Denon DP-450USB Turntable Review
February 14, 2020 Comments Off on Denon DP-450USB Turntable Review
https://hometheaterreview.com/denon-dp-450usb-turntable-reviewed/
“The Denon DP-450USB is a curious turntable, all things considered. It’s gorgeous to look at, easy to use, and has enough of the right features, making it a legit contender at its price point. But, the DP-400 at $499 is likely the better value among the two, since the DP-450USB’s distinguishing feature–USB audio recording–is a non-starter for me due in large part to its poor quality and limited utility.
Moreover, the dust cover is more of a nuisance than an asset, making an otherwise well-thought-out design suddenly clunky The DP-450USB is still worthy of consideration, though, but it’s not without a great deal of competition, which is why I would urge anyone reading this to listen to one for themselves if possible before making any final purchasing decisions.”
Schiit Audio Ragnarok 2 integrated amplifier $1799 Review
February 13, 2020 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Ragnarok 2 integrated amplifier $1799 Review
https://www.stereophile.com/content/schiit-audio-ragnarok-2-integrated-amplifier
“I compared Ragnarok 2 to the Ragnarok using these XRCDs and the Tascam CD-200iL CD player connected with Triode Wire Labs Spirit II RCA interconnects. Only after switching out the amps four times did I start to understand what I was hearing. Instrument tone and impact were superior through the new amplifier. The orchestra’s soundstage was slightly wider. Brass and reeds, placed hard left and right, sounded farther back on the soundstage. On the piano/ acoustic bass introduction of the Montgomery Brothers’ “Bock to Bock (Back to Back),” there was more air around the higher piano notes. These were small differences, but the Rag 2 definitively improves on its sibling’s performance.”
McIntosh MCD600 SACD/CD Player Review
February 13, 2020 Comments Off on McIntosh MCD600 SACD/CD Player Review
“As I mentioned, I’ve been using the same CD player as a reference for the last nine or ten years. It has dual DACs, and a quartet of 12AU7s in the output stage. It sounds really good, and that was all I needed back in 2010. It cost about $4500, and I always thought it was a good value and a strong performer, which is why I still use it.
The MCD600 is $7000, and in 2020 that sounds like a lot of money for a CD player. For that extra $2500 over my existing deck, you do a get a lot—especially when you consider the cost of an outboard headphone amp that sounds this good, or four separate high-resolution DACs, or the choice of fixed and variable outputs, or the ability to play USB thumb drives or DVD data discs.”
STAX SR-009S ELECTROSTATIC EARSPEAKERS $4,325 Review
February 12, 2020 Comments Off on STAX SR-009S ELECTROSTATIC EARSPEAKERS $4,325 Review
http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/stax-sr-009s-electrostatic-earspeakers/
Next, the SR-009S proved to have greater transient agility and increased levels of dynamic expression relative to the SR-009. A track that showcases these qualities is ‘Stank” from Jamey Haddad, Mark Sherman, and Lenny White’s Explorations in Space and Time [Chesky, 24/96]. ‘Stank’ is a percussion extravaganza—at times delicate, but at other moments explosive, employing everything from high-pitched chimes and cymbals to low-pitched bass drums. The SR-009S navigated the track’s complex instrumentation and multi-layered dynamic challenges with effortless clarity and a sense of dynamic brio—as if relishing the chance to strut its stuff.
Finally, the SR-009S offers superior bass performance to the SR-009, both in terms of resolution and dynamic wallop. The ‘Lopsy Lu/Silly Putty’ medley from S.M.V.’s Thunder [Heads Up, 16/44.1] made this abundantly clear, as master bassists Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten took turns showing off their chops and the distinctive voices of their basses. Thunder is a serious low-frequency challenge, but the SR-009S tackled the track with an exuberant quality of dynamic swagger and punch the SR-009 could not have matched.”
Focal Chora 826 Three-Way Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review
February 12, 2020 Comments Off on Focal Chora 826 Three-Way Floorstanding Loudspeaker Review
https://hometheaterreview.com/focal-chora-826-three-way-floorstanding-loudspeaker-reviewed/
“Each Chora 826 sports one pair of binding posts, so bi-wiring isn’t accommodated. Overall, I really love the quality of the binding posts, as they’re easy to loosen and tighten and look quite lovely. If I have one concern, it’s that tightly fitted black and red caps will need to be removed if you intend to use banana plugs (as I always do), and these caps do put up a good bit of a fight. I had to end up resorting to needle-nosed pliers to extract them, and it felt a bit like pulling a tooth. By the time I had them out, the caps were more than a bit mangled.
From there, though, setup is a breeze. Due to the front-ported design of the speaker, you don’t have to be quite as concerned with distance from rear boundaries. In my relatively small two-channel listening room, this is a blessing. Being able to position a pair of speakers six inches from the wall rather than eighteen definitely leaves me with more breathing room and affords a wider soundstage, since there’s more distance between me and the speakers.”
Fluance RT85 Reference Turntable Review
February 12, 2020 Comments Off on Fluance RT85 Reference Turntable Review
IFI LAUNCHES NEW HIP-DAC
February 11, 2020 Comments Off on IFI LAUNCHES NEW HIP-DAC
https://www.headphone.guru/ifi-launches-new-hip-dac/
The headphone amp has a nominal power rating of 400mW and is capable of delivering over 700mW from the balanced output depending on the impedance of the attached headphones – impressive in comparison with the hip-dac’s peers, driving all manner of headphone/earphone types with ease.
The amp stage features switchable gain, which iFi terms PowerMatch. This matches the level of drive to the load presented by the headphones, by adjusting input sensitivity and thereby signal strength. With high-sensitivity headphone types such as in-ear monitors, leave PowerMatch at its lower setting for ultra-low-noise performance. But if your headphones require more drive – most on/over-ear types, for example – press the PowerMatch button on the front panel to increase gain.”
T+A Teases Products
February 11, 2020 Comments Off on T+A Teases Products
https://audio-head.com/ta-teases-two-headphone-products/
“Germany is no doubt called home to many iconic headphones, and the new Solitaire P is hand built there as well. T+A is traditionally known for its work in the loudspeaker arena where it has been cranking out gear for over 41 years. The new pair of cans hopes to draft some of that knowledge into the headphone realm with a “sophisticated planar-magnetostatic design philosophy”. From the release: “With its ultra-lightweight membrane, which covers the whole area of the capsule and is positioned between the planar magnetostatic drive system, each drive unit delivers excellent sonic properties, with the entire surface area of the membrane driven to deliver a spacious, airy feel that is unique even for planar headphones.”
The HA 200 front end consists of DAC section capable of 32/768kHz and DSD. Three headphone outputs can be found on the front panel along with two bopping meters. The internals make use of two separate toroidal power transformers, one for the analog bits and the other for digital. A plethora of inputs shape up the back, 2 analog and 6 digital. And optional HDMI input is also available.”
McIntosh RS200 Wireless System REVIEW
February 11, 2020 Comments Off on McIntosh RS200 Wireless System REVIEW
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