Pro-Ject X8 Turntable | Unboxing and set-up
May 15, 2022 Comments Off on Pro-Ject X8 Turntable | Unboxing and set-up
Kronos Discovery turntable £100,000 Review
May 14, 2022 Comments Off on Kronos Discovery turntable £100,000 Review
There isn’t much to dislike with Discovery, save for its size and Captain Nemo physicality. The speed controllers on the front panel are not marked, so conceivably you’ll spend some time turning the Discovery on and off when you think you are simply stopping the platter for a record change. You’ll also tend to forget whether twisting the left-hand knob ‘up’ gets you to 33.3rpm or 45rpm. There were more than a few ‘oh… bollocks!’ moments when on returning to the listening chair I was met with a fast, high-pitched voice, but you quickly learn. It’s also an intricate and complex piece of equipment to install, so unless you can field-strip a Sparta blindfolded in 20 seconds flat, it’s best left to the experts, and if you live on the fifth floor and in a room accessed by rickety, narrow stairs… those experts better include a few piano movers. In great fairness to the Discovery, though, once installed it’s pretty much fit and forget, and the tonearm is easy to use and even easier to swap cartridges.
NAD C 399 Integrated Amplifier Review
May 14, 2022 Comments Off on NAD C 399 Integrated Amplifier Review
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/nad-c-399-integrated-amplifier-review
I connected the C 399 to a pair of System Audio Saxo 5 powered bookshelf speakers and a JL Audio Dominion d-110 subwoofer via the C 399’s single-ended RCA pre-outs and one of its sub outs. To test the C 399’s internal amplifier, I connected the C 399’s speaker outputs to a pair of Polk audio bookshelves.
I mainly auditioned the C 399 by using the BlueOS app to stream music via Tidal, Qobuz, internet radio, and several connected USB thumb drives. To test the C 399’s ARC feature, I connected its HDMI eARC port to an LG OLED TV. My TV doesn’t support eARC, so I made do with the older HDMI ARC protocol, which is compatible with eARC.
Transmission Line Speakers DIY Floorstanding Build
May 14, 2022 Comments Off on Transmission Line Speakers DIY Floorstanding Build
Mission QX-2 MKII Review
May 13, 2022 Comments Off on Mission QX-2 MKII Review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/mission-qx-2-mkii
Now it’s time to answer the big question. Do the new Missions still have the magic of the old pair? Well, they’re still a very entertaining and fun-sounding pair of speakers. They waste no time punching out the lively piano play found in Kate Nash’s Foundations. Upbeat guitar strums and percussion also combine to get the track rolling along at a rapid rate of knots. There’s a good sense of solidity to the overall sound and the Missions do a fine job communicating the sarcastic, slightly annoyed tone of her vocal.
Switch to Kanye West’s Black Skinhead and the QX-2 MKII construct a robust soundstage, flexing their muscles from the very first note. In Hulk terms, they’d be looking for a new shirt and pair of shorts. The Missions are capable of delivering a big, muscular sound – they not only summon an impressive amount of bass weight to hammer home Kanye’s stompy bass arrangement but they also probe surprisingly deep too, painting notes with a nice amount of texture.
Wells Audio Commander Level II Preamplifier $9000 Review
May 13, 2022 Comments Off on Wells Audio Commander Level II Preamplifier $9000 Review
The Commander Level II at this price point is not short on competition, but the only competition I can think of is more expensive than the Commander Level II. Specifically, the Mola Mola Makua and the now discontinued MC1100 are the only preamps that I can think of that I would compare performance wise to the Commander Level II. Both of these preamps are at least 25% more expensive, but they do offer different value propositions that may make their additional cost justifiable, depending on your personal priorities. For example, both of these preamps are end to end balanced designs, and the Mola Mola offers an incredible control experience.
Ultimately, if you are looking for a tube-based linestage, made with state-of-the-art technology, that is completely customizable during the build process, then as far as I know the Commander is in a club of one. It is truly enjoyable to listen to, and will serve as the Command and Control module of your stereo system for many years to come. Thank you, Jeff and the Wells Audio team, for allowing me to review the Commander Level II.
The Kronos Discovery RS Tonearm Review
May 13, 2022 Comments Off on The Kronos Discovery RS Tonearm Review
Meze Audio Elite over-ear headphones Review
May 12, 2022 Comments Off on Meze Audio Elite over-ear headphones Review
The altogether more considered sound of Mountains by Prince & The Revolution [Paisley Park] is no less compelling in the Elite’s hands. Like all the best Prince songs, Mountains sounds like a high-class demo – and the Elite gives the spaces, the absences and the silences that constitute a big part of this recording full expression. The level of bite and drive they summon is deeply impressive – the steroid-assisted horn section has never sounded more clipped or austere, the vocal has never sounded more impassioned, the drag on the kick drum has never sounded so deliberate. Whatever the intentions of a recording are, it seems, the Elite have no trouble understanding them.
Luxman M-10X power amplifier $19,995 Review
May 12, 2022 Comments Off on Luxman M-10X power amplifier $19,995 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/luxman-m-10x-power-amplifier
My final comparison was with the GoldenEar speakers, using the chamber orchestra version of Copland’s Appalachian Spring, which I had recorded live at the 1995 Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. This was the first recording I made with the microphone array that was to become my go-to for live recording projects: a central ORTF pair of cardioids flanked by two omnidirectionals, with the outputs of the two pairs time-aligned in the mix. The cardioids give a stable, accurate stereo image with the omnis adding low-frequency bloom. From the hushed opening through to the joyful “Simple Gifts” melody, the Luxman and Parasounds both produced the clear, stable image of the orchestra in Santa Fe’s St. Francis Auditorium that I had worked to create. Both amplifiers correctly placed the woodwinds and piano behind the strings, and the occasional cough from the audience was placed well back in the soundstage with both the Luxman and Parasounds. The presentation of the cellos and basses was similarly articulate. I was hard put to choose one model of amplifier over the other.
Audiophilepure 
You must be logged in to post a comment.