Perlisten R18s THX Dominus 18″ Sealed Subwoofer Review
February 16, 2025 Comments Off on Perlisten R18s THX Dominus 18″ Sealed Subwoofer Review
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/perlisten-r18s-thx-dominus-18-sealed-subwoofer-review
This magical subwoofer transformed any and all the high-quality speakers I auditioned with it connected into true full-range powerhouses. The sub is so clean, it always sounds like an extension of the speakers, and never like a box on the floor huffing and puffing to dig deep, like so many other subs. Its poise and power create a sense of awe. No other audio component I have reviewed so instantly transformed the rest of the system, elevating the fidelity to levels you’d rightly associate with the very best sounding stereo systems in the world. And nowhere was this clearer than when I was using my TV as the streaming source, the Kantos as my speakers, and the mighty Perlisten to take care of all the bass the speakers could not handle.
Bottom line: The sub makes the system. Yes it’s great to have a five-figure AVR-based Atmos rig singing and dancing, but goddam it is mind blowing what a killer sub can do for a modest-sized and priced pair of active speakers. Only a serious expletive can do it justice: The Perlisten R18s is the shit!
FiiO S15 Review
February 15, 2025 Comments Off on FiiO S15 Review
Listening on the HD 800s feels natural and dynamic; a slight adjustment in the midrange using the built-in equalizer can enhance vocal harmonies and nuances, adding to a euphonic experience.
Switching to the K9 Pro ESS using the RCA connection sees a slight drop in resolution, but dynamics remain strong, with added warmth in the midrange.
The RCA output, while generally neutral and enjoyable, falls slightly behind the XLR connection in staging separation and texture, which remains audibly superior.
When using the coaxial output from the S15 with the K9 Pro ESS decoder, the mid-bass gains prominence, with vocals sounding richer and more naturally rounded.
Although Bluetooth decoding exhibits decent dynamics, it falls short of the quality provided by local playback or USB decoding. Notably so in its treble extension which lacks a sense of effortlessness and displays a more noticeable roll-off.
Keith Monks’ ReduxTwo £4,930
February 15, 2025 Comments Off on Keith Monks’ ReduxTwo £4,930
https://www.hifichoice.com/content/clean-your-vinyl-keith-monks-reduxtwo
The company explains that using the ReduxTwo means no recontamination of cleaning fluid, vacuuming system and disc surface: “cleaning the 1,000th record as well as the first”. It operates with a fast, deep clean wash followed by a Precision Point Suction Dry. It uses a SmoothFlowPro Brushless Pump, operates quietly, switches itself off and comes with a brush block holder and Pyr/\mat StayClean for 12in LP records.
It’s supplied with discOvery cleaning fluids for vinyl, shellac 78s, optical discs (CD, DVD, Blu-ray, etc.) and concentrate for extra dirty records and system cleaning. The vacuum system dries all sizes from 12in vinyl to 5in optical discs. Hand-built in the UK, brush block holders for 10in and 7in records come included as standard alongside a three-year warranty.
Chord Electronics brings Alto £3,000
February 14, 2025 Comments Off on Chord Electronics brings Alto £3,000
The Alto’s ULTIMA topology introduces the company’s dual-feed-forward error correction technology, which monitors then corrects signals before the output stage. The twin-input design benefits from both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs, as well as balanced XLR outs for bypass/throughput to other devices. The balanced XLR output can also be used in conjunction with headphones or loudspeakers in joint output mode.
The casework is precision-machined from aircraft-grade aluminium, with high-quality anodising undertaken locally. The front fascia includes volume control, power on/off and input selection controls, with colour-changing LEDs indicating power status and in/output choice. Alto measures 200 x 44.45 x 215mm (WxHxD) and a remote control comes supplied.
Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled $2,699 Review
February 14, 2025 Comments Off on Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled $2,699 Review
The Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled sports asymmetric and gently beveled ear pads like on the Susvara Unveiled, and they deliver excellent comfort as well. The inner side of the pads never touch your ears and the side grip/pressure sits just right in order to deliver the best comforts and performance.
With the Unveiled principle, the driver basically is very open an vulnerable. I however don’t see how you could damage the driver if you use the headphone like it is supposed to be used. That said, we have seen images of someone’s Unveiled driver being punctured. I have no idea how that happened there, but as not everyone is as careful, the Unveiled headphone come with magnetic covers. These nicely fit the outside of the ear cup, and this time round the magnetic force is perfect (unlike with the Susvara Unveiled). Anyway, this allows you to safely store the HE1000 Unveiled, without any risk of objects being absorbed by the magnetic driver.
