Dali Opticon 1 review
September 29, 2015 Comments Off on Dali Opticon 1 review
The vocal, too, sounds convincing, and the relationship between lead and harmonies is neatly wed. That’s a combination of good detail, dynamics and timing. The tonal balance, though, is a little top heavy.
SPENDOR D1 FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER
September 29, 2015 Comments Off on SPENDOR D1 FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER
More than any other quality this is a carry over (and extension) from the SA1, a speaker that had the uncanny knack of allowing each recording to sound individual and distinctive. The D1 takes that so much further, its ability to respond to sudden dynamic shifts and its added range of colour, the body it brings to voices and instruments, and the remarkable rhythmic coherence it displays across its entire range revealing not just the character of each performance but the nature of the recording itself. If ever there was a little speaker that could, then this is it…
DENON PMA-50 INTEGRATED AMP
September 29, 2015 Comments Off on DENON PMA-50 INTEGRATED AMP
A little surprised at the absence of the bottom octaves, I queued up Holly Cole’s album Temptation (DSD64/DSF, Acoustic Sounds). The track “Invitation to the Blues” opened with tons of bass power and detail. So what happened on “Folia Rodrigo Martinez”? Well, while there’s lots of bass on the Holly Cole album, it’s not as deep as the bass on “Folio Rodrigo Martinez”. In the midrange, Cole’s voice caressed the superbly recorded songs with rich harmonics and delicate vocal nuances—a real hi-fi showcase which contradicts the urban audio legend that excellent performances are invariably poorly recorded.
X5 GEN 2 BY FIIO
September 29, 2015 Comments Off on X5 GEN 2 BY FIIO
With that slight harshness done away with as well as the metallic edge to the attack, the X5 Gen 2 top end sounds far more engaging. It also sounds more detailed and articulate though not quite on the same level and extension as say the Cayin N6 or even the DX90 but it’s a lot closer than the older X5 Gen 1
HIFIMAN HE1000 PLANAR MAGNETIC HEADPHONES
September 28, 2015 Comments Off on HIFIMAN HE1000 PLANAR MAGNETIC HEADPHONES
Second, the HE1000 offers a smooth, even, and neutrally balanced frequency response curve—one that places it on a par with such acknowledged masters of accuracy as the critically acclaimed Sennheiser HD800 (but without the German headphone’s tendency to sound stiff and analytical at times). In practice, this means the HE1000 treats music in an honest, even-handed, and accurate way, but without sounding clinical or austere in the process. As a result, this headphone draws out the naturally rich and vibrant tonal colours of fine recordings, while refraining from adding its own embellishments or euphonic colourations.
GamuT RS7 loudspeaker
September 28, 2015 Comments Off on GamuT RS7 loudspeaker
The panels, which are up to 32mm thick, are formed from 21 layers of wood of different thicknesses, curved and glued in a mold, the glue then set using RF energy. This cabinet construction results in a rigid but relatively undamped enclosure, and follows the low-loss philosophy pioneered, for example, by Spendor in the 1970s: Instead of using heavy damping, which lowers the Q of resonances and might therefore make them more audible, the enclosure is left free to vibrate, its behavior then controlled with strategic bracing.
REVIEW: LINNENBERG MAESTRO
September 28, 2015 Comments Off on REVIEW: LINNENBERG MAESTRO
Maestro’s masterful grip, channel balance, and blessedly low noise signature are boons to earphone users. Yes, earphone users. Despite Maestro kicking out desktop speaker-level volume levels like it was digital. Balance is perfect from the lowest volume settings, even through sensitive levels through headphones such as the 600Ω DT880, it tracks perfectly from its base volume through sensitive earphones such as the Ultrasone IQ. This is pretty-much unheard of in a desktop amp
Cembalo Audio Labs Spring 1 Headphone Amp
September 27, 2015 Comments Off on Cembalo Audio Labs Spring 1 Headphone Amp
The tonal range was very solid. The bass was tight, not woofy; the midrange was liquid and rich, while the higher frequencies felt reasonably airy, and didn’t give me the sort of headaches that substandard headphone amps can deliver. Harmonic structure seemed well balanced.
Optoma NuForce NE750M and NE800M Review
September 27, 2015 Comments Off on Optoma NuForce NE750M and NE800M Review
I found it to give the NE800M a slightly muddy sound, especially on bass-heavy tracks, such as Elle King’s “Ex’s & Oh’s.” However, circling back to the David Guetta track, the bass was deep and satisfying. The midrange was smoother on Ed Sheeran’s voice, and the high-end clarity was very pleasant. However, even on this acoustic-heavy track, the bass was too muddy to let the treble truly sparkle. Playing with the different supplied eartips let you somewhat control the bass response to find the perfect balance between proper fit and performance. The warm sound of the NE800M was very pleasant on songs that were recorded and mixed without a big bass sound, like James Ray’s “Hold Back the River.” It gave the male vocals a full, round sound
TEO Audio Liquid Cables Review
September 26, 2015 Comments Off on TEO Audio Liquid Cables Review
The Legacy Whisper is not marketed by Legacy Audio as a speaker with prodigious LF, yet I heard subwoofer-like impact from them. I enjoy the bouncy, upbeat feel of the group Swing Out Sister, as they usually have a strong, driving bass line to propel the songs. It has taken a long time and many changes to approach the impact of a subwoofer with this stacked 15” open driver array of the Whisper. I have had powerful amps such as the Pass Labs X600.5 and extreme quality preamps like the VAC Signature Preamplifier Mk2 pushing these speakers, yet they were not able to elicit a sensation of a larger subwoofer.
Teo Audio
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