Boulder 866 Integrated Amplifier £13,499 Review

May 19, 2023 Comments Off on Boulder 866 Integrated Amplifier £13,499 Review

https://www.hifinews.com/content/boulder-866-integrated-amplifier

Some integrated amplifiers might offer slightly more functionality as a system hub, but Boulder’s 866 is well specified, impressively built and a knockout performer. This has all the attributes of a muscle amp, but it’s not simply power which grabs your attention. Balance, detail and sweetness make listening sessions seriously enjoyable, and in this analogue/digital guise, it brings its talents to all your sources.

Magico System

May 19, 2023 Comments Off on Magico System

THIEAUDIO PRESTIGE $1,299 REVIEW

May 17, 2023 Comments Off on THIEAUDIO PRESTIGE $1,299 REVIEW

Each pair of faceplates are handcrafted by ThieAudio, with slight variations in appearance and finish. Speaking for my pair, I absolutely love it, as I am a big fan of the space, of the unknown! Overall, the design of the Prestige is visually striking and looks unique. As we have come to expect from Thieaudio, the quality, and workmanship is quite good. I didn’t find any flaws in the parts that are difficult and tedious to make by hand, such as the joints that connect the nozzle to the shell, and the ventilation holes required by the dynamic driver. The handcrafted ThieAudio units we have reviewed before were also flawless in these areas, so we can say that ThieAudio has a very strict quality control phase and we appreciate their attention to detail.

Parasound HINT 6 Halo Integrated Amplifier $2995 Review

May 17, 2023 Comments Off on Parasound HINT 6 Halo Integrated Amplifier $2995 Review

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2022/10/25/s1ywey29591p1wt0q9smr6fnpdka55

The DAC section of the HINT 6 provided a wonderful foil to the sameness of digital that can be apparent when streaming a variety of genres. Even great-sounding DACs can impart a common cleanliness to the sound of any recording played through them. Without being too revealing or edgy the HINT 6 DAC stepped out of the way of the music better than the outboard options I tried for comparison. Hoodoo Man Blues by Junior Wells and Buddy Guy (Delmark, 1965) is a classic slab of Chicago blues that sonically stands apart from most ‘60’s blues albums. The sound has an immediacy that is apparent on virtually any system. It’s a studio record that doesn’t sound like it came from a studio—it jumps right out and grabs the listener. This raw effect was more present when using the HINT’s own DAC than the Ferrum ERCO which kept things slightly more reserved. 

Wilson Audio’s Alexia V Review

May 17, 2023 Comments Off on Wilson Audio’s Alexia V Review

UNIQUE MELODY MAVEN PRO REVIEW

May 16, 2023 Comments Off on UNIQUE MELODY MAVEN PRO REVIEW

The Maven Pro has a couple of unique features, and we’ll go deeper into some of them. First off al, the driver configuration. The Maven Pro uses no less than 12 drivers on each side, with a 4-way crossover and a 4-tuning tunnel design. This setup was first used in the Mentor series. Each frequency range has its own tuning tunnel to fully isolate between frequency sectors. A metal sound tube is connected at the end of the sound tunnel to ensure that the sound tube will not be squeezed out of shape and to maintain the consistency of sound transmission. But back to the drivers.

Definitive Technology DM70 Bipolar Tower Speakers $4,000 Review

May 16, 2023 Comments Off on Definitive Technology DM70 Bipolar Tower Speakers $4,000 Review

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/definitive-technology-dm70-bipolar-tower-speakers-review

The Dymension DM70 is a big, bold speaker that’s a refinement of Definitive Technology’s bipole speaker designs. You won’t mistake it for another speaker, that’s for sure. At $4,000 for a pair, the DM70 is a sizable investment, but you get a lot of speaker for the money. The main question is if the bipole sound is right for you. I find it very appealing in moderation (using the –6 dB mode) and a lot of my favorite albums have an extra bit of sparkle and energy to them when playing through these towers.

One thing I can say for sure is that even though the DM70 has many qualities that are home theater-friendly, they are an exciting choice for 2-channel. There have got to be other audio enthusiasts such as myself who appreciate the stark, minimalist aesthetic of the all-black cabinet and the focus on enveloping you in high-fidelity stereo sound.

JBL Restoration 3-way speaker bass 18 inch

May 16, 2023 Comments Off on JBL Restoration 3-way speaker bass 18 inch

Göbel High-End Divin Noblesse Loudspeaker $250,000 Review

May 14, 2023 Comments Off on Göbel High-End Divin Noblesse Loudspeaker $250,000 Review

The bass had a nice bit of extra bloom and color, although I wouldn’t characterize the speaker as having a “bottom-up” presentation. Rather, the Divin Noblesse delivered a satisfying fullness in the music’s foundation, from the power range in orchestral music to the visceral purr of a Fender Precision bass. It is common for speakers to sacrifice pitch precision and transient performance for this warmth and bloom, but that wasn’t the case with the Divin Noblesse. The speaker had superb resolution of bottom-end information, with no smearing of transients, blurring of pitch, or dilution of timbral detail

 Dan D’Agostino Momentum Phonostage Review

May 14, 2023 Comments Off on  Dan D’Agostino Momentum Phonostage Review

https://www.stereophile.com/content/analog-corner-258-dan-dagostino-momentum-phonostage-gold-note-tuscany-gold-mc-cartridge

The Momentum did this LP full justice, presenting a transparent window onto the recording. Hartman’s voice was three-dimensional, and possessed all the warmth in his lower register, even as his precise articulation was fully delineated, and the slight bit of added reverb was put in proper context.

In the second chorus, as Billy Taylor’s piano subtly floats down in the mix, behind and off to Hartman’s side, to create a relaxing bed, and as Wilder’s three-dimensional flugelhorn emerges from pitch “black,” I heard the Momentum’s reproduction of air and honest texture (not too soft, not too etched) and harmonic rightness—not quite as ripe as through ARC’s Reference Phono 3, but sufficiently developed to make the case. But in terms of dynamics and transparency, the Momentum won.