Wilson Audio Specialties The WATT/Puppy Loudspeaker $38,500 Review
February 13, 2025 Comments Off on Wilson Audio Specialties The WATT/Puppy Loudspeaker $38,500 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-audio-specialties-wattpuppy-loudspeaker
Wilson’s inventory of synthetic materials used for the enclosure’s panels, modified and filled structural polymers and resins, has long moved on from Corian, the marble dust-loaded acrylic chosen for the original WATT. The panels mostly comprise synthetic structural material of differing densities, stiffness, and mechanical loss, or self-damping.
These “materials” include “S,” an epoxy-bonded composite optimal for the mid and treble driver baffles, and “X,” a filled, cured phenolic resin with high damping. The latest “V” formulation is a further development with still better vibration control. Accordingly, the “V” option has been chosen for the heavy-duty Puppy bass system’s top panel, which optimally mounts the machined alloy plate supporting the WATT assembly.
As a group, the Wilson-specified materials are consistently isotropic when required and although very hard, remain machineable, have essentially no grain or directional properties, and readily accept durable enamel lacquers for a very wide range of finishes. For the WATT/Puppy, in addition to five standard high-gloss colors which include GT Silver and Galaxy Grey, there are a further seven Upgrade finishes and 11 Pearl finishes in combination with seven grille colors. Finally, there is the modestly discounted “no grille option.”
PureAudioProject Duet 15 Loudspeaker $8,490 Review
February 13, 2025 Comments Off on PureAudioProject Duet 15 Loudspeaker $8,490 Review
My impression is that among audiophiles of this era, the preferred sound emphasizes extremely low noise floors, see-through transparency, and, to my ears, an artificially hyped-up detail that is reminiscent of super high-definition television. Some of these attributes, to some degree, contribute to creating a credible musical experience. But they are not ends in and of themselves, certainly not from a musical point of view. At the extreme, they are distracting artifacts that take us farther away from the music, relegating us to taking pleasure in being observers of the experience rather than active participants in it.
The same point can be made slightly differently. We can hear something that sounds absolutely beautiful, stunning even, and find it seductive, relaxing, even gorgeous, yet find that it conveys nothing to us. By that, I mean it fails to provide insight into the composer’s intention, or into the interaction among the performers – the key element of what constitutes making music together (as opposed to playing in the same setting individually. It can sound gorgeous yet fail to convey emotional meaning or narrative content. It’s beautiful, but empty, much like the Cosmopolitan magazine issues of the 80s and 90s. We learn nothing from it.
The main problem with the focus on sound rather than music is that producing a desired sound is largely a technological achievement, whereas conveying the musical content in ways that express emotional or cognitive content or that allow us to see into the performance is an artistic achievement.
World Premiere Review!FiiO S15 Music Streamer
February 12, 2025 Comments Off on World Premiere Review!FiiO S15 Music Streamer
I connected a generic Ethernet cable from our home router to the S15’s LAN input. Our home’s Wi-Fi router is in the same room as my system, only about six feet from the equipment rack. Its LAN input was the source I used for much of the review, although I used my music server, connecting Wireworld’s Starlight 7 USB 2.0 cable, which ran to FiiO’s S15 rear panel USB input.
FiiO’s S15 analog outputs were connected to the linestage, usually a vacuum-tube powered Nagra Classic Preamp, but sometimes the two-chassis Pass Laboratories XP–22 linestage.
This system used for review would likely be more advanced than one that purchases a $1000 streamer. However, the FiiO S15 performed so well that it was suitable at home while I auditioned for this system.
I also listened to the FiiO S15 through headphones for much of this review. A very long run of Cardas interconnects terminated with RCAs ran between the analog output of the S15 to my headphone amplifiers. Most of the time I listened through a Woo Audio WA2 headphone amplifier. A while ago I replaced its stock input tubes with a matched pair of NOS (New Old Stock) Amperex 6299s and the larger output tubes with a matched pair of Tung-Sol 6080s. The other headphone amp was a very good-sounding solid-state Pass Laboratories HPA-1 that I acquired in 2016.
Whether listening to the FiiO S15 through my main audio system or headphones, I enjoyed listening to a wireless signal sent from my iPhone using Airplay. I heard no difference in using the Qobuz and Tidal apps in this way compared to using the apps on the front screen of the S15.
Audiophilepure 
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