Sony PS-HX500 Review
May 21, 2016 Comments Off on Sony PS-HX500 Review
” It’s articulate with the track’s offbeat rhythmic pattern, tying the multiple strands together for a coherent and layered delivery, and has the dynamic dexterity to bring fairly tenuous sonic shifts to our attention.”
Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H7 Wireless Headphones Review
May 21, 2016 Comments Off on Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H7 Wireless Headphones Review
” Through my HD800S Sennheiser headphones, this is truly an experience and I have to say that the BeoPlay H7’s had their road cut out for them as this was a very high mark. For this album I used both the lossless version on Tidal and my DSD version played through my Astell & Kern AK240SS portable DAP (via Bluetooth). Right off the bat as the performers started to warm up and the audience chatter filled my ears, I could tell that the H7s would most certainly be up for this challenging recording”
Magnepan 3.7i full-range ribbon/quasi-ribbon panel speakers Review
May 21, 2016 Comments Off on Magnepan 3.7i full-range ribbon/quasi-ribbon panel speakers Review
” I even put the 3.7i through test tracks of the landing of passenger jets, thunderstorms, fireworks and so forth, with the volume at ear splitting level. The Maggie was unharmed, the Pass Labs and MIT Cables provided clean and potent power to the 3.7i and I had a blast. The best part was, whether the Maggie was playing orchestral music or sound effects, they were the only speaker I’ve come across whose spectral coherency remained intact at a stand-up listening height. After sitting for hours on, I could now stand up and still enjoy the same level of performance of the Magnepans.”
Audeze LCD-4 Headphone $3,995 Review
May 20, 2016 Comments Off on Audeze LCD-4 Headphone $3,995 Review
” Pitting the LCD-4 against the stellar Hifiman HE1000 headphone (also a planar magnetic design), it was clear from the get-go that they’re two very different-sounding headphones. The HE1000 presented a cooler tonal balance than the LCD-4, but it also unfurled a larger, more spacious soundstage; it disappears more. The LCD-4, meanwhile, definitely put a bit more meat on the bones of the sound of acoustic instruments and vocals, so they sounded more like themselves. Both headphones’ deep-bass, ear-massaging capabilities are extraordinary; there’s no winner down there. Treble sparkle, air, and delicacy are also very close, but the LCD-4’s are more effortlessly clear. I don’t know how Audeze did it, but the LCD-4 delivers extreme clarity, while maintaining a soul-satisfyingly rich balance”
GAUDER AKUSTIK BERLINA RC 9 $175,000 REVIEW
May 20, 2016 Comments Off on GAUDER AKUSTIK BERLINA RC 9 $175,000 REVIEW
” On Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg’s performance of Prokofiev’s Sonata No.1, the speaker’s ability to capture the beauty, speed, and transient response of the violin and the realistic timbre and dynamic of Sandra Rivers’ piano in a real space was on fullest display. The superb timing of this performance was felt to a greater degree than I’d previously heard in my system”
Spatial M3 Turbo S Floorstanding Speakers Reviewed
May 20, 2016 Comments Off on Spatial M3 Turbo S Floorstanding Speakers Reviewed
” I’m a big fan of loudspeakers that use something other than a conventional crossover in the 1,000- to 2,000-Hz region, which is what you find on most conventional two-way dynamic loudspeakers. I use the crossover-less Audience 1+1 V2 loudspeakers in my nearfield monitoring system and also spend plenty of time listening to planar design headphones, which also lack a crossover. Although the Spatial M3 loudspeakers do employ a crossover, it’s down at 800 Hz, which is below the critical upper midrange region. I found the M3s had a smooth and cohesive midrange character that I usually associate with a transducer system that doesn’t have a crossover in the upper midrange region. Although I did not have a low-power, single-ended tube power amplifier to mate with the M3 Turbo S speakers, I suspect the combination would yield a midrange to die for.”
ASTELL&KERN AK500N – FULL NETWORK AUDIO SYSTEM $12,000 Review
May 19, 2016 Comments Off on ASTELL&KERN AK500N – FULL NETWORK AUDIO SYSTEM $12,000 Review
” Of course, all those features would be moot if the AK500N sounded mediocre, or even merely very good. But in fact, it sounds spectacular; in many ways, the best player I’ve heard. In particular, the bass, from all digital inputs, is positively earth-shaking, with lots of detail and impact. Treble was smooth and harmonically rich, with realistic detail. Dynamics—micro and macro—were right up there with the best I’ve heard. Soundstaging is at least as good as anything I’ve heard in my system.”
ELAC’s Uni-Fi UB $500 Review – Video
May 19, 2016 Comments Off on ELAC’s Uni-Fi UB $500 Review – Video
Jeff Rowland Design Group Model 1 power amplifier – Review
May 19, 2016 Comments Off on Jeff Rowland Design Group Model 1 power amplifier – Review
” The Rowland Model 1 may just be too self-effacing for its own good. It refuses to jump out and grab the listener by the throat. It grows on you slowly. When Stereophile’s equipment reviewers gathered in the Stereophile listening room last summer to hear the Apogee Stage speakers, the original version of the Rowland was on hand to do the honors. Peter Mitchell reported on this event in his column in Vol.13 No.11 (November 1990). To make a long story short, he (and many of those assembled) felt the sound to be too dark, and the system restricted in ultimate output level with the Rowland 1 in the chain.”
Spendor S3/5R2 Standmount Speaker Review
May 19, 2016 Comments Off on Spendor S3/5R2 Standmount Speaker Review
” There are of course caveats to this raw ability. If you absolutely, positively must have that smack in your chest from low end bass, this is not the speaker you need but I would have thought you’d have probably grasped that by now. Even using a 2.1 system is likely to have some issues as finding a sub that matches the speed and tonal honesty of the S3/5R2 is likely to be a challenge. Similarly, the absolute scale that the speaker can generate is limited. In a UK lounge, you are unlikely to run into issues but if you need real ‘pin you to the wall’ dynamics, this isn’t the speaker for you.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.