Vitus Audio RI-101 Integrated Amplifier $15,600 Review
August 11, 2019 Comments Off on Vitus Audio RI-101 Integrated Amplifier $15,600 Review
“Auditioning the dCS via the XLR and Coax inputs with Nordost Heimall digital cables, it was tough to hear a clearcut difference between the two inputs, though we all felt the XLR input was just a touch more revealing. You’ll have to argue amongst yourselves on this, but suffice to say this aspect of the internal DAC is excellent. Should you be an occasional silver disc listener, Rega’s new Apollo player at $995 makes for an outstanding (and very compact) redbook transport that we really enjoyed.
Putting the internal DAC in context with stand-alone offerings from other manufacturers in the $5,000 – $10,000 range, this is the way to go. The combination of functionality and sound quality can’t be beat. Vitus approach to digital, combining the top ESS DAC chips with meticulous execution on all levels is fantastic.”



Klipsch Forte III loudspeaker $3998 Review
August 11, 2019 Comments Off on Klipsch Forte III loudspeaker $3998 Review
“The radiator works the same as a port,” explained Klipsch’s principal engineer, Roy Delgado, a 30-year veteran of Klipsch Audio Technologies who initially worked under Paul W. Klipsch himself. “Because of the smaller air volume of the box, the drone (aka passive radiator) offers the advantage of allowing us to adjust compliance. If it’s done right, the drone extends the bottom end. Basically you’re creating a Helmholtz resonator. You cause the air to resonate at a certain frequency and that extends the bottom end. A drone does the same thing.”
At a time when the US is experiencing an outbreak of measles, the Forte III remains au courant by having—you guessed it—Mumps. Literally named for the swollen salivary glands they sort of resemble, Roy Delgado’s patented Mumps are curved 1″ ridges that round off the interior corners within the throat of the K-703-M midrange horn. The goal, according to Klipsch’s website, is “to improve coverage and control of the key mid-frequency band.”


Campfire Audio Andromeda Gold Review
August 11, 2019 Comments Off on Campfire Audio Andromeda Gold Review
Audia Flight Strumento No1 mk2/No4 mk2 Pre & power amplifier Review
August 10, 2019 Comments Off on Audia Flight Strumento No1 mk2/No4 mk2 Pre & power amplifier Review
“That’s much in evidence with the Living Stereo SACD of Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Symphony [BMG Classics 82876-66376-2], with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Fritz Reiner. This recording dates back to 1957, and is hardly the most subtle, with seemingly enormous musical forces and a real sense of bombast about it. Add to that an SACD mastered very ‘hot’ – in other words damn loud – and you have a test disc that majors on attack rather than subtlety. The Strumento No1/No4 amplifiers deliver this set in all its full-blooded pomp, and while the sound is necessarily vintage, there’s no denying it’s loud, proud and intriguingly odd.
By contrast a much more recent recording, of Mozart’s Serenade in B flat, K361, seems to hit the Italian amplifiers’ sweet spot. This Gran Partita set, by the Royal Academy of Music Soloists Ensemble conducted by Trevor Pinnock [Linn CKD 516; 192kHz/24-bit], sounds gorgeously rich and fluid, while instrumental tones are glorious. Or as someone once described this recording to me, ‘It’s a lovely noise’.
Read more at https://www.hifinews.com/content/audia-flight-strumento-no1-mk2no4-mk2-pre-power-amplifier-page-2#KsojudKoYP6whxEy.99


Paradigm Premier 700F Speakers $1,598/ Review
August 9, 2019 Comments Off on Paradigm Premier 700F Speakers $1,598/ Review
“Our test pair arrived in a gloss black, with gloss white and an espresso grain finish also available. No matter which finish you choose, the front and the top face of the speakers are finished in matte black – no doubt a move to keep the cost more reasonable. Two sets of binding posts are available for those wanting to bi-wire, but for the duration of our review, the 700Fs were used with a single pair of speaker cables and the jumpers intact. The quality of the finish on the side panels is as smooth as the $35,000/pair Personas we reviewed previously.
Again, this is where building everything in house is a benefit – the same people doing the cabinets on Paradigm’s top speakers are working on these too. However, it’s more than just the quality of the finish on the outer walls of the cabinet that impress. Looking at the 700Fs very carefully reveals the smoothness of the bevels on the front panel and how cleanly the drivers are mounted. There is no visible hardware. The cabinet corners intersect perfectly. This is the level of quality you demand from a $10k pair of speakers. Not something you expect for this price – a definite bonus to qualityphiles. These are speakers that you will be very proud to own.

NOBLE AUDIO SAVANT II $499 REVIEW
August 9, 2019 Comments Off on NOBLE AUDIO SAVANT II $499 REVIEW
“For me, this is the calling card of the Savant II’s signature. Not so much that it is a basshead monitor, it lacks that full-on dynamic driver natural levels of decay and outright power but it comes fairly close in terms of weight and power.
For me, both the sub-bass presence on the Savant II is excellent though not accentuated to the point where it is overpowering. I suspect the vented driver used by Noble is a subwoofer class balanced armature given its slightly slower and “fleshier” sound compared to the pacy but leaner sounding BA’s used in the Sage.”


JH Audio x Astell&Kern Layla AION Review
August 9, 2019 Comments Off on JH Audio x Astell&Kern Layla AION Review
Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo Wireless Loudspeakers Review
August 8, 2019 Comments Off on Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo Wireless Loudspeakers Review
“Also, while the Formation ecosystem may not rely on your own home’s network to remain functioning, that doesn’t save it from the occasional drop out with respect to some connections–specifically Bluetooth. During my month-long audition of the Formation Duo and Formation Audio, when connected to the Sony display via Bluetooth I endured three drop outs. Sound would suddenly stop transmitting to the speakers, and revert back to the display. That’s three drop outs in the span of one month, give or take. This was easily remedied simply by re-selecting the Formation Duo speakers from the Sony’s Bluetooth devices menu, but nevertheless it did happen. When using the Formation Audio connected to the Vizio P-Series Quantum, I noted only one drop out for a total of four in one month.”

FIIO M11 ANDROID-BASED LOSSLESS PORTABLE MUSIC PLAYER REVIEW
August 8, 2019 Comments Off on FIIO M11 ANDROID-BASED LOSSLESS PORTABLE MUSIC PLAYER REVIEW
“The FiiO M11 came in an attractive black magnetic clasp box with a slip-on black outer picture sleeve. Inside was the M11 in a heavy clear plastic skin with a 7H tempered glass screen protector pre-applied at the factory. The unit is black with a gold-colored tactile volume control and a faux carbon-fiber textured glass back. Size-wise, it is the same as the X7 Mark II and X5III though it is shaped slightly different so it might not fit in the same cases. (It is beveled on both edges, making it a slight challenge to get in and out of the plastic skin.)
There are two tactile buttons along with the volume control (pause/play switch and FF/RW toggle) on the left edge and the two micro-SD card slot on the right. On the bottom, you will find the 4.4mm and 2.5mm balanced outputs next to each other on the left, the USB Type-C connection in the middle and the 3.5mm (single-ended/coaxial digital/line output) output on the right. The power button is on the right top.”

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