Clearaudio Concept Signature Review
September 18, 2024 Comments Off on Clearaudio Concept Signature Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/clearaudio-concept-signature
I couldn’t resist swapping the Concept V2 MM pick-up for my regular Clearaudio MC Essence and was surprised by the uplift in performance. The Concept V2 MM is no slouch, despite being a ‘budget’ pick-up, but the MC Essence opened the door to a wider soundstage and a generally punchier sound, all the while illustrating what the Concept Signature turntable and Profiler arm have lurking in the tank.
It also added a welcome crispness to the high treble that is otherwise slightly muted by the softer balance of the Concept V2 MM. The good news, clearly, is that while the package reviewed here makes for a potent combination, there’s still untapped potential to be realised.
FiiO K11 R2R $159 Review
September 18, 2024 Comments Off on FiiO K11 R2R $159 Review
K11 R2R has a well-thought-out back panel for the price, housing a variety of inputs and outputs, including USB, optical, and coaxial inputs alongside 4.4mm, 6.35mm, and RCA outputs. This assortment of connections makes K11 R2R ready to pair with a broad array of sources, from consoles (thanks to UAC1) to phones and computers.
There are some practical design choices here as well; thanks to the big and wide silicone anti-slip pad, the device stays firmly in place, while the RGB logo lighting on the top lets you know the sampling rate with a quick glance. The illumination is pleasantly uniform and easy on the eyes.
PS Audio FR10 Loudspeaker Review
September 18, 2024 Comments Off on PS Audio FR10 Loudspeaker Review
PS Audio AirLens and DirectStream DAC Mk2 Review
September 17, 2024 Comments Off on PS Audio AirLens and DirectStream DAC Mk2 Review
PS Audio’s rationale for that decision is because the company feels that USB is a noisier carrier to SPDIF or I2S. While that may be true, I caution the reader to take any blanket statement of standards with a grain of salt. During the AirLens and MK2 review, I had an in-depth conversation with a designer of a dedicated NOS (non-oversampling) DAC that has only one output – USB. That designer considers an external I2S connection to be redundant and inefficient and refuses to use it! That how the audio industry rolls; one designer swears off USB and the other promotes it! The audiophile is left scratching their head. I have encountered such contradictions consistently, so it no longer shocks me. In one sense, I could care less whether the favored connection is USB or I2S, may the best sounding connection in my system win!
Record Doctor X Record Cleaning System
September 17, 2024 Comments Off on Record Doctor X Record Cleaning System
Zanden Audio Systems 8120F Stereo Amplifier $30,500 REVIEW
September 16, 2024 Comments Off on Zanden Audio Systems 8120F Stereo Amplifier $30,500 REVIEW
For all this quality and excitement, I have yet to cite Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring; Scherzo à là Russe for Two Pianos LP, featuring Michael Tilson Thomas and Ralph Grierson (Angel S-36024). I played it on the Helius set-up with Koetsu Gold MC cartridge. “Part I: The Adoration of the Earth” was absolutely thrilling with diverse tonalities, crystalline trillings, complex chordings, rapid arpeggios, bombastic and lyrical passages, and startling clusters of high-pitched notes of tremendous energy and stunning effect. There was the anticipation of suspense and dread intermingled through much of the movement, which was an aural feast in full frequencies and dynamic range, characterized by the speed and precision of each pianist. There were a plethora of pleasing dissonances and swift changes of eccentric tempi, and it seemed as though every note from each measure of the orchestral score was anticipated in this earlier score for pianos. Deep bass drum strikes, screeches from an overblown piccolo, the sautillé of double basses, timpani strikes, horn and trumpet parts were all rendered on the keyboards for the four hands of two pianos
Wells Audio V8 Level II Tube Headphone Amplifier Review
September 16, 2024 Comments Off on Wells Audio V8 Level II Tube Headphone Amplifier Review
Once again Jeff Wells has shown that he can make a great amplifier whether solid-state or tube, and the Wells Audio V8 Level II Tube Headphone Amplifier has proven to be one of the better OTL amplifiers I have heard, with excellent detail, solid imaging, a linear tonal balance, a large soundstage, fantastic dynamic range and above all musicality. It works well with a broad spectrum of headphones, bringing out what that headphone does best.
Like most OTL amplifiers, the V8 is not particularly forgiving of source working best with high-resolution musical DACs rather than analytical DACs. What you put in is what you will get coming out, in that sense the V8 does exactly what a reference amplifier should; alter the sound as little as possible while providing dynamic range and sufficient power and damping to drive any headphone.
B&W 702 S3 Signature £7000 Review
September 15, 2024 Comments Off on B&W 702 S3 Signature £7000 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/bw-702-s3-signature
Switch to ‘The Smoke’, however, and the performance was more about unpicking the track’s many layers. There was a great sense of resolution noticeable in small details, such as Yorke’s voice reverberating into space and in the intricacies of the bass playing that carries this song.
Gritty guitars? On ‘Thin Thing’ these were enjoyably crunchy – perhaps a strange adjective but one that fits perfectly with Greenwood’s particular mix of distortion pedals. The speakers impressed here with their drive and power, but their strongest moments were with the more dreamlike tracks on this album where they showed off an ability to envelop, seeming to discover new details even in familiar songs.
Audiophilepure 
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