HiFiMan HE-560 Over-the-Ear Headphones Reviewed
March 23, 2016 Comments Off on HiFiMan HE-560 Over-the-Ear Headphones Reviewed
“The HE-560 has gone through a couple of small design changes since its introduction. The most noticeable cosmetic change was the enclosure, which was originally made of wooden cups; however, they were prone to developing cracks, so the company replaced the wood with a laminate and completely redesigned the enclosures. The earpads were also changed both in composition and physical structure. The current earpads are softer with a slight wedge-shaped angle that puts the back of the headphone slightly farther away from your ears than the front. My review sample had the current earpads and cup design, but the older cable connection. The headband design has not changed. It depends on the spring tension of its metal section for side pressure. My preference would be for slightly less pressure.”
Paradigm Prestige 95F Floorstanding Speaker Review
March 22, 2016 Comments Off on Paradigm Prestige 95F Floorstanding Speaker Review
” Each tessitura is in a solid relationship with each other — nothing juts out, nothing jars. I threw on Track 1, ‘the’ Track 1 that should be in all audiophiles’ arsenal — Thomas Newman’s soundtrack to American Beauty. You all know of my fascination and admiration for this chart and its composer. Unique, catchy and made up of untuned and tuned percussion and synths. I use it to test driver speed. Do you hear all of the resonance inside the Latin Percussion (noun, not adjective), the true timbre of marimbas numerous and the super low, tight synthesized bass? This CD should be on all your ‘to purchase’ lists. If your system is dialed in, you’ll hear subterranean bass utterly removed from the mid range and treble (Newman wants it this way) and a myriad of struck and bowed percussion, each in its own time and space. Don’t forget to listen carefully to the synth gliss shortly after the opening. How many layers can you hear? The Paradigm held its own and replicated the colours and dynamics well, if not in primary colours. There was a little builder beige, if I’m being completely honest”
HiFiMan Edition X Headphones $1,800 Review
March 22, 2016 Comments Off on HiFiMan Edition X Headphones $1,800 Review
” To my ears, the obvious difference between the Edition Xes and the HE1000s was in the treble. So I put on “Airpower,” from Larry Coryell and Philip Catherine’s Twin House (16[-bit]/44.1[kHz] WAV, Wounded Bird), an album of acoustic-guitar duets that’s especially revealing of treble quality. The HE1000s got “Airpower” pretty much right, with extremely clear but not overemphasized sounds of picks on strings, and fingers sliding up and down fretboards. The guitars’ bass notes also sounded wonderfully resonant through the HE1000s; I got a real sense of the instruments’ soundboards vibrating. “It might be just a tad bright, but it still kicks ass,” I wrote in my notes”
Klipsch R-15PM powered speakers – Video
March 22, 2016 Comments Off on Klipsch R-15PM powered speakers – Video
Miyo DAC/Amp
March 22, 2016 Comments Off on Miyo DAC/Amp
” Just over a year ago, a bunch of audio nerds launched a Kickstarter to get a new digital-to-analog converter and headphone amp into the hands of fellow high resolution music lovers. The Colorado startup promised backers that the palm-friendly Miyo would deliver the same kind of audio quality and sonic detail found in a professional recording studio. The campaign proved successful and the aluminum brick has since started shipping to consumers. We’ve spent the last few weeks rocking out with this useful audio toolbox, while also feeling the warmth radiating from the device itself.”
The Pass Labs HPA-1 headphone amplifier
March 21, 2016 Comments Off on The Pass Labs HPA-1 headphone amplifier
” The Pass Labs HPA-1 is a reference-grade component designed with well-heeled headphone enthusiasts in mind — ones that already own at least one world-class headphone. If that describes you, I hope you can get to hear the HPA-1. For everybody else, there’s a fair chance this level of performance will come down in price, in 5 or 10 years.”
Classé Audio Sigma Amp5 Multichannel Amplifier Review
March 21, 2016 Comments Off on Classé Audio Sigma Amp5 Multichannel Amplifier Review
” As I prefer to listen to music through only two speakers, I have few, if any, multichannel discs in my collection — so all of my musical listening was to two-channel recordings. I kicked things off with “When We Were Young,” from Adele’s 25 (16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC, XL Recordings). Two instruments open this track: piano and bass guitar. Not surprisingly, each was cleanly delineated by the Classé Sigma Amp5, yet with a vast difference in size. The piano filled the room, seemingly emanating from outside and slightly above both of my Atrias, while the bass guitar was neatly placed at center stage, sounding precise in scale. When Adele entered, she completely filled the center stage, sounding dimensional, powerful, and, frankly, massive — but something interesting was happening. Despite the room-filling piano and Adele’s soaring voice, I could still hear the picking of each string of the bass guitar. In fact, I found it easy to focus on whichever facet of what was happening on stage I wanted to, be it the bass, Adele’s voice, the voices of the backing singers, or the subtle shakes of the maracas to far left. Each sounded neutral, fulsome, dimensional — and, in the case of Adele’s voice, highly dynamic.”
Pro-Ject Vinyl Cleaner VC-S – Video
March 21, 2016 Comments Off on Pro-Ject Vinyl Cleaner VC-S – Video
JH Audio Custom Layla In-Ear Monitors Review
March 21, 2016 Comments Off on JH Audio Custom Layla In-Ear Monitors Review
“Something else that is different is the bass adjustment found on the cable near the 1/8” stereo plug. A small screwdriver is included so you can make you own adjustments to the Quad bass drivers on each side. When tuned to 0 the Layla’s are a world class mastering monitor with a flat response. Want to turn it up? Turn to the right up to another +15dB! Bass heads rejoice! My personal preference was the 12 O’clock setting up around 6-8dB. Regardless of your bass preference the Layla’s can put you there. Something that IEM’s previously were unable to customize on the fly without equalization. For the professional they can be the king of the studio while on the job and the club king out the door. One stop shopping.”
HD vinyl records format is coming?
March 20, 2016 Comments Off on HD vinyl records format is coming?
“Imagine a vinyl record that has 30% more capacity, 30% greater volume, and double the audio fidelity of a typical LP sold today.
The ‘HD Vinyl’ name is a working title, though the basic idea is this: instead of the manual and time-consuming process currently used for creating vinyl LPs, the ‘HD Vinyl’ process involves 3D-based topographical mapping combined with laser inscription technology to more quickly generate a far superior product. Not only will the end product be vastly improved, but the time required to produce the LPs will also be radically reduced.”
Audiophilepure 
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