Hifiman R2R2000 $2,500 Review
November 11, 2019 Comments Off on Hifiman R2R2000 $2,500 Review
“I can hear why the Black and its PCM1704K chipset is so highly regarded and it does have a bit more dynamic range and complexity to its sound than the Red. However, for vocal lovers, the Red has a lot of charm and a stunning harmonic balance.
If you can put up with the OS limitations and can find an HWA capable transmitter smartphone we may just have the best sounding sources reviewed to date. It will be a very interesting main review so stay tuned!”
PMC Fact Fenestria Loudspeakers $65,000 Review
November 11, 2019 Comments Off on PMC Fact Fenestria Loudspeakers $65,000 Review
https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/914-pmc-fact-fenestria-loudspeakers
Each bass cabinet is finished in matte black to complement a 15mm-thick, secondary front baffle machined from a single piece of acrylic composite. This secondary baffle is “floated” over the primary baffle with an array of magnets, and isolated from the cabinet with a foam gasket. Between the primary and secondary baffles of each bass subenclosure are sandwiched two 6.5” woofers, each rigidly bolted to the main cabinet. These four woofers per speaker — PMC calls them piston drivers — are unique to the Fenestria, and were several years in development. Each cone is a diaphragm comprising two skins of triple transverse-weave carbon fiber sandwiching a core of multicellular Rohacell foam. The mass of these skins has been reduced using a special manufacturing technique that limits the diaphragms’ absorption of adhesive and lacquer, and the cones are driven by a motor assembly that includes two beefy ferrite magnets each 5.5” in diameter, 3.15” thick, and weighing 5.5 pounds.”
MEZE AUDIO EMPYREAN PLANAR MAGNETIC HEADPHONE $2999 REVIEW
November 10, 2019 Comments Off on MEZE AUDIO EMPYREAN PLANAR MAGNETIC HEADPHONE $2999 REVIEW
“As an example, try ‘Walking On the Moon’ from the The Yuri Honing Trio’s Star Tracks [Jazz in Motion, 16’/44.1]. The track begins with a subtle, softly plucked figure from bassist Tony Overwater, whose call is later answered by an expressive response from percussionist Joost Lijbaart. Then, the proceedings really take shape when Honing joins in on his saxophone. In each case the timbres and dynamic qualities the instruments sound spot-on and incredibly engaging. Major sonic treats include Honing’s powerful, evocative sax solo in the middle of the track and several dramatic bass and percussion exchanges along the way. Stated simply, the Empyrean creates large believable soundstages and the sort of gripping, you-are-there realism that’s rare to find in any transducer, regardless of type.”
McIntosh MTI100 Music System Review
November 10, 2019 Comments Off on McIntosh MTI100 Music System Review
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But as mentioned at the MTI100 is so much more than that. This is a piece of sonic artistry, that provides high-end sound from all the sources you can imagine, and looks great doing it. For many, this and a great pair of speakers will be a destination music system. For others, it will be a second or even third system. And I’m guessing there will also be a few die-hard, completist McIntosh collectors that will just have one because…
Much as I hate to profile anyone, I suspect the MTI100 will appeal to what I refer to as the “qualityphile” customer. This customer liking solutions off the beaten path, that are as technologically curious as aesthetically motivated. Gazing into my crystal ball, I expect the MTI100 is going to end up in some very design rich environments, and cherished by its owners.”
Acoustic Signature Invictus Jr. Turntable and TA-9000 Tonearm $84,999 Review
November 10, 2019 Comments Off on Acoustic Signature Invictus Jr. Turntable and TA-9000 Tonearm $84,999 Review
“Lest you think the Invictus Jr.’s magic act is restricted to one closely mic’d recording, let me assure you that is not the case. Its amazingly abundant recovery, and uncannily neutral delivery, of sonic information can make virtually any instrument or combo of instruments on very-well-recorded LPs sound “there.” From Gene Ammons’ sax on Boss Tenor [Prestige] to Chet Baker’s whispery tenor (or counter-tenor) on Chet Baker Sings [Blue Note] to David Abel’s Guarnerius and Julie Steinberg’s Hamburg Steinway D on the Debussy Sonata [Wilson Audiophile] to Belafonte and his terrific horn section on Belafonte at Carnegie Hall [Analogue Productions], to The Band’s Richard Manuel’s vocal and piano on “The Shape I’m In,” the Invictus Jr. is able to gestalt-shift you into an alternate universe where recorded artists sound “real,” and do so without losing a great turntable’s ability to tell you how well or poorly an LP was recorded.”
Listen to a ONE MILLION DOLLAR hi-fi system
November 9, 2019 Comments Off on Listen to a ONE MILLION DOLLAR hi-fi system
Schiit Ragnarok 2 i amp $1,499
November 9, 2019 Comments Off on Schiit Ragnarok 2 i amp $1,499
“To test out using the Ragnarok 2 as a preamp, I hooked up the Schiit Aegir power amp, and at first I couldn’t get any sound out of the Aegir. I checked and rechecked the connections. They were correct. The owner’s manual was no help, so I just fiddled about trying things, and when I switched off the Ragnarok 2’s speaker output and turned on the headphone output, the Aegir started playing! So in other words you need to turn on the headphone output to use the Ragnarok 2 as a preamp! That’s very strange, but easy to do once you know how to do it.
Teamed with the Aegir the sound was even more see-through, and the soundstage took on a more three-dimensional quality. The ‘2 was no slouch on its own, but the Aegir conjured more space and depth between instruments, and individual voices in choral recordings were easier to hear with the Ragnarok 2/Aegir combination.”
Beats Solo PRO ANC Active Noise Cancelling HEADPHONE – REVIEW
November 9, 2019 Comments Off on Beats Solo PRO ANC Active Noise Cancelling HEADPHONE – REVIEW
Wilson Audio • Sasha DAW Loudspeakers $37,900 Review
November 8, 2019 Comments Off on Wilson Audio • Sasha DAW Loudspeakers $37,900 Review
“Compared to the Salinas, the Goss Concerto provides a stark contrast, in terms of scale, orchestration and, musically speaking, within itself. It is classically structured in three movements for a single guitar and full orchestra, the composer overcoming the dynamic constraints and limited level of the solo instrument by amplifying it to allow broader dynamic range and greater musical contrasts. The three movements are also essentially independent, the first reflecting the music of the United States, with its own distinctive musical idiom and jazz rhythms, the third a Latin piece with a broader, typically elegiac second movement evoking British classical traditions. When the piece is played live, the orchestra can effortlessly shift between the different tonal and chromatic palettes demanded by the score, but for audio systems, the switches are not so easy, their dynamic and tonal limitations compressing the distinctions — especially given the composer’s stated dynamic goals. It’s an acid test of any speaker’s expressive capabilities, reflecting both bandwidth and musical coherence, dynamic and tonal compression — a test paper that definitely favors the bigger, more sophisticated candidates.”
Audiophilepure 
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