Nordost Frey 2 Speaker Cables $3069 Review
October 22, 2020 Comments Off on Nordost Frey 2 Speaker Cables $3069 Review
Continuing with the generalities in the loom’s broadest sense, I enjoyed the detail the cables revealed in recordings of all types. If you have quality equipment, the cables will neither detract nor amplify elements, but offer a musical hand in keeping with the accompanying designer’s topology. My Jeff Rowland Continuum S2 is Class D, but Jeff Rowland Class D. Smooth as butter. A too revealing cable can give a clinical soundstage game away easily. With the Frey 2, the sweetness that is an important and sometimes elusive character trait of Rowland’s superior circuit remains; the same when the Frey 2 loom was attached to the Icon ST 40 MkIV Integrated Amplifier. When in Ultralinear mode, the cables did not get in the way of a clear soundstage and powerful dynamics yet allowed the Triode circuit’s nature, beautiful and uncoloured, to shine on my favorite, intimate repertoire. ”
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KEF’s New LS50 Collection Review
October 22, 2020 Comments Off on KEF’s New LS50 Collection Review
“To me, this limitation isn’t a major issue in this scenario, but purists should be aware of this digital signal processing. Speaking of DSP, it’s probably crazy to assume high rate DSD and 384 kHz PCM would stay I their native rates anyway because speakers like this use DSP that doesn’t operate at such high rates. In other words, even if the interspeaker connection was native (384/DSD256), the music would go through resampling for digital signal processing anyway. Thus, it’s a non-issue and I’m happy to read KEF released this information publicly. I love transparency. ”
T+A HA 200 USB/DAC Headphone Amp £6600 Review
October 20, 2020 Comments Off on T+A HA 200 USB/DAC Headphone Amp £6600 Review
“And that’s without recourse to the crossfeed control, which can occasionally just make things a bit confused. Listening to the recently released Oslo Philharmonic/Vasily Petrenko recording of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade [Lawo Classics LWC 1198; DXD], the impression is one of large orchestral forces, persuasively recorded, and a free-breathing, uncompressed and hugely dynamic sound.
I’ve also never heard the Oppo PM-1 headphones driven so convincingly: powered by the HA 200 they take on even greater weight and precision, which serves well a recording such as Snarky Puppy’s Live At The Royal Albert Hall set [Live Here Now; n/a cat no], with its large musical forces, tumbling rhythms and palpable audience presence. Even Ella Fitzgerald’s 1956 Live At Zardi’s set, from Qobuz [Universal/Verve 5798051; 192kHz/24-bit] sweeps the listener up in the atmosphere of the evening, the immediacy of the recording shining through.”
Focal Shape 65 Analog Active Loudspeakers $1998
October 20, 2020 Comments Off on Focal Shape 65 Analog Active Loudspeakers $1998
“Playing all his favorite demo tracks, Jay was impressed by everything he heard through the Shape 65s. And when he played Sara K.’s “All Your Love (Turned to Passion),” he was “left in disbelief that this type of sound was coming out from two active monitors that were meant for nearfield [listening].” In fact, Jay was so taken by the Shape 65s’ sound that he wanted to extend the listening period of his review to “play around with the speakers even longer.” He concluded his video by saying that the Focal Shape 65 isn’t great only for studio professionals — it’s also great for audiophiles who “want a kick-ass speaker in their living room, listening room, or for a small, simple system.”
Magnepan LRS Loudspeaker $650 Review
October 19, 2020 Comments Off on Magnepan LRS Loudspeaker $650 Review
“Scrolling through Qobuz to find some tasty tunes to stream, I settled on the famous 1961 live Bill Evans Trio recording from the Village Vanguard jazz club in New York City. Right out of the gate I heard many similar qualities between the Magnepans and the Quad ESL-57 speakers I use every day, with LRS delivering high levels of transparency and coherency. The volume of air in this tiny club, one I’m familiar with, was instantly recognizable, with every murmur from the audience or clink of glasses on the bar plainly audible. The sound of Evans’ piano had the percussive attack of the real thing, while Paul Motian’s cymbals sizzled. But the real star of this recording is young bassist Scott LaFaro, whose blazing virtuosity was cut short by a car accident just days later. LaFaro’s fingering and speed were startlingly clear through the LRS, and while the panel didn’t deliver the deep thunder of his instrument, I didn’t really feel like I was being short-changed.”
Naim Audio Supernait 3 Integrated Amplifier $4990 Review
October 19, 2020 Comments Off on Naim Audio Supernait 3 Integrated Amplifier $4990 Review
“The Naim put on full display the great sound of Lady Gaga’s Chromatica (24/48 FLAC, Interscope/Qobuz). This wonderful album is personal and cathartic, but is nonetheless upbeat and punchy. The Supernait 3 had no trouble keeping up with the album’s immense and pulsing dance beats. The album’s sweeping electronic flourishes highlighted a huge soundstage, the Naim assertively positioning deep, well-defined synth notes between the speakers in a dense and dizzying wall of EDM sound. But even as the dance beats pounded through hectic electronica, the voices were still clear — when Elton John enters 1:42 into “Sine from Above,” I was caught entirely off guard by how present his voice was. The slight processing on his voice didn’t keep the Supernait 3 from presenting it with an arrestingly crystalline quality that was vivid and commanding in the best possible way.
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The Supernait 3’s headphone output was also extremely satisfying. The many-layered vocals in Sting’s “Desert Rose” were well defined, and benefited from a bit of warmth that made this recording sound big and inviting through my Sennheiser HD 580 headphones. Although the sound wasn’t quite as clear as through the headphone output of my Oppo UDP-205 — my reference for built-in headphone amps — small details were still audible, and there was a touch more bass. And despite the signal having to travel through a pair of Nordost Quattro Fil interconnects to get to the Naim from the Oppo, the sound from the Naim’s headphone output was always clean and authoritative. I suggest that, unless they’re very serious about their headphone listening, those considering buying a Supernait 3 think twice before spending more on an external headphone amp.
WILSON AUDIO ALEXANDRIA XLF AND CH PRECISION
October 19, 2020 Comments Off on WILSON AUDIO ALEXANDRIA XLF AND CH PRECISION
Joseph Audio Pulsar2 Graphene Loudspeakers $8995 REVIEW
October 18, 2020 Comments Off on Joseph Audio Pulsar2 Graphene Loudspeakers $8995 REVIEW
“Audiophiles, of course, cannot live by deep bass alone—at least the experienced ones. Those frequencies should provide a foundation for everything else that happens. I’ve mentioned this before, but Bob Clarke of Profundo loves to evaluate high-end audio systems with recordings of grand pianos—as opposed to female voice. That prompted a listen to Australian pianist/composer Alister Spence’s album, Whirlpool, a two-disc set that’s his first solo album in three decades.
Spence is a pianist who spends a lot of time on the left half of the keyboard, so to speak, and most of these improvisations focus on deep water—its power, its persistence, its expansiveness. The Joseph Audio Pulsar2 loudspeakers were so adept at drawing out that aquatic vastness that I could easily hear the inspiration from Debussy’s La Mer, that sublime and humbling rise and fall of ocean waves, without any hint from the liner notes.”
Audiophilepure 
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