Audiophilepure

https://www.theaudiobeat.com//music/patricia_barber_modern_cool_lp.htm

How does the sound of the new Impex pressing stack up to that of earlier pressings? It’s easily better than that of my prior favorite, the Premonition 180-gram reissue from 2014. In its day, this release easily bested the 1998 pressing and even the 45rpm Mobile Fidelity box set from 2005, and it gave rise to the false assumption that Modern Cool could never sound better. However, Impex dug a little deeper and found room for improvement. This latest release achieves better separation and definition of the instruments, with the band playing in a deeper and more realistic space. In that respect, the music seems less “in your face” because of the added depth and overall dimensionality. The music simply sounds less digital, closer to that of an all-analog recording.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/pro-ject-signature-122-turntablearm

Contributing to this moreish sound is the turntable’s superlative bass. The Signature 12.2’s innovative drive system and bearing, plus that weighty platter, combine to give good speed stability [again, see PM’s Lab Report] and a low end that is precise and richly textured. The rhythm section in Caro Emerald’s ‘Back It Up’ [Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor; Grandmono Records STEMRA GM006] bounced along, snappy and tight and deep. Meanwhile, Caroline van der Leeuw’s vocals stood proud of the accompaniment, and the Signature 12.2 brought bags of scale, punch and drive to the whole piece.

Even better, Neil Peart’s drums on Rush’s ‘Leave That Thing Alone’, from 1993’s Counterparts [Atlantic 7567825281], had floor-shaking impact. Geddy Lee’s basslines were sinuous, fluid and distinct. Turntables with less accomplished drive systems can cause the notes here to subtly merge into each other, but Pro-Ject’s deck was having none of it.

https://www.whathifi.com/hi-fi/portable-music-players/ibasso-seeks-to-challenge-astell-and-kern-and-fiio-with-its-elegant-flagship-portable-player

Chinese brand iBasso is looking to take the fight to the likes of Astell & Kern and FiiO with its latest premium portable music player.

The new DX340 is, says its maker, made “for discerning users who demand both sonic excellence and intuitive usability” teasing flagship performance and engineering in a portable, “elegant” form.

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor, the new player offers 256GB of internal storage, although this can be expanded to up to 2TB via the provided microSD slot.

https://www.headfonia.com/omne-audio-hendeka-review/

Priced at $585 USD, the Hendeka occupies what the community has started calling the upper mid-fi segment. In any earlier era of audio, this would simply have been called high-end. Inflation, as they say, is a relentless companion.

The boutique headphone market can be genuinely unpredictable. Small manufacturers often chase bold tuning philosophies, and in doing so, sometimes sacrifice versatility for the sake of a strong identity. The Hendeka could easily have fallen into that trap. Instead, it strikes a thoughtful balance between excitement and refinement – and that balance reveals itself quickly.

From the moment you pick it up, the Hendeka feels like something built by enthusiasts rather than a corporate committee. There are visual and tactile cues everywhere that suggest genuine care: the way the earcup geometry sits in your hand, the weight distribution, the finish quality on the 3D-printed components. At the same time, it avoids looking unfinished or experimental – a concern that follows many boutique builds, whether fairly or not.