Focal Sopra No1 Loudspeakers $999 Review
May 7, 2020 Comments Off on Focal Sopra No1 Loudspeakers $999 Review
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The Focal Sopra No1 is an expensive minimonitor, but you get a lot for $9990/pair: cutting-edge design, and manufacture under Focal’s direct control — they make every part of every one of their speakers in-house. From the pure-beryllium inverted-dome tweeter in its patented IHL frame, to the W sandwich midrange-bass driver, to the rock-solid, curved, beautifully finished cabinet, it all comes together in a package that leaves a lasting impression. Even the matching stands are well engineered and beautiful to look at.
Having reviewed Focal’s Spectral 40th speaker, my expectations of sound quality from Focal were high. The Sopra No1s met and exceeded those expectations. Their imaging prowess and transparency were beyond reproach — they “disappeared” from my room even as they chiseled out precise aural images on a wide, deep, and tall soundstage. The degrees of delicacy, shimmer, and extension I heard in the top registers were breathtaking, and the Sopras offered taut, quick bass with superb dynamic punch and contrast.”
FIIO M3 PRO REVIEW
May 7, 2020 Comments Off on FIIO M3 PRO REVIEW
“he first FiiO M3 maybe wasn’t really impressive but the new M3 Pro feels like a very different kind of animal. First and foremost, the player ditched the horrendous plastic case, for aluminum. In fact, the DAP now looks and feels like the old iPod Nano: a thin, minimal, slab of metal.
I saw the FiiO M3 Pro in pictures, before getting one for real. And while the player looks nice on those shots, it’s even better in real life. CNC’ed housing with rounded edges, glass panels front and back, none of the previous M3 traits have made it to the new version. And, that’s good news.”
MANLEY LABORATORIES ABSOLUTE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER
May 6, 2020 Comments Off on MANLEY LABORATORIES ABSOLUTE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER
“Sonically the Manley Absolute can be anything from a push-pull amplifier with 0.16% THD to a single-ended amp with 1.0% THD. Also, you can add up to 10 dB of feedback. The sonic difference between the single-ended with no feedback and the push-pull with 10 dB of feedback is about as wide as the gap in opinions among audiophiles about the effects of cables on a system. But unlike polarized opinions, the Absolute offers you all the options in between its sonic extremes. Which setting did I find to be ‘the one?’ None, actually. Instead there was a range of settings that worked, depending on the music, the recording, and my own mood.
Generally, I found I needed to employ some feedback regardless of whether I was using the push-pull or the single-ended amplifier circuits. Without at least 4 dB of feedback the sound was a bit too ‘wild and wooly’ for my tastes. Conversely, above 8 dB of feedback the sound lost its immediacy and dynamic drive.”
Vimberg Mino loudspeaker $31,000 Review
May 6, 2020 Comments Off on Vimberg Mino loudspeaker $31,000 Review
“In the midrange, the Minos sounded as clean and uncolored as the Dutch & Dutch 8c speakers that I also review in this issue. I found myself playing a lot of solo piano recordings with the Vimbergs. Not only did this loudspeaker love pianos, but its transparency and imaging accuracy clearly revealed the differences between different recordings. I followed Tor Espen Aspaas’s performance of the Maestoso from Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.32 in C minor, Op.111 (24/96 FLAC file from Mirror Canon, 2L 2L-49) with my own recording, made in 2000, of Robert Silverman performing the same movement (24/88.2 ALAC file, OrpheumMasters, no longer available). Aspaas’s piano sounded powerful and close-up, set within a supportive (Norwegian church) acoustic, while the Vimbergs made it only too clear that Silverman’s Bösendorfer piano had been recorded in too small a hall in Santa Monica. (In my defense, I had not been involved in the choice of the” hall, and when I set up my microphones, it proved impossible to move the piano.) But this was offset by the Minos’ lack of coloration, low-frequency clarity, and impressive dynamics, allowing me to be caught up in Silverman’s engaging interpretation.”
Devialet Expert 440 Pro Dual Integrated Digital Amplifier Review
May 6, 2020 Comments Off on Devialet Expert 440 Pro Dual Integrated Digital Amplifier Review
“The beating heart of any integrated is its amplification and the Expert Pro is no different. Devialet has been using a steadily software-refined form of what it calls ‘ADH’ amplification, or Analog Digital Hybrid, since the first D-Premier. The principle of ADH is a simple*, yet highly-effective one and offers a unique solution to heat generation and sound quality: an analog (Class-A) amp determines the load’s output voltage while passing off the associated current generation function to a Class-D (digital) switch amp. Having the Class-A ‘master amp’ entrusted with voltage/audio performance and the Class-D ‘slave’ amp with current/power requirements very nicely allows for the superior sonics of Class-A without the extreme heat generation associated with that type of amplification. Class-D runs cool in comparison and is how Devialet can stuff 220 watts into such a small enclosure and still have exquisite sound without burning your fingers off were you to touch the chassis”
LSA HP-1 PLANAR HEADPHONE REVIEW
May 5, 2020 Comments Off on LSA HP-1 PLANAR HEADPHONE REVIEW
“Soundstage lovers will love the wide and deep stage the HP-1 projects. Musicians appear in their own space and the imaging is rock solid and three dimensional and suitable for any type of music. A classical music lover will love the layering of the orchestra with the 3D imaging and you will be able to hear the remarkable inner detail in the recordings. Little details become noticeable that many lesser designs are unable to reproduce.”
Rega Aethos Review
May 5, 2020 Comments Off on Rega Aethos Review
https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/rega-aethos
“Our initial impressions of the Aethos’s sound were disappointing. Despite being given days to stabilise, it wasn’t as dynamically expressive as we expected and didn’t convey rhythms with enough verve. We asked for another sample and we’re glad we did.
The second Aethos sample proves a notable improvement in both respects. It turns out that the cables for one of the channels had been disturbed (possibly during transit) with the result that distortion had increased on that channel. The second sample has no such issue and is very much Rega on top form. Given Rega’s track record, we would hope and expect any issues to be sorted quickly. “
My Current Portable Audiophile iPhone Rig Rundown
May 5, 2020 Comments Off on My Current Portable Audiophile iPhone Rig Rundown
Laufer Teknik The Note Speaker System Review
May 4, 2020 Comments Off on Laufer Teknik The Note Speaker System Review
“The Notes excel in making a superior recording sound magnificent. They also will completely eviscerate a poorly recorded song and leave it bleeding on the sidewalk. With neutral electronics and sources, this is a speaker system that will exactly portray the recording as it is on the system. Some songs have so little bass I wonder what’s wrong. Other have so much I want to get the remote and turn down the gain on the subs. This is a byproduct of accuracy to the recording. When you have this level of clarity, accuracy, dynamics and imaging, being true to the recording isn’t always a blessing.
The Notes are effectively a one-way, omnidirectional line array speaker with dynamic linearity, huge dynamics, amazing clarity and accuracy. This, however, comes at a cost: efficiency. They like power. Porzilli recommends a minimum of 100 WPC. To get the full, oftentimes shocking dynamics, a minimum of 200 WPC is suggested. My Esoteric A02 outputs a continuous 400 WPC into 4 ohms with a ceiling of 500 WPC so I had no issues at all. Because of the load sharing over so many drivers, these speakers are rated at a maximum of 2000 WPC.
It is assumed that most homes have eight-foot ceilings. However, it may be a problem accommodating one speaker just over seven feet tall, or a second version just over eight. For my listening room, with nine-foot ceilings, this was no problem at all.”
Audiophilepure 
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