PS Audio aspen FR20 Loudspeaker £19,995 Review
July 6, 2023 Comments Off on PS Audio aspen FR20 Loudspeaker £19,995 Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/ps-audio-aspen-fr20-loudspeaker
The industrial design is by Canadian-based Studio 63, which also penned the FR30. In this case the main enclosure is a one-piece design, with none of the adjustability of the two-piece FR30, and is built from heavily-braced MDF finished with 20 coats of hand-rubbed piano-grade lacquer. There’s a choice of Pearl White or Sable Black finishes, incidentally. The planar magnetic tweeter is attached to the rear of the thermoset resin front baffle, the latter with a shaped waveguide to control the dispersion of the midrange driver mounted, like the woofers, to the main structure.
Separate magnetically-attached grilles are provided for the top and bottom portions of the cabinet, as illustrated in our pictures, while the substantial alloy base comes with a set of adjustable milled brass feet. These include detachable spike tips and plastic inserts for use on hard surfaces, plus a set of sliders for ease of movement while the speakers are being set up. PS Audio provides a set of nifty Allen keys for adjustment in addition to a set of jumpers for single-wiring the bi-wire terminals on the rear of the speakers.
OAD Ultrafidelity Vajra Power Amplifier Review
July 6, 2023 Comments Off on OAD Ultrafidelity Vajra Power Amplifier Review
This was also demonstrated in the echoed repeated staccato of the Scherzo, where Ashkenazy’s left hand mirrors his right. The musical tension was conveyed perfectly by the Vajra. When Ashkenazy then sustains some of the notes a little longer, the gorgeous resonances of the Steinway filled my listening room with sound. There was also another telling reveal of the Vajra’s lack of background noise: before starting in on the Adagio, Ashkenazy takes a longer-than-his-usual pause, and in the silence I could hear his breathing, controlled though it was — something I can’t recall having ever heard before. The sonorities of the Adagio were delivered to perfection by the Vajra, as were the micro-variations in Ashkenazy’s finger-touch… and yet again, those trills!
Garage Box Balanced Headphone Adapter for Chord Mojo / Mojo 2
July 6, 2023 Comments Off on Garage Box Balanced Headphone Adapter for Chord Mojo / Mojo 2
Dan D’Agostino Momentum M400 MxV monoblock power amplifier $19,950 Review
July 5, 2023 Comments Off on Dan D’Agostino Momentum M400 MxV monoblock power amplifier $19,950 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/dan-dagostino-momentum-m400-mxv-monoblock-power-amplifier
D’Agostino’s Momentum M400 MxV mono amplifier exceeded my expectations. Its relatively compact size belies its stellar performance: massive bass, mellifluous midrange, and well-measured treble. The clarity and ease with which it handles even the most challenging recordings is remarkable. It is one of the most musical, truthful, satisfying amplifiers I’ve ever heard in my system and one of the most striking aesthetically.
Audiophiles wishing to experience the edge of the hi-fi envelope should visit a dealer or an audio show exhibiting the Momentum M400 MxV and listen to it. Those who audition a pair and are blessed with the wherewithal to seriously consider their acquisition will find it tempting, I suspect, to take them home.
Focal Bathys Hi-Fi Bluetooth $799 Headphones
July 5, 2023 Comments Off on Focal Bathys Hi-Fi Bluetooth $799 Headphones
They cost less than the Levinson 5909, and the Bathys sound doesn’t shy away from the audiophile quality of the Levinsons. If you would ask me to decide, I’d probably choose the Levinsons—I like that they’re smaller and the aesthetics and neutral sound are more to my taste. The Bathys can feel a little bit plasticky to the touch and the buttons are a little big, but many people will like this. In general, the Bathys are more fun to listen to as well as more comfortable and have a more user-friendly firmware and app.
Caroline Shaw’s Partita for eight voices is a beautiful and complex composition that goes from voices in harmony to moments of disruptive chatter and noise. The Bathys developed a unique crescendo to the recording that blew me away. What sets these headphones apart is their dynamic driver’s subtlety and complimentary sound. You wouldn’t think a closed-back headphone could have the ‘air’ to bring out that detail, but it does. With its bass-filled songs, Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories rang through in a crisp and non-fatiguing way. I also tried some Alice in Chains, the best studio album of theirs Jar of Flies, the open chord voicings and Layne Staley’s gut-wrenching vocals were superb. Did I say Levinsons nudging the Bathys?
KEF R3 Meta $2200 Review
July 4, 2023 Comments Off on KEF R3 Meta $2200 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/kef-r3-meta
That the new R3 Meta allow us to park our analytical observations after a while and simply enjoy listening to our music collection really says it all. To confirm: these are hugely enticing speakers in design and in performance.
We haven’t come across many stereo speakers at this price point in recent years that are so accomplished in all the ‘hi-fi’ ways and fun to listen to in the same breath. If your system and budget allow it, the new KEF R3 Metas are worth the plunge. We promise you’ll be entertained.
Why it’s IMPOSSIBLE to play SEPTEMBER’S MELODY
July 4, 2023 Comments Off on Why it’s IMPOSSIBLE to play SEPTEMBER’S MELODY
Parasound JC 3 Jr. Phono Preamplifier REVIEW
July 4, 2023 Comments Off on Parasound JC 3 Jr. Phono Preamplifier REVIEW
Now, the Parasound JC 3+ has slightly more flexible loading options than its predecessor. You can choose 47K for your MM cartridge, 47K for your MC cartridge if you wish (some of the Transfiguration cartridges like this setting) and finally a variable setting (with custom-built Vishay dual-gang potentiometers) where you can choose between 50 and 550 ohms. I’m going to say that these are all the loading options I need.
The price of the Parasound JC 3+ phono preamplifier is $3000. That’s the same price as the Vendetta Research back when it came out in the early ‘90s. I have a feeling that if John Curl started making Vendetta Research phono stages again, just like the originals, he could charge a lot more than $3000. That’s what Parasound brings to the table—a scalable continuation of a legend.
LSA Signature 60 Monitor Loudspeakers $999 Review
July 3, 2023 Comments Off on LSA Signature 60 Monitor Loudspeakers $999 Review
With the impressive level of bass I experienced with the Signature 60 in the large room, I’ll admit that I was a bit concerned that they might overpower the smaller dimensions of the analog room. As it turned out, no worries—the room is fairly well-damped, and the bass level was absolutely perfect! Again, the imaging of the Signature 60 was spot-on, and as in the larger room, they simply vanished during playback, giving me a really great illusion of being live in Glasgow with Travis at this incredibly entertaining concert. The Signature 60 projected a stereo image with a greater degree of scale than one might expect from a standmount monitor; I was constantly amazed by this. My PrimaLuna EVO 300’s EL34 output tubes were an excellent match for the Signature 60, and helped imbue their sound with a very liquid and lush character. And the AMT driver presented a top end that was supremely musical, with incredible clarity and transparency—this really took me back to my first truly high-end loudspeakers, a pair of ESS AMT 10b that I was totally smitten with back in the late seventies.
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