Astell&Kern KANN Alpha Portable Player/Headphone Amp Review
September 3, 2021 Comments Off on Astell&Kern KANN Alpha Portable Player/Headphone Amp Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/astellkern-kann-alpha-portable-playerheadphone-amp
Nevertheless, not everything about the player feels quite so well thought through. Internal memory is fixed at 64GB, which frankly feels somewhat parsimonious. This can be expanded via a microSD card, with cards up to 1TB supported, but these, of course, will need to be budgeted for in addition to the player itself.
I also found the size of the KANN Alpha’s screen problematic [see boxout, p73] while the control interface threw up its own issues. At its heart, the interface used by all Astell&Kern products is a modified Android platform, but rather than allow apps to be installed via Google Play, they must be loaded via APK and transferred over USB – a process that was not always seamless under test. Meanwhile, the embedded Tidal app ceased functioning during review due to a login problem, although Astell&Kern says this is a temporary issue and would be fixed, around our publication date, via a firmware update for the player.
New TEAC W-1200 cassette deck Review
September 3, 2021 Comments Off on New TEAC W-1200 cassette deck Review
Rotel Michi X5 Integrated Amplifier Review
September 2, 2021 Comments Off on Rotel Michi X5 Integrated Amplifier Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/rotel-michi-x5-integrated-amplifier
As on the X3 the two sets of speaker terminals are paralleled and designed to bi-wire a single pair of suitable speakers. A pair of pre-outs are provided should you wish to add an external amplifier for bi-amping your speakers, and there are two mono subwoofer outputs, plus a headphone socket on the front panel.
Also retained from the X3 is that simple fascia, with little more than source and volume controls, and a big, ultra-clear display complete with fripperies – all defeatable – such as VU meters and spectrum analyser readouts. Should you want to go for the full moody black look, the display can be dimmed or turned off from the excellent remote common to all Michi integrateds and the P5 preamp [HFN May ’20]. It’s a solid little device, and a masterpiece of clarity – you can even temporarily adjust tone and balance without leaving your listening seat.
DEGRITTER RECORD CLEANING MACHINE REVIEW
September 2, 2021 Comments Off on DEGRITTER RECORD CLEANING MACHINE REVIEW
Degritter record cleaning machine
After cleaning 50 LPs, Degritter tells you the foam filter needs cleaning. It’s straightforward to do, and – unlike some rival ultrasonic cleaners – there are no expensive pads or brushes that need regular replacement. If you stick to distilled water, Degritter is exceptionally cheap to run.
However, this is perhaps running away with the review. To clean, or not to clean, that is the question! Every serious audiophile playing vinyl eventually has to consider whether or not to invest in some form of wet record cleaning machine – especially once you start buying secondhand vinyl.
There’s an old argument about not cleaning records. This states that it’s less damaging to play at most use a record brush, and the only cleaning required is to remove crud build-up at the stylus. In fairness, wet cleaning LPs can be a messy and involved process. It’s potentially harmful too; ham-fisted wet cleaning can leave LP surfaces sounding noisy.
Bottlehead Moreplay Preamp Kit, Tube Sound Done Right
September 2, 2021 Comments Off on Bottlehead Moreplay Preamp Kit, Tube Sound Done Right
AURALIC ARIES G2.1 NETWORK STREAMER REVIEW
September 1, 2021 Comments Off on AURALIC ARIES G2.1 NETWORK STREAMER REVIEW
http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/auralic-aries-g21-network-streamer/
Having got to this point the listening continued with Patricia Barber’s take on ‘Summertime’ [A Distortion of Love,Antilles], an evergreen standard if ever there was. Her voice at the start is positively ethereal, expanding into depths way behind the speakers and forcing your eyes closed to experience the sublime. The darkness of the background and the subtle percussion work that builds so slowly giving the piece a mesmerising quality that contrasts violently with the following track, ‘Subway Station #5’. Here, the drums’ energy forces your hands to attempt to emulate its activities, and you realise it’s a good thing that listening is a solitary pursuit. The ARIES G2.1 is an exceptional streamer with an excellent feature range and an increasingly sophisticated control app that gives instant access to those streaming services that are worth buying. If you get the components that surround it up to the same standard, you will have digital audio the likes of which few have enjoyed.
Amphion Argon1 Bookshelf Loudspeaker Review
September 1, 2021 Comments Off on Amphion Argon1 Bookshelf Loudspeaker Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2021/5/19/amphion-argon-loudspeakers
A well designed wave-guide will control the directivity of the tweeter at this critical crossover point, narrowing the dispersion of the lower end of the tweeter to accept the narrowing upper dispersion range of the woofer. This increases the area that the tweeter couples to the ‘air width’ of the woofer, expanding the area of commonality between both speakers. Voila, an ultimately smoother coherence of transition and ranges of sound. Much closer to how humanity hears sound. This is the theory. Easy to describe; inherently difficult to construct. Amphion, however, has mastered the theory and its practical application. Wave-guides and lower crossover points have been part of Amphion’s tradition right from the beginning and their experience clearly shows.
Apple Acquires Primephonic Music Streaming Service
September 1, 2021 Comments Off on Apple Acquires Primephonic Music Streaming Service
Focal Clear Mg $1490 Review
August 31, 2021 Comments Off on Focal Clear Mg $1490 Review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/focal-clear-mg
The Focal’s transparency is highlighted by the sizable lift in performance when we switch to our reference Naim streamer/Burmester amplifier combo. Here, we’re aware of a greater sense of control and dynamic expression. There’s clearly even more information and we’re pleased with the way the Focals arrange it with control and composure.
Tonally, they’re full-bodied in a manner that eludes most rivals, and this presentation results in instruments and voices coming through in a more natural and engaging manner. The overall balance is a little on the fuller, rounded side, but not so much that it affects the Focal’s ability to convince.
Mark Levinson No.5105/Ortofon Quintet Black S MC Review
August 31, 2021 Comments Off on Mark Levinson No.5105/Ortofon Quintet Black S MC Review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/mark-levinson-no5105ortofon-quintet-black-s-mc
A large part of a record player’s tonality comes from the cartridge, and here the Ortofon Quintet Black S delivers exactly what we’ve come to expect from the Danish brand’s more premium offerings. It’s a clean, even-handed performer that errs slightly on the cooler side of neutral, which suits the turntable’s character well. When mounted in the No.5105, we have no issue with the cartridge’s detail resolution or its ability to track low-level instrumental strands in a complex piece of music. It’s a good choice for the turntable design and works well in context.
This Mark Levinson sounds big-boned and composed no matter what we throw at it. There’s good insight when we play Orff’s Carmina Burana, the turntable able to communicate the over-the-top drama of this piece well. Singers come through with a convincing presence and there’s no issue in revealing subtle instrumental or vocal textures.
Audiophilepure 
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