AMG • Giro Turntable and 9W2 Tonearm Review
February 2, 2019 Comments Off on AMG • Giro Turntable and 9W2 Tonearm Review
“The complex, frenetic rhythms and dense, undulating mix of Talking Heads’ Remain In Light [Sire SRKC 6095] are suitably insistent, but also beautifully layered, the propulsive mobility of the Frantz/Weymouth rhythm section surging powerfully beneath the chopped guitars and stabbing keys. This is always a great record, and the AMG ‘table lets you really appreciate the multi-faceted production and Byrne’s ability to harness it to the music rather than let it swamp proceedings. There’s ample evidence that Eno could over-egg almost any pudding, but the Giro manages to combine clarity of purpose with the almost physical density. That ability to find forward traction when everything else seems to get bogged down, to find clarity amidst congestion and life in the laziest groove, are what make the Giro such an entertaining and engaging record player. Its lack of really deep bass weight and the sense of scale that goes with it might prevent it from competing with the very best — but then the very best cost considerably more than AMG’s junior offering. Besides which, in the sort of systems where the Giro is likely to find itself, those sudden dynamics and the sense of pace that go with them are going to be musically far more important. The pairing with the similarly fleet-of-foot and bass-linear DS Audio DS-W1 might be altogether too much of a good thing, except that these partners seemingly encourage each other to ever-greater heights. The results are impressive, occasionally spectacular but never, ever less than fun.”
First Watt SIT-3 power amplifier $4000 Review
February 2, 2019 Comments Off on First Watt SIT-3 power amplifier $4000 Review
“Nelson Pass is that rare type of audio-engineering maverick who measures and listens with equal facility. He’s not wasting his time and your money trying to cram a thousand crap watts into a marketing department’s bling box. He does not believe that all measurable “distortions” are, willy-nilly, enemies of high-fidelity sound. Instead, he focuses his considerable intelligence and resources not only on reducing various types of distortion, but also on studying the essential natures of those distortions. He uses blind listening and ABX testing to understand how experienced listeners perceive distortion, and the role that distortion might play in helping our brains reconstruct the original musical event. In the SIT-3, Pass has allowed a carefully prescribed dose of negative-phase second-harmonic distortion to appear at low levels, with a tiny touch of third-harmonic distortion at higher powers. The second harmonic, he says, “fosters an illusion of expanded space and image specificity; the third appears to improve dynamics.”
Sound Lab Ultimate U-4iA electrostatic speaker Review $21,300 Review
February 1, 2019 Comments Off on Sound Lab Ultimate U-4iA electrostatic speaker Review $21,300 Review
“Depending on the music, the amount of bottom-end energy could be excessive and would call for tonal adjustments to the speaker. Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Use Me” continued the impressive demonstration of the U-4iA’s bottom-end capacity, but was so overtly present in the lower frequencies that it was in danger of overrunning the upper half of the spectrum. I adjusted the midrange and treble to +3dB to compensate and an acceptable balance was restored. To my ear, leaving the tonal controls flat brings a more “tube like” character from the Sound Lab, versus adjustment upward of them bringing out a touch of solid-state forwardness. Note that this effect can also be further increased or decreased to one’s satisfaction by proper selection of cables.
Another word about the Poem of the Chinese Drums; the U-4iA exquisitely renders the nuances of the mallet and drum skin interaction. With quite a large number of speakers, mostly dynamic or hybrid dynamic, the thump of the mallet whacking the drum comes off as a shuddering burst, an LF punch that has little character of other instruments such as piano and saxophone. To my delight, a splendid amount of the subtleties of the drum were retrieved by the U-4iA. Usually at that frequency, an electrostatic speaker coughs out a stressed throb, but the musical integrity of the LF created by the U-4iA was exemplary. This gave me the sense that it was more powerful than the rated 32Hz.”
