Audiophilepure

On that note, I’m at the sink in Belle’s kitchen, where I clean my records, and, forewarned by the maligned pundit’s iSonic review, I have plenty of towels on hand for the powered spin dry cycle (he cautioned, “even though there’s a hood on top, the water sprays around the room”).

Carefully following directions, I assemble the splash guard hood and, after draining water from the unit into the sink, I mount it over the wet records inside. Taking a deep breath, I press the button to begin the high-speed spin-drying cycle. A gradual, high-pitched whirring sound envelops the room as the records accelerate, rotating quickly, pause, and resume. After it stops, the records are dry, and there isn’t an errant drop to be found anywhere. Beginner’s luck? Maybe, maybe not, but either way, I won’t have to sleep on the couch tonight! Gloating, I imagine someone driving a rental convertible through a rainstorm, and asking for a refund after getting soaked when he never bothered using the retracting roof. (You can view an iSonic company video describing the spin dry process

https://www.stereophile.com/content/kimber-kable-carbon-series-speaker-cable-and-interconnect-pk10-palladian-power-cable

I had to do some rearranging before installing the Palladian so that it could be readily swapped in and out for the listening comparisons. The system was allowed to warm up and settle, playing a few test tracks for a day or two before the listening tests. I worried that I would not be able to hear what I assumed would be a small difference. However, the change that resulted when I swapped the $2000 PK10 in this circa £100,000 system wasn’t trivial. I enjoyed the gain in transparency and image focus, the enlarged soundstage, improved rhythm, and superior bass definition. I remain surprised that inanimate pieces such as terminated mains supply cable can exert such an influence in a highly tuned system. I do not wish to exaggerate, but I have heard smaller gains than this when swapping in a new DAC that cost twice the price of the original design.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/unison-research-triode-25-be-tube-amplifier

 such is the Triode 25 BE’s performance, you can leave your music library playing at random, through analogue or digital inputs, and not hear anything disagreeable. Ed Rush and Optical’s ‘City 17’ [Travel The Galaxy; Virus Recordings VRS007] sounded effortless in the bass, this club-friendly track pushing forward, before The Doors’ ‘Soul Kitchen’ [The Doors 50th Anniversary Ed., Rhino/Elektra; 192kHz/24-bit], with its insouciant keyboard intro, seeped into the room, the sound as sweet as honey. And these are just two tracks from a list of many in my notes – I could listen to this amp for hours.

On the back, Shanling keeps it minimal with the Hi-Res certifications and branding etched under the glass surface. Fit and finish throughout is excellent. The panel gaps are tight, machining is precise, and there are no assembly issues. Nada.

The front is dominated by a new 4.7-inch Sharp display. It’s laminated, bright, and vibrant. While the resolution is not impressive on paper, it looks crisp in real life for music apps and album art. The much-improved brightness is immediately noticeable and makes a big difference. It’s like 40% brighter than the M3 Ultra.