AirTight ATM-1e tube amplifier Review
November 9, 2025 Comments Off on AirTight ATM-1e tube amplifier Review
https://www.hifinews.com/content/airtight-atm-1e
Ultimately, what convinced me that the AirTight ATM-1e is more than the sum of its parts was monumental bass from an all-but-forgotten demo-worthy CD, Clannad’s 1989 compilation Pastpresent [BMG PD74074]. Naturally, the gorgeous vocals showed off the ATM-1e’s super-sweet, sibilance-free top-end. But I was not prepared for the room-filling mass of the opening of ‘White Fool’, almost Kodō-like in its grandeur. Then I remembered: AirTight is Japanese. Who better to deal with the drums of giants?
Hi-Fi News Verdict
AirTight’s ATM-1e ticks every box defining a stereo tube power amplifier of true usability and practicality, with a price reflected in superb perceived value. If there truly is a category for ‘entry-level high-end’, this fits the bill. It’s an artisanal amp offering exceptional musicality, more than sufficient power and – if this matters to you as it does to me – shameless pride of ownership. Pride may be a sin, but if so, then sin on, sinners.
Dan Clark Audio CORINA Electrostatic Headphone $4,499 Review
November 9, 2025 Comments Off on Dan Clark Audio CORINA Electrostatic Headphone $4,499 Review
When you approach the extreme high end of headphones, IE: above $5,000, the differences become subtle, but differences they remain. And for my money, the Dan Clark Audio CORINA Electrostatic Headphone sits at the top of the heap. Offering up the unparalleled resolution of an electrostatic with unmatched dynamic range (in an electrostat) and a linear tonal balance that not only reaches deep into the subsonic with weight usually reserved for other lower resolution designs but is able to present smooth, unemphasized high frequencies, and a musicality that is to die for, the CORINA is the ultimate headphone for the audio purest.
While the CORINA is not the most expensive headphone in its class, in fact I have headphones in my collection that cost more, the need for a special amplifier does make it a pricey consideration, but one should also remember that the DAC of choice for most reference systems (such as the Bartók or the DAVE) will cost more than most electrostatic headphone amplifiers, and I will for one point out that the amplifier is still a more critical component in your sonic performance than a DAC, in fact to get the most out of my $8,000 headphone a $5,000 headphone cable is required, so everything is relative.
Noble Audio Shogun $3900 Review
November 5, 2025 Comments Off on Noble Audio Shogun $3900 Review
I could best describe the Shogun tuning as sitting somewhere between the power and smoothness of the Onyx and the articulating airiness of the Ronin. This is a very balanced ‘musical’ tuning that is equally comfortable with quiet passages of music as it is slamming heavy BPM house tracks.
The Shogun is a deep-sounding performer with excellent power, offering a smooth set of mids with relatively neutral but clear vocal imaging. Sitting above is a refined set of highs consistent with Noble’s recent tuning that offers good extension but without too much in the way of unnerving lower-treble spikes.
Degritter Mark II ultrasonic record cleaning machine Review
November 5, 2025 Comments Off on Degritter Mark II ultrasonic record cleaning machine Review
https://www.dagogo.com/degritter-mark-ii-ultrasonic-record-cleaning-machine-review/
This raised two questions in my mind: To what extent were all ultrasonic cleaners pretty much the same in performance (which I had assumed was the case); and, as noted, were additives really necessary?
Another issue began to complicate the picture: reliability.
Ultrasonic cleaning machines are complicated, REALLY complicated. In addition to performing the function of directing millions of tiny, tiny compressed air bubbles at or near your vinyl record, which is done on some sort of timed basis, and which may involve multiple intervals during which the record is slowly, or less slowly, spun by a motor in the machine, all of which is followed by a completely different (technology-wise) drying cycle, which also involves different speeds of record rotation (typically) and according to a different timed schedule. The machines must also automatically accept, and later, eject the records, before and after aforesaid process.
YG Acoustics Vantage 3 Live Active Loudspeaker Review
November 4, 2025 Comments Off on YG Acoustics Vantage 3 Live Active Loudspeaker Review
The In-room average response measurements are derived from an 18-point spatial average taken from around the listening position (11 ft away), with the microphone capsule placed at ear level. The overall in-room response was measured with a Bass Boost setting of +3 and a Tilt setting of +2.
Caveats: Unlike measurements taken outdoors or in an anechoic chamber that measures a speaker in isolation, in-room measurements give a sense of how a speaker behaves in the actual environment in which it’s used. Both types of measurements are valuable (make no mistake, a properly designed speaker in an anechoic environment will hold up much better in an average listening space), I just find in-room measurements interesting as they help shed light on what I am hearing and why. Note that no in-room measurement will ever match an anechoic measurement, and a measurement taken in my room won’t necessarily match a similarly done measurement taken in your room. But, after measuring dozens of speakers here, I’ve acquired a good understanding of how this space interacts with the speakers under test, and some general performance observations can always be drawn.
Soulines tt9/KiVi M3 turntable/arm
November 4, 2025 Comments Off on Soulines tt9/KiVi M3 turntable/arm
https://www.hifinews.com/content/soulines-tt9kivi-m3-turntablearm
Here, again, there was a fraction more solidity to the lows, but Soulines’ platform also noticeably increased the depth of the tt9’s soundstage and added a lovely sense of sweetness to the midrange. This made the character of instruments, be they electronic or acoustic, shine through just that little bit more. Consequently, Therese Schroeder-Sheker’s harp on ‘Credo Of Ballymacoda’ [Windham Hill Sampler ’89; Windham Hill 371082-1] grew in stature, each string pluck gaining in attack and resonance.
Isolation bases are unpredictable things, their effect ranging from barely there to ‘can’t go back to living without it’. The addition of the u-base to the tt9 is towards the top of that scale, so if you’re shopping for Soulines’ deck, I would strongly recommend finding the budget for the platform, too.
Eversolo Z10 DAC Overview | Flagship
November 4, 2025 Comments Off on Eversolo Z10 DAC Overview | Flagship
Vitavox TriStar Horn Speakers
November 3, 2025 Comments Off on Vitavox TriStar Horn Speakers
Beautiful. Form follows function…but what a form! The Vitavox TriStar’s elegant lines and perfect proportions give a sense of balance and timelessness. The meticulously executed precision engineering of the T3 module forms a stunning counterpoint to the more traditional, artisan crafted cabinets. And the beauty is not just skin deep. Given Vitavox’s history, the term ‘battleship build’ is particularly appropriate here, with our legendary build quality present throughout; from the largest visible panel to the smallest hidden fixing.
Extraordinary performance. And so to the essence of a loudspeaker – how does it sound?
Well, we could waffle on for hours about sound quality – articulate bass this, fluid mid-range that – but in truth it boils down to one simple thing, it’s about creating the illusion of the live event. When it comes to this, then, well, even if we do say so ourselves, it’s spectacularly, fantastically good. We mean, shivers down the spine good…
Audiophilepure 
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