PMC FACT.12 SIGNATURE FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER £14,995 Review
November 1, 2020 Comments Off on PMC FACT.12 SIGNATURE FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER £14,995 Review
http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/pmc-fact12-signature-floorstanding-loudspeaker/
“OK, so scratching the surface, there are some observations to be made. The fact.12 Signature’s room-flexibility might weigh against it when shoe-horned into a really tiny room, or used where the Fenestria should sit; in other words, there are speakers that might be a better ‘fit’ for really challenging room volumes. The other observation is that if you hook the fact.12 Signature to some really meaty power amplification and play it loud, something’s gotta give… and that something is your ears. These speakers play clean, loud, and undistorted. If you like to play music at ‘a fair lick’ a lot the fact.12 Signature’s headroom means your usual ‘turn it down, it’s distorting’ point could be ‘turn it down, my ears are relaxing on each beat’. “
Audio Research Reference 6SE line preamplifier $17,000 Review
November 1, 2020 Comments Off on Audio Research Reference 6SE line preamplifier $17,000 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/audio-research-reference-6se-line-preamplifier
“My first postbreak listen was in the COVID-19–mandated masked company of Erik Owen, co-owner of Gig Harbor Audio (footnote 3), and his 21-year-old daughter, Natalia. As befits listening during the pandemic, they shared the sweet spot on the front sofa while I sat in the back, way over to the left. With my neighbors’ permission—I warned them that it might be loud, and that they could cry uncle at any time—I also left the door of the music room open to increase air circulation.
The three of us soon narrowed down our track choices from an initial six to the two most telling: the hi-rez remastering of Dolly Parton’s less-than-superbly-recorded “I Will Always Love You (Original Version)” from Jolene (Qobuz 24/96 FLAC) and Yello’s hot-on-top, depth-plumbing, wall-to-wall “Electrified II” from Toy (Tidal 24/48 FLAC). Both tracks include recitations: Dolly does her best to sound sincere as she repeats, in deadpan fashion, words that might embarrass a Hallmark card writer, while Yello’s Dieter Meier’s tongue remains firmly planted in cheek.”
The Archive of Contemporary Music Tour With B.George
November 1, 2020 Comments Off on The Archive of Contemporary Music Tour With B.George
Synergistic Research PowerCell SX Power Conditioner Review
October 29, 2020 Comments Off on Synergistic Research PowerCell SX Power Conditioner Review
The PowerCell SX comes with three options of power cord: the Atmosphere X Euphoria Level 3 cord (5’, $3995 if bought separately, total price $8495); the Galileo SX cord (5’, $6000 separate, $10,495 total); or the SRX cord (6’, $10,000 separate, $12,995 total). The SRX, Synergistic’s best currently sold power cord, is similar to the SR25 Limited Edition cord ($20,000, sold out): a long, flat, flexible, layered EM cell containing two smaller folded cells, one each for the hot and neutral conductors. Synergistic claims that the SRX provides state-of-the-art filtration of AC.
While all of these cords are actively shielded, their power supplies are internal — no external wires are used to deliver the shield’s DC bias. With the PowerCell SX, Synergistic also sent me Atmosphere X Euphoria Level 3 and SRX power cords, and a High Definition Ground Cable ($400) for use with my Active Ground Block.”
Monitor Audio Gold 200 Loudspeakers $5500 Review
October 29, 2020 Comments Off on Monitor Audio Gold 200 Loudspeakers $5500 Review
https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1485-monitor-audio-gold-200-loudspeakers
Eddie Vedder’s deep, resonant baritone in “Society,” from Into the Wild, sounded remarkably similar through the two pairs of towers. Switching back and forth between them, I was always treated to a consistently clean, open sound. The Monitors created a slightly deeper soundstage, this most evident when the backing singers harmonize with Vedder. Otherwise, whenever I thought I heard a difference, I’d then switch to the other speakers and not be so sure. Given that the Performa3 F206 is one of the best speakers I’ve heard, this is a testament to the quality of the Gold 200, which was never outclassed by its American counterpart.
As I listened to “m.A.A.d. city,” from Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city (16/44.1 AIFF, Aftermath/Interscope), the Gold 200s had a bit more bass oomph than the Performa3 F206es, whose sound was lighter in comparison. But Lamar’s voice was clearer through the Revels, as if it had been mixed a bit farther forward. And as clean as the Monitors sounded, the super-transparent Revels outlined Lamar’s voice more precisely. Ultimately, I appreciated how both pairs of speakers reproduced this track and could live happily with either — but if forced to choose, I’d pick the Monitor Gold 200s for hip-hop: Their weightier sound is, overall, better suited to the “
Yamaha WXC-50 streaming preamp with MusicCast
October 29, 2020 Comments Off on Yamaha WXC-50 streaming preamp with MusicCast
Audio Note UK TT3 turntable system $10,795 Review
October 28, 2020 Comments Off on Audio Note UK TT3 turntable system $10,795 Review
“On a subsequent to Soundhounds they demonstrated the Audio Note UK TT2 – I was impressed. This had the tactile speed and lightness of touch of the Voyd – it had the nimble bounce and energy of the Voyd – well – almost. The TT2 sounded more transparent and “locked in” in terms of pace. It had energy and pizzazz where some of the store’s high mass turntables sounded bloodless and overly polite to me in comparison. I was drawn to the sound of the TT2 over some dearer turntables from Linn, Clearaudio, and Oracle.”
EMPIRE EARS HERO $1,349 REVIEW
October 28, 2020 Comments Off on EMPIRE EARS HERO $1,349 REVIEW
“The Hero can be put down in a few sentences as a monitor with impactful, authoritative and extended lows. It has a beautifully smooth mid-range that puts upper mids lightly forward. Vocals
on the Hero stand out the most as its best quality in my opinion. The treble is a bit conflicting, as it can be on the edge of sharpness at times, but generally it has an agile top that delivers a great
sense of air.
Hero reaches deep into the sub-bass and does so with good drive. It has a slightly forward bass presence, that does not overshadow any other frequency range. Hero does keep its lows well”
YG ACOUSTICS VANTAGE FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER £39,990 REVIEW
October 27, 2020 Comments Off on YG ACOUSTICS VANTAGE FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKER £39,990 REVIEW
“Last, let me reference the track ‘The Town Burns’ from John Williams’ original soundtrack for the film Rosewood [Sony Masterworks, 16/44.1]. ‘The Town Burns’ conveys a dark sense of foreboding conveyed in no small part by deep, very low-pitched percussion that seems, at times, to arise out of nowhere. Here, the powerful, but also tautly controlled and sharply focussed, bass of the Vantages comes into play. One moment the listener is following the track’s vocals and melodic lines and the next one is aware of the deep, potent, but never overblown or boomy, presence of very low-pitched percussion instruments that fairly bristle with ominous portent. Then, just as suddenly as they appeared, the low percussion sounds decay and vanish—as if inviting the listener to wonder is s/he even heard them at all. Great low bass is often this way; it’s not present until the music calls for it, and it doesn’t linger around once its impact has been heard and felt. The Vantages are great low-frequency performers.”
Audiophilepure 
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