Wilson Sabrina speakers
September 17, 2015 Comments Off on Wilson Sabrina speakers
The Sabrina is Wilson Audio’s least expensive floor stander, running $15,900 per pair in the US and £14,999 in the UK. That’s still expensive, but if you can afford a pair it might be the last high-end speaker you’ll buy. It’s that good!
Astell & Kern AK Jr review
September 17, 2015 Comments Off on Astell & Kern AK Jr review
There’s plenty of breathing space for each element of the tune, even as the Jr confidently knits them all together. It’s a brisk, forceful and poised sound, and it makes the case for high-res audio in unequivocal style.
CLASSÉ CP-800 PREAMP AND CA-D200 AMPLIFIER
September 17, 2015 Comments Off on CLASSÉ CP-800 PREAMP AND CA-D200 AMPLIFIER
Day-to-day living with the Classé was both a pleasure and a real eye-opener in the way it illustrated the ever-shifting nature of the high end. Whereas once upon a time my source components were limited to a turntable and a Dolby cassette deck, I took stock of all the sources driving the CP-800 during the time of period of my evaluation, and it was a like a population explosion. There was the ever-faithful turntable, CD transport over SPDIF, an HD-DVR, Blu-ray player, Lumin Music Player on the network with twin NAS drives, Apple TV, and a handful of USB thumbdrives. And they were all playing nicely, thanks to the CP-800’s copious input selection and switching flexibility.
Acoustic Signature Triple X turntable & TA-1000 tonearm
September 17, 2015 Comments Off on Acoustic Signature Triple X turntable & TA-1000 tonearm
The platter requires nearly half a minute—26.95 seconds—to go from 0 to 33 1/3rpm. Another 14 seconds are required to go from there to 45rpm—yet, interestingly, a full 17 seconds are needed to slow back down to 33 1/3, indicating that the massive platter’s moment of inertia plays a more significant role than the motor in maintaining correct speed.
TANNOY REVOLUTION XT 8F LOUDSPEAKER
September 16, 2015 Comments Off on TANNOY REVOLUTION XT 8F LOUDSPEAKER
The Tannoy Revolution XT 8F was Robert Harley’s top discovery at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show. His first impression was as follows: “After listening to it and looking at the real wood enclosure, I guessed the price at $7000 to $10,000. The Revolution XT’s price was then revealed to be just $2600 per pair.” After living with the 8F happily for several months, I was ready to declare it a sensational entry-level loudspeaker.
Devialet 200
September 16, 2015 Comments Off on Devialet 200
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One performance characteristic is the dead quiet background. It provides a truly blank canvas to paint audio portraits on, capturing subtle nuance and detail. The other noteworthy area is the bass: dynamic and solid while simultaneously being exceptionally tight and detailed.
VPI Prime Turntable Review
September 16, 2015 Comments Off on VPI Prime Turntable Review
The Prime’s arm has two further features of note. The first is that while a conventional arm has an effective length of nine inches, the Prime uses that interesting Plinth to extend the armboard length away from the platter and means that it has an effective length of ten inches. The thinking goes that with extra length comes a reduction in distortion from the action of the pivot. This has to be balanced against the increased length adding mass and other issues to the performance but VPI has thought about this too. The Prime’s arm therefore is a 3D printed affair that takes the length and resonances into account in the design- while also costing less than a equivalent metal one.
ZANDEN AUDIO SYSTEMS MODEL 8120 POWER AMPLIFIER
September 16, 2015 Comments Off on ZANDEN AUDIO SYSTEMS MODEL 8120 POWER AMPLIFIER
We are collectively so used to the ‘language’ of audio amplification, that if it’s absent then we miss its accent, just as if you habitually take sugar in your tea, you are instantly aware, almost before the drink reaches your lips, if that sweetened taste sensation isn’t there. This Zanden allows us – or more properly, invites us – to enjoy a paradigm shift. Instead of viewing the recording through the lens of the system playing it, this amp advances the perspective, revealing the music through the window of the recording.
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‘1964Ears Adel A12′ Review
September 15, 2015 Comments Off on ‘1964Ears Adel A12′ Review
The 1964Ears Adel A12 has a similar kind of effect. It seizes you by your ears, delightfully coaxing you to rediscover the music that you’ve apparently taken for granted all these years. Singers and musicians seem to materialise around you, and your mind panics for a moment as it frantically tries to regain its balance. But then that moment passes, you start to calm down, and for the first time you stop listening and begin experiencing. With the curiosity of a newborn baby, you find the A12 has harry-pottered you to the studio, the club, or the stadium where your music was recorded. It is a staggering experience, sweet yet sour. Your music may sound the same with other IEMs, but somehow it will never feel the same.
Mytek Manhattan DAC review
September 15, 2015 Comments Off on Mytek Manhattan DAC review
The option to alter the sound slightly via a choice of digital or analog attenuation allowed wiggle room for tweaking source material of differing genre and quality. Newfangled digital recordings often benefitted from the smoothing and texturally rounding effects of the analog option while the digital volume control created an at times tighter, less bass-heavy effect which I found useful for sorting out some modern classical recordings. Often this volume method toggle was made on a ‘tune by tune’ basis.
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