Woo Audio WA5-LE REVIEW
April 23, 2016 Comments Off on Woo Audio WA5-LE REVIEW
“The new WA5-LE has a sound signature that is quite similar to that of the original. It was linear, extended, and open. The amplifier is transparent and has tons of spatial details with an ethereal presence and air around every note. The tonality is very natural and imaging is excellent. There is however, one key difference with the new model being more dynamic. The new WA5-LE is dynamic and focused across the entire frequency range there is significantly more energy behind every note. The WA5-LE is no longer a lush and polite 300B tube amplifier but one that is bolder and more involving with the flow of the music.”
PRANAFIDELITY FIFTY90 LOUDSPEAKERS $3,950 REVIEW
April 23, 2016 Comments Off on PRANAFIDELITY FIFTY90 LOUDSPEAKERS $3,950 REVIEW
” The $4k price point for speakers marks a stretch for most people. Any sane person spending this amount of money would reasonably expect superb sonics and great looks – there’s no excuse for anything else at this price, despite the emphasis in this industry for spending multiples more. The major challenge for interested folks is actually hearing high quality speakers prior to purchase. PranaFidelity do not have a lot of dealers but the company will work with you to give you a chance to hear their product, just contact them.”
Sony’s NW-ZX100 high-res music player – Review
April 22, 2016 Comments Off on Sony’s NW-ZX100 high-res music player – Review
“During comparisons with my Astell & Kern Jr high-res music player it didn’t take long to hear the NW ZX100 sounded richer and fuller-bodied. I listened with Audeze EL-8 and AudioQuest NightHawk full-size headphones, and heard similar differences between the two players with my Jerry Harvey Audio JH13 in-ear headphones, the NW-ZX100’s sound was consistently more satisfying than the Jr’s. There’s a sure-footed solidity to the presentation, so instruments and vocals sound more life-like with the NW-ZX100. That one also trumped the Astell & Kern Jr in resolving the quieter details of recordings, like the way a singer phrases the lyrics, the Jr glossed over those details. High-resolution files had slightly better transparency than standard res files.”
Moon by Simaudio Neo 230HAD DAC-Headphone Amplifier $1,500 Review
April 22, 2016 Comments Off on Moon by Simaudio Neo 230HAD DAC-Headphone Amplifier $1,500 Review
” At $1500, Simaudio’s Moon Neo 230HAD enters a competitive segment of the market in headphone DAC-amplifiers. Its multiple analog and digital inputs, multiple analog outputs, well-specified DAC, and remote control, while comprising a list of features not as long as those of some pro-audio models, cover the features that most audiophiles need and want. The 230HAD doesn’t offer balanced drive or extreme power, as does its larger, more expensive sibling, the Moon Neo 430HA, but these options are relevant only with a small number of very high-end headphones.”
GamuT RS5i Speakers Review $32,900/pair
April 22, 2016 Comments Off on GamuT RS5i Speakers Review $32,900/pair
” Interestingly, the real strength of the GamuT RS5i speakers is their chameleon like ability to reveal whatever is connected to them, and the nuance of whatever music they are called upon to reproduce. This is a speaker that may not grab you as quickly as one with a more tilted frequency response. The more music you listen to, the more special they become. As with the larger S9, the GamuTs get out of the way, becoming little more than a conduit to the music served up, and that’s the highest compliment I can pay them. I’ve heard a few speakers slightly more dynamic, and only my Quads deliver slightly more coherence and detail, yet they throw a much bigger soundstage in all three dimensions. The RS5i’s are tough to beat in overall performance.”
Bluesound Node 2 Review
April 22, 2016 Comments Off on Bluesound Node 2 Review
” Where the Node 2 falls short of separates is in resolution, nuance, color palate, micro detail, and macro pleasure. The Node 2 tends to make everything sound more similar than say the Auralic Vega DAC being fed its digits from the Node 2 via Toslink. Here, with a $3500 outboard DAC, music sounds more varied, individual voices sing out truer, and the overall sound image is more relaxed, better defined, and more natural sounding. I doubt anyone is surprised to learn this to be the case and it goes a long way in explaining the reason Bluesound includes those digital outputs. This comparison was a snap as the Node 2 outputs to both analog and digital simultaneously so all I had to do was select the related inputs from my Ayre remote.
The world’s best headphones Audiophiliac’s list
April 21, 2016 Comments Off on The world’s best headphones Audiophiliac’s list
“The best headphones are designed for true connoisseurs of sound and luxury. Hold any of these headphones in your hands and you can’t help but notice their quality — instead of generic plastic, you get sculptured metal and real leather. These headphones are all designed to last and to provide their owners with great sound for many years.”
kronos open baffle loudspeaker Review
April 21, 2016 Comments Off on kronos open baffle loudspeaker Review
“There’s bass and then there’s bass… dipole bass that is. The Kronos system delivered the best bass my listening room has been graced with. Period. Even our Wilson Alexia reference with its deeper bass and one or two other extraordinary review products (the Vivid Audio Giya G3 comes to mind) may have approached the Kronos but not quite equaled it. No matter what I threw at it, be it the dexterity and violence of Brian Bromberg’s acoustic bass playing, the nimbleness and power of Flea or the fireworks of a variety of electronica, the Kronos dispensed profound detail, a wide textural range and slamming attack. What I call bounce, the impression of a solidly rendered and unfettered transient, created a rhythmical experience – cognitively not just a mere hifi reproduction of bass instruments.”
SENNHEISER MOMENTUM WIRELESS HEADPHONES REVIEW
April 21, 2016 Comments Off on SENNHEISER MOMENTUM WIRELESS HEADPHONES REVIEW
” The Momentum Wireless headphones consistently paired quickly and painlessly with our devices of choice; at home we used them paired to Yamaha’s MusicCast system, and on the road with our iPod touch and an Oppo Android phone. Their sound is open and airy, with a lovely balance across the frequency range, a nice touch of bass emphasis and delivering rich and real vocals. It simply doesn’t sound like a Bluetooth headphone. When Sennheiser tried this trick with its Urbanite XL, the Bluetooth version exaggerated the original softness and bass emphasis for a result that was, to our ears, too woofy to enjoy. With the Momentum, none of that — this was a highly enjoyable and high quality listen”
PSB IMAGINE T3 FLOOR-STANDING SPEAKERS REVIEW
April 21, 2016 Comments Off on PSB IMAGINE T3 FLOOR-STANDING SPEAKERS REVIEW
” No difference exists in the design and execution of an audio speaker. Often a speaker is designed before anyone puts a pencil to paper; market sector and price point can be the genesis, not the creative process – unless, someone says the word “flagship”. That designation to a designer is the reward after successfully executing a number of models, meeting budgets and timelines. It’s also the culmination of a learning process, what has worked and what hasn’t.”
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