Estelon X Diamond Mk II Loudspeakers $78,000 Review
April 12, 2021 Comments Off on Estelon X Diamond Mk II Loudspeakers $78,000 Review
https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1027-estelon-x-diamond-mk-ii-loudspeakers
The Estelon X Diamond Mk II is a fantastic loudspeaker in every regard. It excels at the frequency extremes, but its sound is also amazing everywhere in between. The big Estelons play low and authoritatively in the bass, and marry that to almost impossibly airy, silky highs and an entirely uncolored midband. And when that superb sound quality is considered in the context of the most beautiful enclosure I’ve ever had the pleasure of living with, you have a complete package.
T+A PA3100 HV integrated amplifier Review
April 12, 2021 Comments Off on T+A PA3100 HV integrated amplifier Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/ta-pa3100-hv-integrated-amplifier
The T+A PA 3100 HV integrated amplifier makes a strong, consistent statement about sonic realities and the pathway to pleasure. Its consistently musical presentation, which emphasizes smoothness and ease over strong contrasts and abrupt shifts, renders it a powerful transmitter of musical truth—specifically that delivered farther back in the orchestra sections of many acoustically superior halls I’ve visited as well as in some drier or less-resonant venues.
Anyone wishing to get as much as possible from a single, very solid box will also find its headphone amp, optional phono card, and APM with tone controls and room equalization quite attractive. Put it all together, and you’ve got an excellent, meticulously engineered, beautifully made integrated amplifier that seems tailor-made for many audiophiles.
Mark Levinson No.5105 turntable Review $6000
April 11, 2021 Comments Off on Mark Levinson No.5105 turntable Review $6000
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mark-levinson-no5105-turntable
Decoded by the No.5105 into the hybrid Hagerman, the vinyl version delivered timbral richness, particularly to the massed strings and Mutter’s violin, and textural sophistication that might have some screaming “coloration!” Not I! To me it sounds more real and definitely more pleasurable than the streamed digital, especially the piano’s presentation, both timbrally and in terms of transient attack. It helps that the Emil Berliner Studios did the mastering and that the Optimal pressing is outstanding. I could not hear any difference in dynamic range between the two versions. It’s possible though that the file was dynamically compressed for streaming but allowed to express itself fully in the grooves.
Icon Audio HP8 MkII Signature Headphone Amplifier Review
April 11, 2021 Comments Off on Icon Audio HP8 MkII Signature Headphone Amplifier Review
https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2021/2/1/0t4as8dlvsipy6zuup151430h32qvc
It drove my 52 ohm Focals just as well as my 300ohm Sennheisers, and I would certainly recommend this amp for statement headphones like the Sennheiser HD800/HD800S, Audeze LCD-3/4, the HIFIMAN HE1000 or the Focal Utopia. With 800 mW x2 of Class A power on tap (a number up there with many solid state designs), it has plenty of gain for all of them. This amplifier is, of course, just an amp, no frills attached, so it may not suit those looking for compact desktop all-in-one solutions with DACs, streaming, or other state-of-the art digital audio applications. If you have all those bases already covered in your chain, or want a high end headphone section for your main system, the Icon Audio HP8 MkII Signature is one of the best sounding headphone amplifiers I have heard, and its polished looks certainly makes it easy on the eyes as well as the ears.
Sonus Faber Lumina III loudspeaker Review $2199
April 10, 2021 Comments Off on Sonus Faber Lumina III loudspeaker Review $2199
https://www.stereophile.com/content/sonus-faber-lumina-iii-loudspeaker
Once I had finalized the speakers’ positions, I started my serious listening. As always, I started my critical auditioning of the Lumina IIIs with the test-tone files I created for my Editor’s Choice CD (Stereophile STPH016-2). The Lumina IIIs were initially toed in to the listening position. With the dual-mono pink noise track, the treble balance was reminiscent of the Bowers & Wilkins 705 Signature’s: a little accentuated in the top two octaves, especially when compared with the KEFs. I increased the toe-in a little so that the speaker axes crossed just in front of me; now the high frequencies sounded in better balance with the midrange, though still a little high in level, especially if I sat upright so I could see the tops of the speakers. While the pink noise had a touch of “character” in the lower midrange, the image of the pink noise was narrow and stable, with no “splashing” to the sides at any frequency.
Linn Majik DSM Streaming Integrated Amplifier Review
April 10, 2021 Comments Off on Linn Majik DSM Streaming Integrated Amplifier Review
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/linn-majik-dsm-streaming-integrated-amplifier-review
I checked out the Majik DSM’s HDMI functionality using a Sony UBP-X800 Blu-ray player, with the player converting soundtracks to 2.0 PCM for output. Streaming the Afghanistan war movie The Outpost, the Linn nicely reproduced the crackling flames that followed in the wake of explosions. Of course, asking the Majik 109 book- shelf speakers to convincingly reproduce the ultra-low sound of explosions by themselves would be unfair. To quote Emeril Lagasse, I “kicked it up a notch” by connecting a JL Audio Dominion d110 subwoofer to the Majik DSM’s line-level analog RCA outputs. While this didn’t exactly turn the Majik DSM into a full-fledged home theater system, the sub added low-end impact and allowed the amp to deliver even louder movie sound.
QUESTYLE CMA TWELVE FLAGSHIP DAC/HEADPHONE AMP $1499 REVIEW
April 9, 2021 Comments Off on QUESTYLE CMA TWELVE FLAGSHIP DAC/HEADPHONE AMP $1499 REVIEW
I threw a number of genres and headphones at the CMA Twelve and the results were all good. It is worthy of the flagship moniker. The option of single-ended and two balanced connection styles makes it accessible to a wide array of headphone choices. The switchable BIAS allows for an even wider choice of headphone or two-channel pre-amp options. The DAC is very clear without being overly bright and uses a favorite DAC of mine, the AKM 4490. I came to enjoy the front panel LED layout as it did not take long to be able to glance at it and know the type and bit rate of the file being played. A good thing for a Roon radio user. Given the build quality and track record of Questyle, I would expect the CMA Twelve to have pride of place in your headphone listening space for many years to come. Highly
Audiophilepure 
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