AUDIRVANA STUDIO REVIEW
October 10, 2021 Comments Off on AUDIRVANA STUDIO REVIEW
A monthly subscription costs $12.99, but you can save a few bucks with a yearly subscription ($9,99/month). And if you want to show your dedication, or REALLY don’t like to subscribe, Roon also has a lifetime subscription, for an eye-watering $699, or approximately 6 years of monthly installment.
But, I’ve been using Plex for years now. Not because I find it better – head to head, Roon literally rolls over the competition when it’s about music – but because I own a big movie database. And, to this day, no other options gave me the same level of refinement when sorting my movies and series. Sure, Plex also sorts my music but as good as it is, the sort engine remains sub-optimal, compared to Roon.
Last but not least, Plex is MUCH cheaper than Roon. A monthly subscription costs $4.99, a yearly one $39.99, and a lifetime only $119.99. I took the yearly one and after more than 6 years, I’ve got nothing but good things to say about Plex.
MANGIRD XENNS UP REVIEW
October 10, 2021 Comments Off on MANGIRD XENNS UP REVIEW
the Mangird Xenns Up sounds fun and exciting with its emphasized bass and treble ranges. Furthermore, the midrange feels slightly recessed compared to the rest of the spectrum thus I can say that IEMs feature a U-shaped signature. The clarity and resolution are impressive, to say the least. It is exceptionally satisfying to have a punchy, rounded, and textured bass response with great control. The engineers behind this product managed to find a tuning that was both fun and technically competent at the same time. Could this be your ultimate tool to help you with your audio engineering endeavors? No, I don’t think so. Could this be your daily driver, all-rounder IEM that puts a huge smile on your face no matter the genre? I would personally bet big on yes. Let’s dig deeper.
EMPIRE EARS LEGEND EVO REVIEW
October 9, 2021 Comments Off on EMPIRE EARS LEGEND EVO REVIEW
Let’s get to the thing why you are here today. What does the Legend Evo sound like?
From my custom Odin I knew that I needed to let the Weapon IX+ drivers get some serious play-time before the bass really settles. So I let these burn in for a couple of days (at least 100hrs) before I took serious listening sessions.
That doesn’t mean, that I didn’t give them a quick listen before they reached this time though. From start the bass was quite overwhelming and a little boomy, but after the burn in was complete, the drivers settled in and lows became tighter and faster. So definitely don’t judge these after they have reached their full performance.
Bass has a very important place in the sound signature of the Legend Evo. But it’s not that the Legend Evo is a bass only earphone, definitely not. The lows have spectacular quality, they reach very deep into the sub-bass with high resolution and precision. Overall bass is seated in a more forward position when you’re looking at the entire frequency response. Making it the center of most attention when you take your first listening sessions with it. There is excellent pump and drive in the lows, which makes listening to genres like Hip Hop or electronic a lot of fun.
Gold Note DS-10 Plus Streaming DAC/Preamplifier $3695 Review
October 9, 2021 Comments Off on Gold Note DS-10 Plus Streaming DAC/Preamplifier $3695 Review
When the DS-10 Plus and PSU-10 EVO arrived, I was not instantly enamored, due primarily to my previous experience with a much earlier generation of Gold Note DACs. But after living with and using the DS-10 Plus/PSU-10 EVO combo for several months, I must admit that my initial misgivings were misplaced. The Gold Note DS-10 Plus/PSU-10 EVO combination is capable of producing reference-level sonics and has a feature set that includes all the essential options, including Ethernet and Wi-Fi, a true all-analog signal path, and those 192 different filter settings. When you factor in the dedicated remote and headphone capabilities, as well as Roon and MQA compatibility, you have a component that does everything that a current-generation DAC/preamplifier needs to do, and does it well.
Marantz Model 30 Integrated Amplifier $2,500 Review
October 8, 2021 Comments Off on Marantz Model 30 Integrated Amplifier $2,500 Review
The Marantz Model 30 Integrated Amplifier is in some ways, something of an anachronism. Its lack of digital circuitry may rule it out of consideration for some audiophiles. However, if you’re the consumer who wants the ultimate in simplicity AND great sound in a minimum number of boxes, this amplifier could serve as a great anchor for your stereo sound system.
On the other hand, if you have a primarily phonograph-based system and/or a separate digital front end, you get amazing sound at a fraction of the cost (but 99% of the sound quality) of MUCH more expensive separates systems. So, consider carefully what you want from an integrated amplifier, and if the Marantz Model 30 meets your needs, then buy without worries! The sound quality of this integrated amplifier more than justifies its price.
Astell&Kern SE180 Music Player DAP with SEM2 DAC Module Review
October 8, 2021 Comments Off on Astell&Kern SE180 Music Player DAP with SEM2 DAC Module Review
Rega P10 Turntable and Apheta 3 Cartridge
October 7, 2021 Comments Off on Rega P10 Turntable and Apheta 3 Cartridge
The Rega P10 Turntable and Apheta 3 Cartridge
Using the P10 in the main system, with the VAC Renaissance Phono Stage (all vacuum tubes) is downright sexy in the presentation. Combining the speed of the Apheta with the slightly lush tonality of the VAC phonostage is like catnip. Going for a more neutral, yet still very dynamic sound, the Boulder 509, set to 100 ohms is a powerful combination that won’t break the bank at $5,500. It’s incredibly low noise floor is well suited to the Apheta 3.
While we don’t currently have a Rega phonostage in our reference system, their past Ios phono was an outstanding match for the earlier Apheta, so it’s probably a safe bet the current Aura at $5,995 is probably an excellent match. When The Sound Org can free one up, we’ll let you know. Once you’ve settled on a phonostage, you’re in for a treat
Manley Snapper Monoblocks Review
October 7, 2021 Comments Off on Manley Snapper Monoblocks Review
The Manley Snapper Monoblocks
One more thing worthy of note, while some tube amps these days support an auto-bias configuration, the Snappers need to be biased manually. Manley provides excellent instructions in the owner’s manual and on their website -it’s not that tough. They are even kind enough to include a basic digital multimeter (DMM) so you won’t have to source one. Usually, biasing power tubes needs to be done when they are new, again at about 100 hours, and maybe double check every few hundred hours. Somewhere down the road, one or more of the output tubes will no longer bias up, or you’ll notice a bit of softness in the high frequencies. That’s when it’s time for new tubes. Unless you’re made of money, work with the standard tubes. Rolling EL-34s these days is expensive.
Audiophilepure 
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