isoACOUSTICS Aperta 155 Speaker Stands Review
April 5, 2016 Comments Off on isoACOUSTICS Aperta 155 Speaker Stands Review
“In practice the Aperta stands I have for review are not really the ideal size for the DBA Envy 3 speakers so the affect is reduced as the speaker is less stable in the horizontal direction.Even so the sound improvement is evident and if these were my speakers I would look at sourcing the configurable version of the IsoAcoustics isolation stands.
ASTELL&KERN T8IE IN-EAR MONITORS REVIEW
April 4, 2016 Comments Off on ASTELL&KERN T8IE IN-EAR MONITORS REVIEW
” The bass is deep reaching, strong, and pronounced on these headphones – which is delightfully typical of Beyerdynamic’s Tesla driver range. Whilst giving plenty of thump, the mid-bass didn’t intrude strongly into the lower mids, making for a very clean bass kick. Bass notes as low as 30HZ were easily reproduced. The bass was mostly linear, with a mild hump from 70hz to 160hz, giving that extra bit of energy and impact to kick drums and basslines.”
Chord Electronics DAVE Review
April 4, 2016 Comments Off on Chord Electronics DAVE Review
” The thing is that with all these cans DAVE offered a not so rich sound, lacking some mass. Bass was fast, clean but it lacked energy which suppressed dynamics a bit. If you don’t have an external high quality headphone amp I would suggest pairing DAVE with Ultrasone PRO line can, or some others offering similar sonic signature, rich with bass. If you expect a comparable sound quality from headphones that you can get with DAVE from loudspeakers, you will have to invest in a separate, top quality headphone amplifier.”
CYPHER LABS SUSTAIN84 REVIEW
April 4, 2016 Comments Off on CYPHER LABS SUSTAIN84 REVIEW
” The treble on the Sustain84 is detailed, clear and articulate but much like the bass performance it is in no way overly strident and forceful. Instead you have a slightly smoother top end that helps take the edge of quite a number of headphones known for their overly sparkling top end or peaky performance. It will not change their inherent tonality but it does produce a more pleasing and less fatiguing treble experience than quite a number of solid state counterparts such as the Mjolnir or the Tisbury Audio Challenge One amp I tested last year.”
15 of the best piano tracks to test your system
April 3, 2016 Comments Off on 15 of the best piano tracks to test your system
” Given the instrument’s ubiquity in modern and classical music, it’s a wonder the Berlin-based pianist and composer was the first to set aside a day – the 88th of each year ”
CYPHER LABS C6IEM V2 – Review
April 3, 2016 Comments Off on CYPHER LABS C6IEM V2 – Review
” Smaller body. That’s it. The sound works well for people that like neutral dark. The cables are decent. The box and all that – not bad. And maybe it’s the wannabe techie in me squinting, but the C6IEM is a big three driver earphone. I’d like to know if the same sound could be achieved using a compact design.”
VERISONIX N500 REVIEW
April 3, 2016 Comments Off on VERISONIX N500 REVIEW
” Both it and the N501 share the same spec’d driver set: a single electret and 40mm dynamic with sensitivities of 120dB @32Ω. I’ve found no meaningful difference in volume between the two at the same output voltage settings, meaning the N500 gets good and loud any at decent current-to-voltage ratios, but may start to crackle at lower volume pot settings than insensitive headphones. For my purposes, the following sources and amps did most of the driving grunt work: iPhone 6, Cowon Plenue D, Lynx Audio Hilo, LinnengerG Maestro. Despite the N500’s incredible sensitivity, no source or amp I paired with it hisses. Wonderful. For reference, a volume range of 40 – 50 was enough for anything through the Lynix Hilo, meaning that the N500, like the N501, is just a bit more sensitive than the Grado PS1000.”
Audio Note Level 3 system review
April 3, 2016 Comments Off on Audio Note Level 3 system review
” Almost past the 500 hours another shipment arrived. This time the new Audio Note M3 phono and the Audio Note Conquest 300b mono blocks. While unpacking I was listening to the Brahms – 16 Hungarian Dances (reference recording by Antal Dorati). A stunning well recorded album with a ton of dynamics. Perfect for getting the AN/E settled in. Suddenly it was as the speakers took my attention away from unpacking the new amplifier setup. Something was happening. It was as if the speakers just took a nap and then woke up even fresher. Even though I wasn´t in the room I could easy hear from a distance that the music sounded way more refined and spacious. So off I went in to the listening room. I restarted the album, took a deep breath and listen. It was as if the speakers just turned my wall and living room in to illusion of a concert hall.”
Sony PS-HX500 USB Turntable $600 Review
April 2, 2016 Comments Off on Sony PS-HX500 USB Turntable $600 Review
” The PS-HX500 achieves this by arriving with a pre-installed moving-magnet cartridge that’s already fully aligned and ready to go. Out of the box, all you have to do is install the platter while looping the rubber drive belt around the motor pulley and then top it off with its thick rubber mat. For the tonearm, you just put on the counterweight, balance the arm, and dial in the tracking force. The manual takes you through the steps if you’re not familiar with the process, but it’s designed so you can’t go too far wrong. Finally, you plug in the wall-wart power supply and audio output cables, and you’ll be ready to go. I double-checked the alignment of the cartridge and can report that it was installed perfectly, with absolutely spot-on overhang and zenith. The tracking force readout was accurate, and the anti-skating control dialed in the correct amount of bias.”
MOON BY SIMAUDIO NEO 230HAD HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER/DSD DAC/PREAMP $1500 REVIEW
April 2, 2016 Comments Off on MOON BY SIMAUDIO NEO 230HAD HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER/DSD DAC/PREAMP $1500 REVIEW
” Through a system that is so transparent that I could clearly hear the NuPrime ST10 power amplifier warm up after being turned off for a day, the soundstage started flat with almost no depth, and gradually, over the next 30 minutes, deepened and expanded to its normal dimensions. I could also hear how little the Neo 230HAD altered the sound, especially on material I was familiar with. A recent guilty pleasure, the cut via Tidal “Dracula” from Bea Miller’s Not an Apology, has some very deep bass pulses combined with some very rude percussion crashes that can sound either very cool or sorta cruddy depending on your system’s high-level dynamic resolution and low bass capabilities. On my nearfield system it can rock, and with the Neo 230HAD in the signal chain, it did.”
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