Arcam ST60 Review
September 29, 2021 Comments Off on Arcam ST60 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/arcam-st60
Arcam has carried its decades of sonic expertise seamlessly into the streaming segment, both with and without amplification, in one box. Its proprietary software may not be exemplary, and its chassis design may not win a best-dressed award, but if you can get over that you will be rewarded with the best-sounding performer available for this money.
If you’re happy with your hi-fi system but simply want to smarten it up by slotting a streamer next to your separates, the Arcam ST60 is a strong choice.
VPI Industries Prime 21 Turntable Review
September 27, 2021 Comments Off on VPI Industries Prime 21 Turntable Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2021/7/30/vpi-prime-21-turntable
I’ve been on a New Order kick lately, and I spent a lot of my time with the Prime 21 revisiting classic albums from their discography. 1988’s Technique is one of their most electrifying outings, and the 21 showed just how much meat there was on the bones of this dance rock classic. Analog synthesizers are always one of my tests for gauging how much flesh a component is capable of reproducing, and the Prime 21 did not disappoint here. Speaking of flesh, the kick drum had it in spades. Bass control and body is a serious merit of the VPI metal platter designs, it was always impressive on my Scout, and it was even more impressive here. But what my Scout never possessed was this degree of articulation below the midrange, making everything far more clear and separated. If you are a basshead, this is the turntable for you. That doesn’t mean other areas feel neglected though, as Bernard Summer’s airy, boyish vocals cut through with clarity and pure tone.
FIIO K3S REVIEW
September 27, 2021 Comments Off on FIIO K3S REVIEW
The bass with the K3s is very very impressive. It’s very tidy, controlled, and rumbling with good body and slam. The resolution of the bass is very good as well as the attack. Its decay is also quite impressive as it doesn’t spread the bass around. Of course, that’s only the case when you don’t open the bass switch.
I’m not quite a sound effects guy so I really don’t like these types of additions. Sure, some people would benefit from the lifted bass response but I think in this device that only makes the bass worse. Much worse, if I have to be precise. All of those qualities I mentioned above disappear, and you’re left with a boomy, dispersed, and disjointed bass response. Would I use that just for the sake of more bass quantity? I would definitely say, no. The switch is a bit better when you use the device with full-size headphones, but still, I would prefer not to use the switch.
Cambridge Audio CXA81 Review
September 26, 2021 Comments Off on Cambridge Audio CXA81 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/cambridge-audio-cxa81
The CXA81 perhaps sounds a little forward, but its level of expression is such that it is sympathetic to more minimal, sombre recordings as well. Feed it a solo piano work or chamber quartet and it is only too pleased to show you its more caring, gentle side.
What really shines through though is a level of clarity that not only pips its rivals, such as the Rega Elex-R, but also makes them appear a touch cloudy. It is one thing beating this talented Rega amp for timing and dynamics, but to offer a more polished, insightful, even more mature presentation is a real turn up for the books.
Furutech DPS-4.1 Power Cords $1680/2m Review
September 26, 2021 Comments Off on Furutech DPS-4.1 Power Cords $1680/2m Review
When I introduced the REL subs and the DPS-4.1, I felt the power cords tightened the low-end spine of the system—not by an order of magnitude, mind you, but in a musically noteworthy way. There was a newly exposed, seat-of-the-pants energy from the Hans Zimmer soundtrack to The Thin Red Line, specifically on the brain-rattling Kodo drumming of “Air,” which added greater harmonic complexity and texture than before.
I acknowledge that the home-assembly approach of the DPS-4.1 is not for everyone, but for those who possess some DIY chops, Furutech just might have the power cord for you. All it takes is a little elbow grease, and you’ll be rewarded with a cord that performs on a par with some of the top contenders, at a considerable cost savings. Unreservedly recommended.
VAC Sigma 170i Integrated Amplifier Review
September 25, 2021 Comments Off on VAC Sigma 170i Integrated Amplifier Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/vac-sigma-170i-integrated-amplifier
This prowess, however, wasn’t dependent on the superior pressing at higher speed. With the 2014 reissue of Etta James’ sublime Tell Mama on Bear Family [BAF108026], certainly not known as a label of the audiophile tendency, the otherwise average recording did not hold back one iota of James’ peerless, powerful vocals on this milestone LP.
You want emotion? Here Etta James rips out your heart, and the Sigma 170i ensured that every dynamic moment was treated with respect. Damn, this is a fine amp.
Boulder 866 integrated amplifier $14,950 Review
September 25, 2021 Comments Off on Boulder 866 integrated amplifier $14,950 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/boulder-866-integrated-amplifi
I ate up the beautiful midrange on Rickie Lee Jones’s subversive take on “Sympathy for the Devil” from The Devil You Know (16/44.1 FLAC file, Concord); hers is a devil you want to pal around with, come what may. I was enamored of the natural sweetness, radiance, and warmth of soprano Elly Ameling singing about the stars of heaven in Schubert’s “Die Sterne,” with Dalton Baldwin on piano, on the indispensable four-CD anthology The Artistry of Elly Ameling (16/44.1 FLAC, Philips/Qobuz). Jones and Ameling’s very different voices sounded just as I expected them to sound. Next, lured back to the devil’s territory by the final “Sacrificial Dance” from Ludovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony’s take on Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring (24/96 WAV file, Seattle Symphony Media), I again found colors spot-on. I may not have heard shake-the-floorboards bass (footnote 4), but the piccolo had realistic bite, the rhythms were firm, and the music was thrilling.
Audiophilepure 
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