Sonus faber Gravis VI Subwoofer Review
September 21, 2019 Comments Off on Sonus faber Gravis VI Subwoofer Review
“Still, though, taking that price into consideration, the Gravis VI lacks a few niceties that I think it deserves. For one thing, I would like to see a subwoofer of this caliber ship with its own measurement mic. Even a Dayton Audio EMM-6, low-priced as it is, would be an improvement over the mics built into smartphones, and would provide better calibration.
Unrelated to price, I also wish there were a bit more variety between the four EQ presets for the Gravis VI. While there are differences, they’re so subtle that you’ll likely hear more tonal shifts by leaning your head back and forth a foot or so. Only the Streaming Mode preset differs substantially from the other three, with a decent boost around 50 Hz and a steeper roll-off of frequencies below 30 Hz. I’m not really sure what that has to do with streaming, but there you have it.”
EgglestonWorks • Emma EVOlution Loudspeakers $5495 Review
September 20, 2019 Comments Off on EgglestonWorks • Emma EVOlution Loudspeakers $5495 Review
“to me and most of my friends, $5500 is a lot of money, and a decision to spend that amount on a pair of loudspeakers is viewed by many as insanity. With sound as solid and beautiful as their handsome cabinets, the Emma EVOlutions make that expenditure seem downright enlightened — they should be on every music lover’s shortlist of honest-sounding, full-range speakers. To me, they handily met the manufacturer’s goals — they “perfectly balance resolution on the one hand and listenability on the other.” I urge you to move whatever mountains you must to hear a pair of these speakers — in your home, using your gear, or under other circumstances. If you’re as impressed as I was, you’ll be reaching for your checkbook or a credit card”
NAD MASTERS SERIES M10 STREAMING AMPLIFIER REVIEW
September 20, 2019 Comments Off on NAD MASTERS SERIES M10 STREAMING AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“This was readily apparent when Dirac was engaged, as the ultimate volume that could be achieved was lower still. While I pushed the M10 hard and had noted that the sides of the chassis were hot anytime I touched it, the M10 was unflappable and never shut down. Most importantly, the M10 had also managed to redeem itself with regards to the dynamic bite I had noted in the context of The Police track. All it took was bypassing my mains conditioner and plugging the M10 directly into the wall, as NAD recommends. This transformed it. The overall sound was more enjoyable immediately and put the M10 and Atom far closer than I would have thought possible. Ultimately, for my room, my system, and my ears, the Atom’s slightly more forward and/or lively presentation is the one I would pick, but I can easily imagine someone else preferring the M10, which seems to have better analog playback, greater access to internet radio stations (and better at searching for them), and a more neutral sound.”
MCINTOSH MC312 2-CHANNEL SOLID STATE AMPLIFIER $7,000 REVIEW
September 18, 2019 Comments Off on MCINTOSH MC312 2-CHANNEL SOLID STATE AMPLIFIER $7,000 REVIEW
“During the evaluation period of a couple of months, I tried to find fault in the MC312, but I simply couldn’t. McIntosh has succeeded in engineering one of the finest stereo amplifiers for under $10k that you can purchase today. It is literally as much or more of an amplifier that one could ever want or need, and it may even be the last one that you’ll ever wish to buy!”
Basis Audio A.J. Conti Transcendence Turntable and SuperArm 12.5 Tonearm $127,000 Review
September 18, 2019 Comments Off on Basis Audio A.J. Conti Transcendence Turntable and SuperArm 12.5 Tonearm $127,000 Review
“If I had to sum up the sound of the Transcendence in a single word, that word would be “solidity.” Solidity of imaging, solidity of pitch and timbre, solidity of bass. Starting with imaging, the Transcendence’s portrayal of instrumental images, the space in which those instruments are playing, and the relationship between the sound source and the surrounding acoustic is absolutely stunning. It’s very different from any other turntable I’ve heard. Images have a tangibility, spatially and texturally, that is startling in its realism. Moreover, the Transcendence reveals, with exquisite precision and beauty, the sense of air around the image outlines and the way that the instrument’s dynamic envelope expands into space in three dimensions, lighting up the surrounding acoustic. Amplifying this impression, the Transcendence resolves the decays of notes, along with reverberation, with tremendous precision and finely detailed texture. Cymbals, for example, seem to hang in space for a very long time, and the decays are infused with rich detail. These sonic qualities go a long way toward creating the illusion of hearing real instruments in a real space, and consequently, allowing the system to disappear. ”
ROSSON AUDIO DESIGN RAD-0 $2600 REVIEW
September 18, 2019 Comments Off on ROSSON AUDIO DESIGN RAD-0 $2600 REVIEW
“I could listen to this for hours in much the same way as I class the D8000. It is one of those headphones that is just a pure blast of fun and technical competence to make anything that rocks, well rock that bit harder. If you are a fan of the Black Crowes or that analog Les Paul tube amp infused guitar work out session then the Rad-0 is perfect. Southern-infused rock and old school modern sleazy rock like Vains Of Jenna sound tailor-made for the Rad-0 vibe.
I wish I could tell you that it is a lightweight experience like the Empyrean or the MrSpeaker’s Ether 2 for listening to all that for many hours. It’s balanced and design does a wonderful balancing job for its 650g weight on your head but it’s going to makes its presence felt more than those two competing headphones. It is secure, however, much more so than larger headphones like the awkward D8000 and I did find the RAD-0 much easier on the head than Final’s flagship.”
Focal Spectral 40th Loudspeakers $9999 Review
September 17, 2019 Comments Off on Focal Spectral 40th Loudspeakers $9999 Review
“I loved the Focal Spectral 40th. It exhibited the finest midrange I’ve heard in my room, and a near-perfect top end. Men’s and women’s voices were reproduced with a spooky vibrancy and presence and, more important, with no hint of glare or edge. I found its seemingly impossible marriage of a very upfront, detailed, and forward-sounding midrange to a buttery-smooth ease of sound absolutely intoxicating to listen to. The top end had superb “out-of-cabinet” extension, and delicate decay. On a few tracks that leaned toward sibilance, I did wish for 1-2dB less energy in the highest octaves, but this also reflects my personal preference for a downward-sloping response between 2 and 16kHz, a range in which the Focals measured essentially flat. But in this regard, my reference Bowers & Wilkins 705 S2 speakers, playing unequalized, are far worse. The Focals’ bass was tight, fast, ample, and completely satisfying, without ever booming in my relatively small room. The Spectral 40th’s transparency was also topnotch — I could hear every detail of the music, but never did I “hear” the cabinets.”
Audiophilepure 
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