HiFi Rose RA180 integrated amplifier $6995 Review
February 2, 2023 Comments Off on HiFi Rose RA180 integrated amplifier $6995 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/hifi-rose-ra180-integrated-amplifier
Except perhaps for this impression of heightened detail, the RA180 remained mostly neutral in its tonal balance. If anything, it ran slightly cool rather than warm. Once in a while, the RA180 verged on leaning a little too far to light, clean, and shiny, like a new penny. Yet, in any kind of music—delicate classical, hard funk, crystalline electronica, all the other stuff I played—the RA180 maintained its cool sense of control.
Audiophiles who appreciate a unique visual and functional design and fast, clear, detailed sound—especially those with biampable speakers (or, even more, who use supertweeters)—should give the HiFi Rose RA180 a long look and listen.
AIVS Enzymatic Record Cleaning Concentrate for Ultrasonic RCMs $50 | REVIEW
February 2, 2023 Comments Off on AIVS Enzymatic Record Cleaning Concentrate for Ultrasonic RCMs $50 | REVIEW
After that wet afternoon under jugs of distilled water testing, I have continued to only use the AIVS enzymatic solution for almost 12 months.
The Audio DESK System Ultrasonic cleaner is a core part of my listening routing, with every LP getting a bath before setting eyes on my turntable. With the AIVS, I can change the fluid more frequently with very little cost. In fact, the gallon of distilled water costs more than the 15mL of AIVS solution that I mix with it!
If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, give the AIVS Enzymatic Record Cleaning Concentrate for Ultrasonic Record Cleaning Machines a try. Audio Desk System Ultrasonic + AIVS Enzymatic Concentrate are a winning combination.
AudioQuest ThunderBird £3,400 Review
February 1, 2023 Comments Off on AudioQuest ThunderBird £3,400 Review
AudioQuest ThunderBird
In fact, my biggest dislike in ThunderBird is that I hear the Thunderbirds theme tune as an earworm every time I discuss the cable (because Gerry Anderson wrote at least part of the soundtrack to my childhood). Note that nothing about this has any actual bearing on the performance of the cable and is more to do with life as a reviewer being one long fever dream.
I wasn’t expecting a sea-change in cable performance to come at this sort of price point. Normally, the big changes happen when the really big tickets come out. But ThunderBird really does make a big change to the performance of a system, even one that is in the attainable rather than ‘stratospheric’ price and quality level. I can’t wait to hear what the full loom can do and what the likes of FireBird and Dragon will do. These might be Mythical Creatures, but what they do to sound is more than just fantasy.
REL No. 31 Subwoofer $7,500 Review
February 1, 2023 Comments Off on REL No. 31 Subwoofer $7,500 Review
Pumping the bass way up, the jumpy, funky bass line in the Average White Band’s “Cut The Cake” pushes my chest cavity in as the volume control goes up. Hunter was headed home at 5 p.m, but I was up with a long list of bass-heavy tracks from RUN-D.M.C., The System, K.C. & The Sunshine Band, and some Prince until about 2 a.m. In the world of stuff, there are a few things I never get tired of, Porsche manual transmissions, the gentle click of a Leica rangefinder camera, and the way a REL subwoofer improves a system. It’s never less than extraordinary.
The following day was reserved for more heavy rock and jazz. Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, and Charlie Hayden all sound more similar than different on a lesser sub, but with the No.31, you can easily hear the distinct sound their instruments and playing styles make. Rather than bore you with a long playlist of tracks, the REL No. 31 excels at its function. Even when playing arena rock at brain damage levels, the RELs never run out of excursion.
At $7,500 each, these are not inexpensive subwoofers. However, if you’ve invested $30k to crazy money in a pair of main speakers, will you bring up the bottom with an inexpensive pair of subs? Whether you choose one, two, or six – you will be impressed by the added dimension the REL No.31s can deliver to your system.
I found this amazing sounding reel to reel recorder on the curb!
February 1, 2023 Comments Off on I found this amazing sounding reel to reel recorder on the curb!
Magico A5 £35,998 Review
January 31, 2023 Comments Off on Magico A5 £35,998 Review
Magico A5
The Magico A5 isn’t just another Magico loudspeaker and isn’t even just another high-end loudspeaker; it’s a point of inflexion. It’s the tipping point where real high-end happens, and its flexible enough to let high-end happen in a wider range of home than usual. The combination of being capable of being driven by a good integrated amplifier and the way it integrates into smaller rooms than you might expect all lend the A5 a gravitas that sets it apart from its peers. It’s the gateway to a higher-end world, but not simply a stepping-stone that leaves you wanting more. And for many this will be their first experience of what Magico can sound like and that’s a big step for many. For some, it will be the only step they ever need to make, for others, it will be the first step in a wholly new journey.
FiiO FA7S Six Balanced Armature IEM Review
January 31, 2023 Comments Off on FiiO FA7S Six Balanced Armature IEM Review
Rather than relying on a single driver to manage the entire frequency range, the FA7s divides it between six distinct balanced-armature drivers. This is intended to permit a quicker, more precise, and more detailed performance. From my understanding, The low- and high-frequency drivers are off the shelf from Knowles, while the mid-frequency one is a custom model designed solely for FiiO.
Dividing the frequency range between six drivers is not a simple task. If not done correctly, it may lead to an unnatural overlap of certain frequencies, as the drivers usually produce higher and lower frequencies than their assigned range.
McIntosh RS150 Wireless Loudspeaker
January 31, 2023 Comments Off on McIntosh RS150 Wireless Loudspeaker
VPI Avenger Direct Turntable Package Review
January 30, 2023 Comments Off on VPI Avenger Direct Turntable Package Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/vpi-avenger-direct-turntable-package
The second change I made was to swap out the cartridge. The Miyajima-based VPI Anniversary has a sweet nature that suits the likes of soft, smoky jazz to a tee. Fed with ‘Love Dance’ from Diane Schuur’s The Diane Schuur Collection [GRP Records GR-9591], it made a good case for itself, offering up an emotive, warm performance. Unfortunately, outside of this fairly narrow window I found the cartridge wanting. None of the adjustments I made to VTA, tracking force, azimuth or loading made it sound anything other than a little too soft and vague for my tastes. Swapping it out for my regular Ortofon Cadenza Black MC transformed the performance of the Avenger Direct and showed what this deck and arm were capable of.
Now that smoky jazz still gave me a warm tingle of pleasure, but the violins of The Locrian Ensemble playing the ‘Allegro’ movement from Mendelssohn’s Octet [Chasing the Dragon VALLP015] had a proper sense of bite and realism to them. The horseshoe-shaped layout of the performers was also uncannily realistic as the Avenger Direct once more set up an almost holographic sense of imagery.
Audiophilepure 
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