Ayon Spirit III Integrated Amplifier Review
February 1, 2019 Comments Off on Ayon Spirit III Integrated Amplifier Review
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The Spirit III makes music in a manner that makes it impossible to listen to passively. All Ayon products that I have heard so far sound dynamic and lively first and foremost and the Spirit fits right into this description. It sounds solid and full-bodied, but also rich in texture and emotionally involving yet without the round and creamy-rich presentation, that for some people is synonymous with typical tube sound. Indeed, amazingly, the Spirit III’s bass performance is on par with some of the best transistor amps that I have heard. Its performance is much like a live act: not obviously super-refined or very polished but highly energetic, dynamic and powerful, with articulate, fast and very solid bass to make for a delivery that is instantly infectious.”
Western Electric speakers and amps
February 1, 2019 Comments Off on Western Electric speakers and amps
MartinLogan Dynamo 800X powered subwoofer $799 Review
January 31, 2019 Comments Off on MartinLogan Dynamo 800X powered subwoofer $799 Review
“MartinLogan’s Dynamo 800X is the first subwoofer I’ve reviewed that combines digital control, signal connection, and room correction—all three wirelessly—in a small, powerful package. I heard no difference between the wireless and wired connections, and once I’d found good positions for the Dynamos, set their output level correctly, and identified their optimal crossover frequencies, their sound seamlessly blended with that of my Quad electrostatics, deepening the ESL-989s’ soundstages and deep-bass extension and expanding their dynamic range, and enhancing their three-dimensionality, all at a price far below that of larger subwoofers I’ve reviewed.”
VPI 40th Anniversary Turntable, Stillpoints, Wilson Audio Alexx
January 31, 2019 Comments Off on VPI 40th Anniversary Turntable, Stillpoints, Wilson Audio Alexx
EXOGAL COMET DAC AND ION STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER REVIEW
January 31, 2019 Comments Off on EXOGAL COMET DAC AND ION STEREO POWER AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“The Comet has the usual array of digital inputs plus a single pair of analogue inputs in a billet machined case with a headphone socket on one side and an almost unreadable LCD display. It does look cool though and if you get the angle right it’s possible to discern the reflective text and numbers from the matte silver background. The information is pretty basic with the chosen input at the top above the selected output, the latter offering main, Exonet, or headphones, a numerical volume indicator sits below both. A cheap remote control is supplied that can be used to change any of these but the simple app that Exogal has developed is a nicer way to do it. The latter baffled me initially because the Comet has no network connections or Wi-Fi antenna, it does however have a short Bluetooth antenna and that’s how it connects to your smartphone or tablet. Users of streaming sources will realise that this is all fine, but when you are choosing tracks with the streaming app you don’t want to have to switch to another app just to change volume. One answer is to use a second touchscreen device but the remote is probably easiest; that said, the app does make it clear when the output is muted as is the case at switch on, which can save some head scratching. Since its introduction the Comet has had one upgrade and that’s a new power supply; this is a £400 extra in a nice aluminium box (albeit with a power inlet that’s a little deep for chunky IEC plugs) and this was supplied for this review. The Ion also has an external power supply in a less sexy plastic case.”
Revel Performa3 M126Be Loudspeaker $4000 Review
January 30, 2019 Comments Off on Revel Performa3 M126Be Loudspeaker $4000 Review
“Checking boxes of individual sonic criteria is one thing, but it’s the immersion and scale of soundstage presentation, linked with image specificity, that are the M126Be’s most impressive virtues and make it the speaker it is. Most compacts excel at image detail—are born with it—but often this is the result of an overly bright tweeter, iffy inter-driver coherence, or just a light tonal balance. That’s not the effect I got listening and living with the Revel. Rather, the M126Be is more about a continuous musical embroidery of naturally scaled images within an ambient sound space. This is exactly what I got as I listened to Diana Krall’s “I’ll See You in My Dreams”—there was the sense of sitting-in with the band, feeling the wash of ambience energizing the space, the excellent upper-bass pitch definition, and the bouncy steel-string guitar solo that breaks from the speaker within its own acoustic pocket.
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Yamaha MusicCast Vinyl 500 turntable review
January 30, 2019 Comments Off on Yamaha MusicCast Vinyl 500 turntable review
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