Voxativ Ampeggio 2024 loudspeaker $13,900 Review
June 21, 2024 Comments Off on Voxativ Ampeggio 2024 loudspeaker $13,900 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/voxativ-ampeggio-2024-loudspeaker
At that task, the Ampeggios excelled. Out of the gate, the combination of the two PrimaLuna components—the EVO 100 phono stage and EVO 300 integrated—pushed a vast soundstage out from the Ampeggios, with the best low-end slam I’d hear in my Ampeggio listening sessions.
The Ampeggio 2024s were unique in their ability to remove themselves from my listening space while filling it with physical, natural-sounding music, from delicate vibraphones and glistening guitars to punchy vibrating drum skins and vocals that were spookily real. Repeatedly, I relaxed into the music and forgot about my reviewing task. When I did manage to focus on the sound, I marveled at how the Ampeggios transmitted sound in the upper mids through the treble with such fine layering, lucidity, tonal keenness, and textural precision that the sum bordered on holographic. These characteristics joined with a low end delivered with oceanic impact while remaining consistent with the natural-sounding fluidity of the higher frequencies.
Linn Klimax Solo 800 monoblock power amplifier Review
June 21, 2024 Comments Off on Linn Klimax Solo 800 monoblock power amplifier Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/linn-klimax-solo- Review800-monoblock-power-amplifier
The amp’s support feet, derived from those on Linn’s flagship Klimax DSM network music player, are machined stainless steel with an impressed silicone O-ring to aid isolation. Their height ensures that Linn’s natural convection cooling process functions as intended. Nonetheless, Rodger gave me the okay to try aftermarket feet, noting that during the design process, Linn listened with its own feet and “very standard interconnects and speaker cable.”
More on this topic follows. Linn doesn’t think the Klimax Solo 800’s Utopik power supply requires external power conditioning, and Rodger doesn’t think the monoblock will feed back noise into the line. “That said, if an end user wants to employ a high-end [power] conditioner, and they like what it does to the sound of the whole system, we have a saying in Scotland: ‘Fill your boots,’ which means ‘that’s your prerogative, so go for it.'”
Upon receiving the Linns, I was advised to leave them on 24/7. Standby kicks in after 20 minutes of silence; when it happens, what Rodger called “a jaunty little animation” appears on the tastefully illumined LED roundel in the center of the front panel.
Infinity IRS V in the PS Audio extreme version
June 21, 2024 Comments Off on Infinity IRS V in the PS Audio extreme version
HiFi Rose RA280 Integrated Amplifier £2999 Review
June 20, 2024 Comments Off on HiFi Rose RA280 Integrated Amplifier £2999 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/hifi-rose-ra280-integrated-amplifier
There’s no power or agility lacking here, so the RA280 typically communicates dynamics and excitement without edging into extreme warmth or betraying an undue focus on high treble detail. However, what might be described as a pleasantly ‘organic’ sound can have its balance tipped by the speaker. Its coupling with the DALI Rubicon 2s appeared a little lighter-sounding than usual, for example.
If it wasn’t for Damon Albarn standing in as producer, Bobby Womack’s The Bravest Man In The Universe [XLCD561] wouldn’t have sounded like the album it does. Or even existed, as the soul crooner seemed to be fin de carrière until he met with Albarn on the Gorillaz project. Fortunately, the record came to be, and contains some fabulous tracks, including ‘Dayglo Reflection’ featuring the backing vocals of Lana Del Rey. Here, the RA280 floated her typically languid voice above the electronic beat and grittier lines sung by Womack.
Acora Acoustics QRC 2 Floorstanding Loudspeaker $37,000 Review
June 20, 2024 Comments Off on Acora Acoustics QRC 2 Floorstanding Loudspeaker $37,000 Review
The music completely escaped the speaker and was spread over a soundstage that was as wide and deep as the Kharma. The outer edges of that soundscape, particularly toward the front corners of the stage, were even more transparent than any speaker I’ve had in-house. I found my head turning to those extremes when a musician on either side broke into a solo. Overall, it was a very fine presentation but I still felt a gnawing sense of disappointment that they didn’t sound as good as I heard them at the shows. Was it just the much more expensive rigs that achieved such greatness?
Zavalinka Records: Master Tape copies in Russian Sauce!
June 20, 2024 Comments Off on Zavalinka Records: Master Tape copies in Russian Sauce!
SPL Phonitor SE $1199 Review
June 19, 2024 Comments Off on SPL Phonitor SE $1199 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/spl-phonitor-se
As the Mahler symphony builds we note the pleasing sense of space in the Phonitor’s presentation and its ability to avoid sounding cluttered. It helps that details are crisply rendered with little in the way of blur or vagueness when it comes to defining the leading edges of notes. This is particularly praiseworthy at low frequencies where the SPL delivers exceptional grip without sacrificing tunefulness.
That same bass quality works wonderfully with Massive Attack’s Heligoland set. Here, the SPL headphone amp delivers bass with considerable conviction, thumping it out with punch and power. Move up the frequency range and you will find that the midrange is crisp and clean while retaining the natural warmth of vocals. We are pleased to report that the Phonitor SE is the kind of product that you can listen to for hours on end without issue. For all its insight and resolution, it avoids sounding hard-edged and sterile. Feed it a poor or aggressive recording, we used Bruce Springsteen’s heartfelt Terry’s Song, and the SPL refuses to make a meal of things. It is highly revealing of the recording’s shortcomings but never goes out of its way to be rude.
GrooveMaster 3 Tonearm $2598 Review
June 19, 2024 Comments Off on GrooveMaster 3 Tonearm $2598 Review
The Audio Creative GrooveMaster 3 tonearm came with a well-earned reputation for excellence for the money, and it left no doubt that inserting it in place of my stock tonearm was an excellent upgrade. Like switching from a bulky mountain bike to a svelte racing bicycle for a street rally—or loudspeakers using a pair of fast eight-inch drivers instead of a single 15″ woofer—the GrooveMaster was fleeter and more nimble, making a noticeable improvement in responsiveness, sensitivity, and detail. It’s a beautiful instrument, a versatile, universal tonearm suited for a wide variety of turntables, and one that I can’t see myself parting with anytime soon. I highly recommend it.
PureAudio open-baffle loudspeaker system $21,000 Review
June 18, 2024 Comments Off on PureAudio open-baffle loudspeaker system $21,000 Review
Assembly of the crossover board is customer’s responsibility, but no soldering is involved. There are two circuit boards to be assembled, one for the left channel and the other for the right. The first board took me well over two hours to complete amidst the trial and error learning curve, so that the second board was finished in less than an hour. For the review sample, I was sent the higher-grade, resin-soaked Mundorf VS140 inductor, plus two ClarityCap 3% tolerance CSA 250V 82 micro farad capacitors as an alternative or upgrade to the original Mundorf audiophile-grade components. The drivers are mounted on open ¾” baffles and not inside an enclosure, and the crossover is secured at the bottom of the speaker.
Manufacturers have put drivers in enclosures to boost and control bass output, and manufacturers go to extraordinary extent in scaling that goal. The fact of the matter is that the bulk of the costs of building a floorstanding, full-range loudspeaker system often lies in the construction of the enclosure cabinet. Consequently, a good number of speakers are adorned with such costly and exotic enclosures as to be their primary selling point, in turn cultivating clientele of discerning taste and spending ability on the physicality of the speakers.
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