ampsandsound Stereo 17 Power Amplifier | REVIEW
March 13, 2025 Comments Off on ampsandsound Stereo 17 Power Amplifier | REVIEW
https://pt.audio/2025/02/07/ampsandsound-stereo-17-power-amplifier-review/
Even the latest digital release of Abbey Road felt pretty natural through the system. This high resolution recording super deluxe edition isn’t exactly an information monster with this redone, reupped release. But listening to “Golden Slumbers” felt soulful with Paul’s prominent bass and intense vocals. The cricket sounds in the intro of “Sun King” appear with startling realism and an almost distant, but accurate placement in the sonic field. I hesitate to use the word “big” when describing a hip-height two-way, but the addition of the ampsandsound Stereo 17 definitely made the experience feel bigger and more emotionally impactful with the Beatles recordings.
The other arena that often needs to be addressed with tube amplifiers is the bass. While some tube amplifiers can struggle with bass reproduction, the Stereo 17 handled it with aplomb. The bass was tight, controlled, and impactful, providing a solid foundation for the rest of the music. It never overpowered the other frequencies, instead offering a balanced and cohesive sound that was both engaging and satisfying. Some tube amps have a tendency to fiddle with the frequency response for whatever effect the design had intended. The balanced from the Stereo 17 showed real class and professionalism, providing a heavily accurate reproduction for a tube amp from the lows all the way through the upper mids. The power was more than enough for the rig building exercise with the DeVore O/96.
MoFi Electronics SourcePoint 888 loudspeaker $4999 Review
March 13, 2025 Comments Off on MoFi Electronics SourcePoint 888 loudspeaker $4999 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mofi-electronics-sourcepoint-888-loudspeaker
On MoFi’s website (footnote 4), Andrew Jones writes that his “goal for the SourcePoint 888 is to enhance the technology and sound quality of the SourcePoint 8 and elevate it to an even higher performance level.” A “higher performance level” is indeed what I found with the MoFi SourcePoint 888. With more neutrally balanced high frequencies than the SourcePoint 10 but with equally precise stereo imaging, coupled with a transparent midrange, no coloration to speak of, and extended, powerful low frequencies, the SourcePoint 888 sounded superbly involving with every type of music I played. That it achieves this level of performance at a price many times lower than that of competing overachievers is astonishing. Highly recommended.
STAX Headphones SRS-X1000 Earspeaker Review
March 13, 2025 Comments Off on STAX Headphones SRS-X1000 Earspeaker Review
Wilson Audio Specialties The WATT/Puppy Loudspeaker $38,500 Review
March 12, 2025 Comments Off on Wilson Audio Specialties The WATT/Puppy Loudspeaker $38,500 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-audio-specialties-wattpuppy-loudspeaker
As before, this latest WATT/Puppy remains a 4 ohm rated amplifier load and will draw significant power from matching amplifiers. (Wilson notes a worst-case load in the upper bass of 2.87 ohms at 86Hz, if over a short frequency range.) Most modern higher-output current solid state amplifiers will be untroubled by this, but with tubed amplifiers the 4 ohm output transformer tap is advised (to maintain best control of the speaker’s impedance). However, experimenting with both 4 and 8 ohm amplifier connections is always worth trying, listening for both bass quality and available loudness. And mitigating the demanding impedance, the specifications also claim a well-above-average voltage sensitivity of 89dB/2.83V/1m, with a suggested minimum amplifier rating of 25Wpc. (As we shall find, there is an additional sensitivity bonus.) In typical rooms of 2800ft3, amplifiers up to 200Wpc into 8 ohms will provide substantial and realistically loud soundfields of some 110dBA from a stereo pair.
REL No.31 powered subwoofer Review
March 11, 2025 Comments Off on REL No.31 powered subwoofer Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/rel-no31-powered-subwoofer
After I began using my dedicated listening room, in early 2023, my hankering for high-quality subwoofers returned. Pinging REL Acoustics seemed like a good idea. There are other great subwoofer manufacturers, but REL—born in Britain but especially prominent in the US—is the brand that pops up more than any other when audiophiles talk about high-end subs. Owner John Hunter readily agreed to lend Stereophile a pair of REL’s No.31 Reference models ($7500 each). For my 21′ × 15′ space, the No.31, with a 12″ carbon-fiber driver and a 900W class-D amp, seemed the ideal choice. REL’s larger, louder top dog, the No.32 ($10,000), which has a 15″ driver powered by a 1000W amp, might be overkill for spaces under 400 square feet or so. The models are so named, by the way, because they were designed 31 and 32 years after the company’s founding.
Fyne Audio F501E $1299 Review
March 11, 2025 Comments Off on Fyne Audio F501E $1299 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/speakers/hi-fi-speakers/fyne-audio-f501e
We like the Fyne’s sense of scale and are impressed with the low-end authority and punch they generate on demand. Bass is taut, tuneful and articulate by class standards. We push the volume levels northward to see how the F501E cope – they tick that box confidently at anything that passes for normal listening levels.
These towers are a fun listen too, as a trip down memory lane with The Low End Theory from A Tribe Called Quest proves. The F501E are fluid and expressive. They track rhythms with determination while communicating changes in musical momentum in a natural and convincing manner. Having the acoustic centres of the tweeter and mid/bass aligned helps with integration; the result is a crisp and forthright performance with vocals that captures nuances and subtle shifts in intensity superbly. The rival Q Acoustics 5050 sound a touch disinterested and mechanical in contrast.
Linn Klimax LP12 Turntable $30,968 Reviews
March 8, 2025 Comments Off on Linn Klimax LP12 Turntable $30,968 Reviews
https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1262-linn-klimax-lp12-turntable
At the beginning of this piece, I wrote that meeting your heroes often risks disappointment, but thankfully the Klimax LP12 exceeded my expectations by some margin. Given the LP12’s towering reputation, which has been sustained for over 50 years, this is no mean feat. I’ve had some truly exceptional turntables pass through my system over the past couple of years, from the SME Model 60 to the AVID Acutus Dark Iron last month. The LP12 predates all of them by decades. Yet, by continually refining its design, Linn has maintained the LP12’s position as one of the most enjoyable ways of playing back a vinyl record since 1973.
Margules I-240 Tube Integrated Amplifier $7000 Review
March 8, 2025 Comments Off on Margules I-240 Tube Integrated Amplifier $7000 Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2025/2/1/margules-i-240-tube-integrated-amplifier
I’ve always lived in the north of Mexico, except for a brief period when I lived in Guadalajara (in the state of Jalisco); that was a long time ago, and it was during my stay that I got to listen for the first time to the Margules brand. Since Margules appeared in the late 1920s, they’ve made a mark. They appear at the most well-known audio expos (especially in the US) and always seem to surprise and leave the public in awe with their gear (a quick search for reviews of their products will suffice). Their designs seem very nature-based, with woods, curved lines, and dark metals that are quite unassuming—their minimalist colour selection captures the eye.
Audiophilepure 
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