Edwards Audio TT4 Review
April 8, 2024 Comments Off on Edwards Audio TT4 Review
https://www.hifichoice.com/content/edwards-audio-tt4
Talk Electronics, Edwards Audio’s parent company, has invested heavily in machining facilities for its Surrey-based factory and is as proud to thump the ‘made in Britain’ tub as it is willing to take the Pepsi Challenge with any competitor on the matter of which sounds better? Running with the theme, the TT4 is, if anything, a still punchier prospect itching to chop down some popular big hitters – as it needs to be, of course, as counting on patronage solely because it isn’t a Rega or a Pro-Ject ain’t gonna work.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the slightly more expensive Rega Planer 2 and Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo to hand for comparison, but by pitching the TT4 against the considerably more expensive Rega Planar 6 (HFC 427) with Ania moving-coil cartridge (HFC 452) and Neo PSU as well as MoFi’s terrific StudioDeck +, we should get a reasonable idea how that contest might have turned out.
Questyle NHB12 In-Ear Wired Earbuds for iPhone Review
April 8, 2024 Comments Off on Questyle NHB12 In-Ear Wired Earbuds for iPhone Review
Male vocals are delivered with excellent tonal weight and clarity and not pushed forward of the instrumentation. Detail and texture are present throughout the range and there is no noticeable dip or uptick in presence into the lower treble.
Guitar notes have a strong edge and higher strings have just enough energy and detail to sound realistic into the upper midrange.
Piano notes are delivered with excellent accuracy and tonal weight; that aspect of the performance was the most impressive for me because it represents a genuine challenge for almost every IEM to get right.
Female vocals are clean, detailed, airy, and not pushed forward of the instrumentation.
The treble is clean as well with good percussion snap and cymbal hits are delivered with a great deal of accuracy and detail.
Roll-off is somewhere above my upper limit which gives the NHB12 a rather open top end with enough air and sparkle to keep from sounding closed in.
Auralic Vega G2 2 streaming DAC Review
April 8, 2024 Comments Off on Auralic Vega G2 2 streaming DAC Review
KEF R11 Meta Loudspeaker £5500 Review
April 7, 2024 Comments Off on KEF R11 Meta Loudspeaker £5500 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/kef-r11-meta-loudspeaker
The R11 Meta speakers carry off their bluff styling with some flair, being neither as large nor as unmanageable as they may at first appear. Yes, the balance here is very commercial, flattering relatively modest systems but responding well to an uplift in partnering electronics, but what’s wrong with that? These are impressive speakers, solidly built and designed to please – which they indubitably do.
Arcam A25 and ST5 Stereo System Review $2,298 Review
April 7, 2024 Comments Off on Arcam A25 and ST5 Stereo System Review $2,298 Review
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/arcam-a25-and-st5-stereo-system-review
When connected digitally, there is just a single volume control displayed on the A25; when using the analog connection from the ST5, each device has independent volume controls. As such, it was possible to overload the inputs to the A25 by maxing out the volume from the ST5 while the volume on the A25 was low. The slight distortion vanishes after balancing the gain between these units, and using the TOSLINK or digital coax connection completely eliminates it. I found no reason to use the analog connection, especially considering the ST5 uses a high-quality ESS ES9018K2M high-resolution DAC. This same DAC is used in the A25.
I prefer to stream Tidal, especially for sound quality evaluations. I queued up Norah Jones’ latest release, “Staring at the Wall”, a delightful collaboration with Leon Michels. The ST5 and A25 captured every nuance of this upbeat and insanely catchy song. Jones’s tripled vocals with lead and harmony were distinct, and even the slightly detuned piano was conveyed transparently. The overall mix has a raw, garage-studio quality, and all of the imperfections of the performance are captured.
GoldenEar T66 Tower Speaker $3,600/each Review
April 6, 2024 Comments Off on GoldenEar T66 Tower Speaker $3,600/each Review
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/goldenear-t66-tower-speaker-review-performance-evolved
It’s just that every time the equation turns to “spend the budget on more channels versus fewer, better channels” what’s achievable by focusing a budget on the most important channels in the system keeps slapping me in the face and saying “wake up!” The point of diminishing returns for ever-higher channel counts comes on a lot faster than it does when upgrading speakers in a fixed, modest number of channels. And the savings don’t just come from buying fewer speakers, it costs a lot more to buy an AVR or processor that does 11.4.4 channels than a unit with a more modest channel count. But, in my view, that’s more money that can instead go into great-sounding speakers, like the T66 towers.
I find a phantom center preferable to a dedicated center channel for a TV in a living room setup. The reason for that is the center channel always has to go beneath the TV or maybe above the TV. Neither of these locations is ideal and they visually detract from the aesthetic of two stylish tower speakers. Not that I am in any way opposed to center channel speakers, but if the focus is on home theater, by all means, use one. Plus if you go with a two-channel solution like the Technics, there’s no center channel option to begin with.
Bella Sound Kahili Amplifier Review
April 6, 2024 Comments Off on Bella Sound Kahili Amplifier Review
During setup I had simply placed the Kahili amps in the system connected with exactly the same cabling that was used for my Krells. Bella Sound had provided their Kaula2 power cables, so once I felt I had a reading on the sound of the amps, I substituted the Bella Sound power cords. Chances are, if you hear this amp at a show or in a showroom, it’s likely powered by its own Kaula2 cords. Although the inclusion of the cord brings the price of ownership to just $500 short of $30k, I suspect many purchasers of this amp with opt to include the cord, which is exquisitely constructed. There was an immediate synergy between the amp and the power cord. The basic nature of the amp was not changed but subtly sweetened and enriched.
Auralic Aries G2.2 Music Library/Server £5299 Review
April 5, 2024 Comments Off on Auralic Aries G2.2 Music Library/Server £5299 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/auralic-aries-g22-music-libraryserver
Upsampling low-quality source material can be tricky, but when streaming MP3 renderings of Luka Bloom’s The Platinum Collection [Rhino Records; 8122-79993-3] via Amazon Music, the Aries G2.2’s processing came to the fore. Even though I was playing lossy 192kbps-encoded files, the semi-acoustic guitar on ‘Dreams In America’ or the fiddle on ‘You Couldn’t Have Come At A Better Time’ sounded pretty close to excellent. Listening to the same tracks from local files on a NAS was more satisfying, as dynamics and very high-frequency detail sounded more authentic. Nonetheless, the Aries G2.2 offered a very good performance despite the lacklustre file quality.
Ultimately, the mission of a digital transport is twofold: ensuring you can find and play your music with as little hassle as possible, and delivering a digital feed to whatever DAC you’ve chosen in the best quality. Logically, this last requirement means an ideal digital transport is transparent and lets the rest of your music system get on with it. This is what the Aries G2.2 sets out to achieve, and succeeds – unless you wish differently.
Audiophilepure 
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