on Constellation Audio Inspiration Preamp 1.0 Preamplifier Review
” Constellation Audio’s Inspiration Preamp 1.0 is an exceedingly well-engineered audio component. At $9900, its qualities of sound and build are exemplary, and complemented by a unique balance of solid-state fortitude and tube-like refinement. While it may not be the quietest preamp I’ve heard, and its operation is less than intuitive, the Inspiration Preamp 1.0 redefines what $9900 can buy in terms of transparency, refinement, sophistication, inner detail, color saturation, and overall fidelity to the original recording. In fact, considering that the Inspiration Preamp 1.0 has the same circuit topology found at the very top of the Constellation line at a fraction of the price, it may be one of the best values in the market today.”
Audioengine HD6 Premium Powered Speakers Review
June 24, 2016 Comments Off on Audioengine HD6 Premium Powered Speakers Review
” I tested my bass theory with the bass drum ff solo beat with two tubas providing the pitch about five minutes in on The Adoration of the Earth from Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with Esa Pekka Salonen and the LA Phil on DGG. This recording is one of the best sounds you’ll ever hear in the glorious acoustic of Disney Hall. The HD6s were magnificent in replicating the energy, volume and timbre, if not the last ounce of low pitch resonance. But damn effective.”
Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 On-ear review
June 24, 2016 Comments Off on Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 On-ear review
” Of course, the amount of low end to be heard in a mix is somewhat a matter of taste; though we’d prefer an even balance to scraping the depths of low frequencies, the amount of bass here does aid that sturdiness of the sound and steers just the right side of becoming invasive.”
Audeze LCD-4 headphones Review
June 23, 2016 Comments Off on Audeze LCD-4 headphones Review
“In the bass, the MH40s had less extension and more upper-bass bloom than the LCD-4s, which made them sound blurred in the low-frequency climaxes of my Widor recording. With the low-frequency warble tones, the 25 and 20Hz tones were starting to break up a little at the same volume as the Audeze LCD-4s. But for one-tenth the price of the LCD-4s, the Master & Dynamics MH40s sounded surprisingly satisfying. My only complaint was that, with my bigger-than-average pinnae, the M&Ds weren’t as comfortable as I need for long listening sessions.”
Focal Elear Headphone $1,000 Review
June 23, 2016 Comments Off on Focal Elear Headphone $1,000 Review
” The separation and imaging was commensurate with other headphones in the Elear’s price range. The soundstage width is actually helped by the upper treble extension, falling in between the LCD-2 and HD800. I heard no significant flaws in this area that would detract from the overall listening experience. Detail retrieval on the Elear is very good, considering the price point. Because of its laid back lower treble, it can feel lacking in micro-detail at times. In the rest of the frequency range, however, macro-detail is quite good, presenting an enjoyable sense of musicality. It’s on par with something like the HE-560 or the cherry Omni, all good headphones for macro-detail. I spent a lot of time listening to the Elear on high-end rigs from the likes of Cavalli, Woo Audio, Questyle, Schiit, Audio-GD, Auralic, Nordost and Audioquest. However, I also made sure to try it on my trusty Astell & Kern AK100ii with JDS Labs C5 amp, and the Questyle QP1R. The Elear scaled down surprisingly well”
Mola Mola Kaluga Mono Amplifiers Review
June 23, 2016 Comments Off on Mola Mola Kaluga Mono Amplifiers Review
” Since the Ayre MX-R monoblocks have been a central part of my reference system for the better part of a decade, and as the Twenty upgrade of the MX-Rs (now $29,500/pr.) has itself been ear-opening, it was exciting to hear how far class-D, as implemented in the Mola Mola Kaluga, has scaled that height. Based on my experiences, a valid argument can be made in favor of the Kaluga, which in some parameters — iron-fisted bass control, absolute quiet — beats what I consider to be the best of the class-A/B topology. Both were wonderfully transparent amplifiers able to transmit the underlying performance and emotional appeal. Returning to the Ayres at the end of my listening to the Kalugas, I felt I could relax into the emotional aspect of the music through the MX-R Twentys just a skosh more — although this was perhaps due only to my long intimacy with the Ayres’ sound. Nevertheless, and all things considered, the Kalugas, fed by their companion Makua preamp, trumped the AX-5 Twenty currently presiding over my family-room system. That such an equality of excellence can be achieved with such wildly different approaches — zero-feedback, fully-balanced class-A/B vs. massive-feedback class-D — is a testament to the efficacy of Bruno Putzeys’s designs.”
OBRAVO ERIB-5A PLANAR REVIEW
June 23, 2016 Comments Off on OBRAVO ERIB-5A PLANAR REVIEW
” It is not an immediate IEM in that respect, it is for someone who knows what they are doing and what kind of sound they may be after and they are prepared to chop and change and develop a setup to maximize what it can offer. Countless matchups yielded different results with the ERIB-5A and I could well understand if some liked it and some did not because it simply comes down to what you want to pair it with and how you will wear it and what tips you stick on it. It can do desktop though and it does scale but only after about 50 hours burn in. Patience is a virtue with the ERIB-5A”
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