Violectric HPA V324 Review
December 29, 2025 Comments Off on Violectric HPA V324 Review
https://www.headfonia.com/violectric-hpa-v324-review/
Now we get to the good stuff – the nice VU meters! They’re nice to look at as they dance in tune with the music, but they also serve an actual purpose. On the HPA V324 they measure the incoming signal. Some power amps have output power meters and many folks quickly realize that their amp is coasting at under 1W so the meters pretty much stay in place.
With the Violectric amp, we first need to adjust the input sensitivity of these meters. On the back panel, we see the DIP switches, which can reduce the input sensitivity of the meters. Your DAC tech spec should show how hot the output signal is. 4Vrms is roughly 15dBU, so flip the appropriate switch up to get an accurate measurement.
If you’re unsure, download a 0dB noise file, play it on Foobar2000, or some other player that bypasses the OS mixer and flip the switch so that the needle stays at roughly 0dBU.
The back panel also houses a couple of curiosities. There’s a tuning knob for the VU meter brightness as well as the inputs and outputs. Violectric is advertising that the HPA V324 is also a preamp, so we get outputs and a button which toggles the outputs between true attenuated preamp duty and loop-outs if you want to connect something else in a daisy-chain, like an integrated amp.


EAT F-Dur Turntable & F-Note Tonearm Review
December 29, 2025 Comments Off on EAT F-Dur Turntable & F-Note Tonearm Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/eat-f-dur-turntable-f-note-tonearm
I connected the Allnic phono stage to Jo—the cartridge mounted on the EAT player. On Quarteto Em Cy’s close four-part sibling harmonies, the EAT F-Dur turntable lacked the exceptional separation and razor-sharp definition of the Thorens/Korf/Ortofon trio. But the EAT killed the Thorens combo for sheer presence: Voices carried more weight, the soundstage swelled and filled out, and the presentation felt richer. The EAT was unmistakably modern, displaying all the sonic virtues with authority.For decades, Robertinho Silva stood as one of Brazil’s premier session drummers, lending his talents to albums by Milton Nascimento, Wayne Shorter, Egberto Gismonti, and many others. His 1981 debut album radiates Tropicalia-infused psychedelia, with drums recorded in stereo and panned hard left and right, evoking that distinctive ethereality of 1970’s ECM. On the Thorens combo, the soundstage was wide, the timbres rich. The EAT stage was more recessed, and there was less immediacy and drive. But again what I heard was fuller, weightier, and more 3D. On the other hand, transients and fine details seemed slightly softer.

Excellent “AFFORDABLE” High End Speakers
December 29, 2025 Comments Off on Excellent “AFFORDABLE” High End Speakers
Arendal Sound 1528 Tower 8 loudspeaker $9500 Review
December 28, 2025 Comments Off on Arendal Sound 1528 Tower 8 loudspeaker $9500 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/arendal-sound-1528-tower-8-loudspeaker
The Arendal Towers will, in my judgment, perform their best in a comfortably large but not huge room. In a more open space, common in many homes today, the bass might come across as a little lighter than you might expect from eight serious woofers (four per side) working together. (If they do, just turn down the HF and midrange controls and turn up the volume to compensate.) Even in my large room, the bottom end was consistently clean and well-controlled. The Arendals’ rich, realistic detailing across the board was possibly the best I’ve experienced in my listening room, though also the largest, heaviest, and most expensive. If the size and the price of the Arendal Sound 1528 Towers don’t faze you, they’re well worth serious consideration

Feliks Audio Echo Vibe €999 Review
December 28, 2025 Comments Off on Feliks Audio Echo Vibe €999 Review
https://www.headfonia.com/feliks-audio-echo-vibe-review/
I’m a sucker for wood in audio electronics (blame Audeze for that), so the engraved side panels make my heart beat faster. In all honesty, I’d say that the Echo Vibe looks no worse than any of the more expensive Feliks Audio creations. The haptics of operating both the volume knob and the input selector are downright excellent.
Yes, the ON/OFF button is at the back, which sucks a smidge. Overall, high marks for the feel of the amp!

DIY SPEAKERS – FOCAL STELLA UTOPIA CLONE TIME-LAPSE
December 28, 2025 Comments Off on DIY SPEAKERS – FOCAL STELLA UTOPIA CLONE TIME-LAPSE
Beginner Turntable Guide: Avoid These Mistakes and Protect Your Records
December 28, 2025 Comments Off on Beginner Turntable Guide: Avoid These Mistakes and Protect Your Records
PureAudioProject Trio15 Horn1 Open Baffle Design Speaker $7490 Review
December 27, 2025 Comments Off on PureAudioProject Trio15 Horn1 Open Baffle Design Speaker $7490 Review
As I said, dynamics are where horns excel. The Trio15 Horns lived up to that expectation. From ppp to fff, the Trio15 Horns handled it all with aplomb. How many times did my wife and I sit down to listen at what we thought was a reasonable volume only to end up with a symphony orchestra at full tilt in our living room! Of course all this was at such a low distortion that we didn’t even realize how loud it was until we tried to talk to each other. My favorite demonstration of the incredible dynamics was not large-scale orchestra music, but a solo instrumentalist. The recent Michael Hedges compilation Beyond Boundaries, has several songs of him playing the harp guitar. These close-mic’ed recordings demonstrate the forcefulness of Hedges’ playing. No matter how many times I listened to these songs through the Trio15 Horns, I literately jumped every time Hedges banged out the bass line. Amazing!

Rotel DX-5 Integrated Amplifier $1,700 Review
December 27, 2025 Comments Off on Rotel DX-5 Integrated Amplifier $1,700 Review
Point being, regardless of the large difference in attitude when it comes to installing new hardware, the Rotel DX-5 can acquiesce to whichever party it is subject to. Whether it be an anal-retentive audiophile like my father, or some young spit-stain punk like I am, the Rotel DX-5 drives it all. Not only the predilections and the preferences of the end user, but also the demeanor.




Onkyo Icon M-80 amplifier and P-80 streaming preamp Review
December 27, 2025 Comments Off on Onkyo Icon M-80 amplifier and P-80 streaming preamp Review
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