Apple Music Classical Announced – Everything You Need To Know
March 15, 2023 Comments Off on Apple Music Classical Announced – Everything You Need To Know
Zellaton Statement Speakers Installation
March 15, 2023 Comments Off on Zellaton Statement Speakers Installation
GoldenEar ForceField 40 Subwoofer Review
March 12, 2023 Comments Off on GoldenEar ForceField 40 Subwoofer Review
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/goldenear-forcefield-40-subwoofer-review
Knowing the sub’s limitations, I decided to stick with what it does best and concentrate on its musical prowess. First up is Hans Zimmer’s Live in Prague, available from Kaleidescape in 4K with a fantastic Dolby Atmos soundtrack. I jumped through various tracks and settled on “Captain Jack Sparrow” from Pirates of the Caribbean. According to an RTA measurement from REW, this song only features a little deep bass, with a steep roll-off at 35 Hz. Sure enough, the track sounds divine from my main listening position and at sane listening levels. In fact, it sounds similar to my reference subwoofer setup. Words that spring to mind are precise, quick, and natural.
“Victoria’s Secret” by Jax is one of the catchiest tunes I’ve heard in years, and I just can’t seem to get enough of it—just ask my wife, who has banned any further playback in her presence! Jax finished third on the fourteenth season of American Idol, and she wrote this tune for a child she was babysitting. The bass track doesn’t kick in until the 30-second mark, but it hits with authority, clear articulation, and presence when it does. Once again, the GoldenEar doesn’t disappoint as the young lady tells us that Victoria’s secret is “an old man who lives in Ohio.” If you haven’t heard the song, look it up—it’s LOL funny.

Børresen Acoustics Z1 and O1 Review
March 12, 2023 Comments Off on Børresen Acoustics Z1 and O1 Review
The Cryo Edition version is similar in construction to the standard version. Only in the Cryo version, all metal parts that can be found in the loudspeaker are cryogenically treated one piece at a time. The parts are cooled down to -196 degrees Celsius and slowly brought back to room temperature. As a result, the internal molecular structure changes, and the stress from the materials disappears. The cryo treatment is done in-house at Børresen Acoustics itself, it is an expensive process but yields a substantial gain in sound quality.
The Silver Supreme Edition is again the same as the Cryo version, however, this version utilizes hand-cast and CNC-machined pure silver induction rings in the drivers. These drastically change the properties of drivers, in a very positive way. The inductance is about 12 times lower than that of conventional drivers and the distortion is reduced by as much as about 40%.


MC Audiotech TL-12 Loudspeaker Review
March 12, 2023 Comments Off on MC Audiotech TL-12 Loudspeaker Review
Dynaudio • Evoke 50 Loudspeakers $5499 Review
March 11, 2023 Comments Off on Dynaudio • Evoke 50 Loudspeakers $5499 Review
https://www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/dynaudio_evoke_50.htm
One final bit of advice is that the seating height is fairly critical. At 44″ from the floor, the tweeters are significantly higher than your ears when you are seated in a normal-height chair. If you have a low-slung couch, as I do, the tweeter develops a shelved-down response above 2kHz. The tweeter will sound nice and mellow, but will diminish the instrumental timbre I’ve discussed, due to the reduced level. I had to remind myself to sit up straight to get the best sound from the Evoke 50s.

Icon Audio ST40 MkIV 6L6 Integrated Amplifier £2400 Review
March 11, 2023 Comments Off on Icon Audio ST40 MkIV 6L6 Integrated Amplifier £2400 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/icon-audio-st40-mkiv-6l6-integrated-amplifier
As the latter of the two titles proudly proclaims ‘Plus Trumpet’, it was an ideal test for the Stereo 40 MkIV 6L6. Would the strings stay sweet or turn steely? Would the brass have attack, punch and staccato transients?
It was almost a master class in why tape is the superior source, Icon Audio’s ‘austerity amp’ defying the removal of a few (admittedly non-sound-related) functions and a small reduction in power. Still the strings soared, with no edges to set teeth a’grinding, while the vivacious brass bursting from the speakers was enough to impress Al Hirt. This amp may have limitations in power, but used judiciously? It’s only January, but it could be Bargain of the Year.


MBL 101e Temporary Install Before Extremes Arrive
March 11, 2023 Comments Off on MBL 101e Temporary Install Before Extremes Arrive
HiFiMAN EF400 DAC/Headphone Amp $599 Review
March 10, 2023 Comments Off on HiFiMAN EF400 DAC/Headphone Amp $599 Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2023/2/17/hifiman-ef400-desktop-dacamplifier
With the EF400, HiFiMAN has created an impressive-sounding, contemporary-looking and powerful desktop DAC/Headphone amp at only $599. With an emphasis on simplicity of features/use on the one hand, coupled with its ability to easily engage with the complex world of streaming on the other hand, I think HiIFiMAN has a winner on their hands. And they also have headphones to match. Highly recommended.

HIFIMAN SUNDARA CLOSED-BACK HEADPHONE REVIEW
March 10, 2023 Comments Off on HIFIMAN SUNDARA CLOSED-BACK HEADPHONE REVIEW
haven’t listened to the original open-back Sundara headphones for any significant length so I can’t make meaningful comparisons between the two sister models. I also don’t have comparatively priced headphones on hand to make comparisons against the Sundara Closed-Back either. I do have a few slightly less expensive and slightly more expensive headphone models to help frame my impressions of the sound quality for you, however.

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