Audiophilepure

YG Acoustics Carmel 3 $29,800 Review

September 8, 2024 Comments Off on YG Acoustics Carmel 3 $29,800 Review

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/yg-acoustics-carmel-3

Get past this trait and there remains so much to admire. For starters, the Carmel 3 are almost shocking punchy for their size. They thump out low notes with real venom and with a scarcely believable amount of muscle. These may be relatively small but the combination of ultra-rigid aluminium cabinet, highly developed drivers and carefully calibrated crossover results in a presentation of considerable authority. They have a sonic boldness that’s hugely appealing.

Play Jay Z’s Already Home, and these towers don’t hold back. The bass hits hard and true while the robust solidity at higher frequencies has to be admired. Rhythmic drive is surefooted, without quite sounding enthusiastic. But, it is still good enough to convey the hard-charging nature of the music well. Move away from the more muscular aspects of music replay and you will find that these speakers dig deep into the production and uncover plenty of detail. Importantly, all that information is organised with care to produce a cohesive and musical presentation.

Audioquest PowerQuest 303 Power Conditioner Review

September 8, 2024 Comments Off on Audioquest PowerQuest 303 Power Conditioner Review

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2023/11/4/audioquest-powerquest-303-power-conditioner

My listening was focused on two particular aspects of performance. First, I approached the PowerQuest 303 as a potential solution to an audible problem with my system. Second I listened for any possible effect the unit had on the overall character of the system’s sound.

As a possible first for me, I must report on listening to my system without music playing. The baseline noise from my speakers was dramatically reduced once I introduced the PowerQuest 303 into the system. It’s a head-scratcher that an aging switch mode power supply with transformer issues would perform differently with a change in AC power. Even more, so that the hum from the ERCO DAC itself was slightly reduced. What is the root cause of this improvement? I do not know. But it was blatantly easy to compare without music playing. Just noise then less noise. This is a singular situation to be sure, but it illustrated to me that the PowerQuest 303 was doing something and that in my case that something was an improvement

Keces Audio Ebravo digital transport Review

September 8, 2024 Comments Off on Keces Audio Ebravo digital transport Review

Dan D’Agostino Master Audio preamplifier $149,500 Review

September 6, 2024 Comments Off on Dan D’Agostino Master Audio preamplifier $149,500 Review

https://www.stereophile.com/content/dan-dagostino-master-audio-systems-relentless-line-preamplifier

After a walk with my dear friend Anna Frank, who some months back spent time alone with Pink Floyd in my music room, I invited her to take another listen to the 2023 50th Anniversary remaster of The Dark Side of the Moon (24/192 FLAC, Legacy Recordings/ Qobuz). After declaring that the impending doom of “On the Run” left her short of breath, she reported that she heard elements of hi-hat, keys, and bass lines that she had “actually not noticed before.” Individual instruments sounded crisper and more location-specific, and the album’s concluding heartbeat had a lower depth of tone than heard previously. “I’ve listened to this album 100+ times, but I loved this listen more than any,” Anna declared.

I felt similarly when I turned to a beloved fave, the final movement of Mahler Symphony No.4 performed by soprano Kathleen Battle and the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Lorin Maazel (16/44.1 MQA, Sony (Columbia)/Tidal). The expanse and warmth of the hall, the natural acoustic surrounding the voice, and every small vocal nuance stood out as never before. For an alternative to the Mahler heavies, play this movement and the rest of the Fourth Symphony and discover a succession of rare instances when Mahler allowed himself to be happy for more than a few minutes at a time.

Siltech Launches Master Crown Cables Review

September 6, 2024 Comments Off on Siltech Launches Master Crown Cables Review

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/manufacture/0724/Siltech_Master_Crown_Cables_Review_Launch_Event.htm

Make no mistake, this level of commitment to research and development, design and its implementation, and perfected execution comes at considerable cost. As an example, at the one-and-a-half meter lengths, an interconnect set sells for $91,000, and a power cable sells for $37,000. A two-and-a-half meter set of speaker cables goes for $150,800! While this pricing will clearly limit the number of music lovers who will be able to own these exceptional products, I must admit to both my sense of wonder and admiration that a manufacturer as accomplished as Siltech is willing to demonstrate such dedication, devotion, and fanatic attention to detail and execution, in pursuit of advancing the state-of-the-art of connectology. Such monumental and bold strides not only bring excellence to the hyper-audio community today but have the potential to ultimately contribute to the improved performance of cables of all price points in years ahead.

Robert Harley’s Listening Room The Reference Equipment

September 6, 2024 Comments Off on Robert Harley’s Listening Room The Reference Equipment

The New Linkin Park “One Step” Vinyl Reissues

September 6, 2024 Comments Off on The New Linkin Park “One Step” Vinyl Reissues

STAX SR-X9000 EARSPEAKER REVIEW

September 5, 2024 Comments Off on STAX SR-X9000 EARSPEAKER REVIEW

STAX SR-X9000 Earspeaker Review

As an owner of a set of SR-L700 Lambda earspeakers and an SRM-D50 energizer, I was able to do a little swapping around of gear and make some comparisons during the review. I also had the iFi iCAN Phantom combination headphone amplifier/electrostatic energizer (review coming soon) in the house to use with these earspeakers as well. I was curious to see how this non-STAX model of amp would fare with these king-of-the-hill headphones.

For a source, I was using my Microsoft Surface 3 Pro as my Roon Core, handling my complete digital audio music library. Roon could then send any digital audio content to my Topping DX9 DAC/Headphone amp which would then pass an analog signal through to either of the STAX or iFi amplifiers that I was using at the moment.

BINARY ACOUSTICS DYNAQUATTRO $259 REVIEW

September 5, 2024 Comments Off on BINARY ACOUSTICS DYNAQUATTRO $259 REVIEW

Binary Acoustics Dynaquattro Review

The Binary Dynaquattro features CNC-milled & anodized steampunk faceplates made of aluminum along with a semi-transparent 3D-printed shell. The faceplate design cleverly represents the 3DD+1PR system by matching the wheel sizes to the dynamic driver dimensions. I love these kinds of design details; we all need a touch of creativity once in a while in this crowded market. In addition, the center of the bottom wheel, which appears as part of the faceplate design is actually a hole that serves as a vent for the dynamic drivers, another aesthetically pleasing detail!