Aurender N20 Music Server / Streamer Review
December 7, 2021 Comments Off on Aurender N20 Music Server / Streamer Review
https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/review-aurender-n20-music-server-streamer-r1066/
Aurender has wisely curated the features available in its Conductor application by accepting feedback and deciding which ideas don’t belong in the app. I’ve asked for some fairly technical features over the years and looking back on it now, I’m happy the team said, thanks but no thanks. I still want the ability to upload a convolution filter, but that’s a topic for another day.
One more note about Aurender’s Conductor application. The app works very well on Apple Silicon based hardware. I run the app on my Mac Mini (M1) with Pro Display XDR and enjoy seeing more album covers on one screen that I can possibly comprehend (OK, I counted, it’s 264). It’s just nice to sit at my desk and control the Aurender from my desktop rather than wake my iPad or iPhone (I know, first world problem).
McIntosh MHA200 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier Review
December 7, 2021 Comments Off on McIntosh MHA200 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier Review
64 AUDIO – U6T REVIEW
December 6, 2021 Comments Off on 64 AUDIO – U6T REVIEW
First of all it’s important to mention that the U6t plays perfectly with all kinds of sources, and it’s dead silent at all times with a pitch black background. My favorite modules for the U6t are the m15 ones (gun metal grey like the IEM color) and the below impressions are based on that.
Sound stage wise the U6t scores well, but there is margin for improvement, so let’s call it moderate. This is especially the case when it comes to the sound stage width. The U6t extends better at the bottom than it does at the top, but you overall get a more intimate presentation. There’s nothing wrong with that actually, and many people prefer this kind of tuning. What I do like is the depth in the U6t, and that both for the bass and mids. Together with the lovely depth, you get good layering and that’s something I always love hearing.
Rogers AB3a Subwoofer Review
December 6, 2021 Comments Off on Rogers AB3a Subwoofer Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/rogers-ab3a-subwoofer
Rather, you need to approach the AB3a expecting to free up the sound, if in ways that do not immediately spring to mind. Call them unintended consequences or, better still, unanticipated benefits. And what first made me realise this was the Nimbus Supercut of Miles Davis’ Kind Of Blue [CBS 62066]. The difference between with AB3a and without revealed itself throughout the entire LP, in various ways. The first was a sense of greater openness, the second was enhanced stage depth, while a third benefit was the exposure of fine details with improved clarity.
As this LP is a trumpeter’s creation, you’ll be pleased to learn that the punch, extension, clarity and, yes, the sound of Miles’ saliva, were a touch more vivid. Please bear in mind that the subwoofers were tuned to their least intrusive settings, such that I was wondering if they were even switched on. I couldn’t see or feel any woofer movement when I removed the grilles from the AB3as to check.
Cambridge Audio CXA61 review
December 5, 2021 Comments Off on Cambridge Audio CXA61 review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/cambridge-audio-cxa61
This is made clear when we listen to the Olafur Arnalds set, which relies on the system having a high degree of subtlety. It’s easy for an amplifier to sound ham-fisted when playing this recording, but it’s a trap that the Cambridge avoids. Instead it is confident and composed, but never overplays its hand.
This Cambridge is a rhythmic performer too, delivering Prince’s 3121 with verve. There’s plenty of entertainment to be had here from thumping basslines to intricately shifting rhythms with Prince’s distinctive vocals at the centre. The CXA61 ticks all the hi-fi boxes without forgetting that all the detail and tonal neutrality in the world doesn’t matter if the emotional content of the music is ignored.
Fyne Audio F700 Loudspeakers Review
December 5, 2021 Comments Off on Fyne Audio F700 Loudspeakers Review
https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1067-fyne-audio-f700-loudspeakers
Let me be clear up front: Fyne Audio’s F700 is a riot. I queued up Seinabo Sey’s “Younger [Acoustic Version]” from her debut album Pretend (24-bit/44.1kHz MQA, Universal Records/Virgin EMI Records/Tidal) and laughed out loud when I heard the finished product. The Swedish singer’s voice emerged from between these stylish two-ways in commanding fashion. The Fynes were decidedly not shy, propelling Sey’s closely-miked vocal into my room with a forwardness and immediacy that was impossible not to admire. The flanking piano lines were marked by a similar vibrancy; the aforementioned lower treble prominence is quite real, so careful equipment partnering is a must to ensure that this quality doesn’t become too much of a good thing. I need to emphasize that while I was sitting unmistakably front row, center seat for “Younger,” both Sey’s voice and her piano were utterly refined and silky smooth. This is not a bright-sounding loudspeaker, just forward. The F700 is so much more than a quick thrill. Stereo imaging of Sey’s vocal was terrific, with strong spatial definition; not exactly a shock given the Fynes’ coaxial driver arrangement. And detail retrieval was excellent for the price point. I easily picked up Sey’s mouth movements and inhalation of breath before she delivered her opening lines, and the track was as engaging at low volume as it was when I cranked my Hegel’s volume dial. It all sounded so effortless, yet hugely expressive and invigorated.
NAD C 298 Class D Power Amp Review
December 4, 2021 Comments Off on NAD C 298 Class D Power Amp Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/nad-c-298-class-d-power-amp
I’ll not fall into the ‘but it’s a Class D amplifier’ trap. There’s no elephant in the room here, just a relatively compact black box sat on a kit rack. Yes, NAD’s C 298 might not bring the mug-of-cocoa warmth and smoothness one might expect (or demand) from a hot-running transistor or tube amp but that’s because it’s voiced for a very direct sound, presenting the music without gloss. In this instance there’s no fear the experience becomes clinical or dry, turning listening from a relaxed pleasure into something more demanding. There’s so much excitement to be had from its exuberance, power and rhythmic ability that any craving for something mellower doesn’t last for long.
I finished with The City Of Prague Philharmonic’s performance of Elmer Bernstein’s ‘The Magnificent Seven’ [100 Greatest Film Themes; Silva Screen Records SILCD1309]. Here, the brass instruments and rat-a-tat snare drums emerged from silence with the speed of an Old West sharp-shooter, but there was a light touch to the proceedings too. The C 298 didn’t overstate its power, and the sweeping string notes that followed were writ both large and lush. The amp also let the piece’s warmth and energy shine through. Magnificent? At this price, I’d say so.
WELLS AUDIO DRAGON HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
December 4, 2021 Comments Off on WELLS AUDIO DRAGON HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER REVIEW
Some general comments first. The Wells Audio Dragon sounded excellent with the out-of-the-box settings. Most of my auditioning was on the Focal MG headphones, which are very revealing, and let me tell you, they reveal just about everything right or wrong with a recording.
I found the Schitt Valhalla 2 and the Dragon very close in sound. What the Valhalla lacked was any ability to tune the audio output by the flip of a switch and bring another tube into the circuit. Still, both amps sounded a bit mellower, especially in the mid-range on all recordings. This warm midrange is especially notable with vocalists and acoustics instruments. I found both amps to be accurate in the high frequencies, and there was ample bass.
Listening to the solid-state headphone amps (the output of the FiiO M15, and the output of my MacBook Pro outputting my Roon library through the Questyle M12 was also satisfying. The solid-state amps sounded like the tube amps but lacked the slightest bit of midrange warmth. In my listening tests, vocals always sounded better on the tubed-amps, and I could detect a slight bit more of the sound of the room (reverberation) in recordings done in a large venue.
Audiophilepure 
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