Encounter with the $329,000 Wilson Chronosonic XVX speakers
March 3, 2020 Comments Off on Encounter with the $329,000 Wilson Chronosonic XVX speakers
REL S/812 subwoofer Review
March 2, 2020 Comments Off on REL S/812 subwoofer Review
“A downward-firing 12in carbon ‘SuperProgressive’ passive radiator again uses a new design intended to produce extremely long travel while retaining the variable stiffness of its suspension. The thinking here is that it enables the S/812 to act like a sealed-box compact 12in design at low volume, but still deliver bass down to 19Hz when pushed. At the rear are the inputs, including high-level Neutrik Speakon, low-level stereo phono, and LFE (phono and balanced XLR) connections. There are also high-level Neutrik Speakon and LFE (phono and XLR) outputs.
Otherwise the back plate is surprisingly sparse, with just two switches (On/Standby, and 180-degree phase), and knobs for high/low/LFE levels and crossover. The Serie S subs are also compatible with REL’s new wireless transmission system (AirShip).
These are the first mid-sized RELs designed to be stackable, thanks to special fixtures and included metal plates. You can safely stack and lock S/812s up to three units high. That sounds bonkers but there is logic in REL’s madness. In the real world, bass has width, depth and height; by stacking these subs you can create bigger bass presence from a smaller footprint.”
TOPPING D10 USB DAC AND USB SPDIF CONVERTER REVIEW
March 2, 2020 Comments Off on TOPPING D10 USB DAC AND USB SPDIF CONVERTER REVIEW
https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/dac/topping-d10-usb-dac-and-usb-spdif-converter-review/
“There is no funny reconstruction filter that is said to sound better. The Topping has a high-performance FIR that is flat to 20kHz and has a sharp stopband down 90dB. The output at 0 dBFS comes in at 2VRMS, the industry standard. Channels were remarkably well matched in all tests. It is 0.5dB down at 80kHz!!
I have a complete set of measurements below but nothing on the market at $90 will produce numbers within an order of magnitude of what I measured above. You could stop here and run out and purchase one but I’d advise you to please read my next section on shopping advice when purchasing small brands from the Far East first.”
Music Hall mmf-9.3 Walnut Turntable with Goldring Eroica LX MC Cartridge $2,695 Review
March 1, 2020 Comments Off on Music Hall mmf-9.3 Walnut Turntable with Goldring Eroica LX MC Cartridge $2,695 Review
https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/music-hall-mmf-9-3-turntable-2/
“The synergy of the mmf-9.3 Walnut’s remarkable quietness, balanced and natural tonality, superb resolution, expressive drive and pacing, make it an overachieving entrant in this price range. Though I’ve yet to hear their flagship offering, the mmf-11, this penultimate offering from Music Hall, especially in this beautiful walnut finish, offers an incredible combination of exhilarating performance, strikingly good classic aesthetics, and most importantly, exceptional value. While there is quite a bit of competition in this class, the Music Hall mmf-9.3 distinguishes itself as a top performer, one that most LP lovers will find remarkable enough to be their “forever” turntable! Most highly recommended.”
Gato Audio DIA-250S NPM Amplifier/Network DAC Review
March 1, 2020 Comments Off on Gato Audio DIA-250S NPM Amplifier/Network DAC Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/gato-audio-dia-250s-npm-amplifiernetwork-dac
“The basic specification of 250W/8ohm and 500W/4ohm, and RCA/XLR line pre-outs to feed external power amps, active speakers and subwoofers, has not changed from the original DIA-250S amplifier. Similarly, the controls are minimal, with nothing more than that large central volume control, input selector, plus a standby button, on the front panel. The display shows volume and input as standard, but when playing digital sources the right-hand panel can be set to show input sampling rate, either for a few seconds via remote control, or by default using the display dimmer button on the rear panel.
Crucially, Gato has now added its NPM (network player module) to the DIA-250S, opening up a whole new world of digital streaming to the user. Inserted into the upper part of the rear panel, where once was just a screw terminal to connect a Bluetooth stub antenna, this adds an Ethernet port and a USB-A socket into which can be inserted a supplied Wi-Fi dongle, and upgrades the Bluetooth provision to aptX HD.”
Pure Audio One solid-state integrated amplifier $10,000 Review
February 29, 2020 Comments Off on Pure Audio One solid-state integrated amplifier $10,000 Review
https://www.dagogo.com/pure-audio-one-solid-state-integrated-amplifier-review/
“Moreover, unlike some amplifiers the Pure Audio One allows for future upgrading by serving as a power amp. Fortunately, I was provided a Pure Audio Control 1 Preamplifier for testing purposes. The Control 1 preamplifier was subsequently followed by a new preamplifier called — you guessed it — the Control 2 Preamplifier. The Control 2 updates the power supply and uses a more standardized input selector similar to the One.
Regardless, the separate preamplifier makes some significant gains to the overall presentation concerning transparency and overall clarity without taking away the richness of the presentation. I was impressed with the gains made using the Pure Audio Control preamplifiers (although when I pushed the remote control volume, it operated both units at the same time). Still, I felt the Control preamplifiers open up some of the sound creating more space, air, and articulation to vocals. Put simply, the presentation was more transparent.”
McIntosh MT2 Turntable Unboxing Video
February 29, 2020 Comments Off on McIntosh MT2 Turntable Unboxing Video
Jazzed music streaming service launches
February 28, 2020 Comments Off on Jazzed music streaming service launches
https://www.hifichoice.com/content/jazzed-music-streaming-service-launches
“Stepping up to the £5.99 (or £59.99 a year) jazzed+ tier ditches the ads, offers access to all of the curated content and exclusive videos and allows the user to skip tracks. Both tiers are streamed in a variable bit-rate in an advanced AAC+ compression format.
Expected “later in the year,” the jazzedpremium tier costs £14.99 a month (or £149.99 a year), offers more options in terms of curated audio channels and exclusive content, an advanced search facility and listen off-line functionality. Most importantly, it sees the audio quality increase to what’s described as “HD lossless audio (FLAC 16-bit)”
Audiophilepure 
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