AURIS AUDIO HA-2SE REVIEW
October 10, 2018 Comments Off on AURIS AUDIO HA-2SE REVIEW
“At 1W output and including a resistance selector the Auris HA-2SE actually is quite a versatile tube amp. However, it is by no means the most powerful amp nor the most efficient desktop amp. That’s not a bad thing. This is, after all, a headphone amp and not one classed as being ideal for very sensitive monitors.
It also has no balanced setup so those looking for additional power I would advise checking out their mid-tier Nirvana which is a full-balanced design and rated at 6.5W. Solid state amps such as the Cayin iHA-6 and Xi Audio’s Formula S are more suitable for very demanding headphones such as the Hifiman HE6 and the Abyss AB-1266 which do need a bit more headroom.”
QUAD ERA-1 PLANAR MAGNETIC HEADPHONES
October 9, 2018 Comments Off on QUAD ERA-1 PLANAR MAGNETIC HEADPHONES
“The Quad ERA-1 is a headphone you could comfortably take on the go and listen to through a DAP or smart phone, so it was imperative to break out the QP2R and take in a few tracks. I selected the Alter Natives a progressive/punk band of the eighties on the SST label (24/96 kHz vinyl rip) who provide an intense cacophony of bass guitar, electric guitar, percussion, flute and saxophone requiring a great deal of speed and dynamic range to reproduce legibly. “Over The Counter – Culture” really brought out the phase coherency and detail of the ERA-1. The QP2R and the Quads proved to be a synergistic combination, though I did need to switch to “high gain” to get full dynamic range, I suspect a balanced cable would have enhanced the performance even more.”
FiiO M3K Portable Hi-Res Audio Player $70 Review
October 9, 2018 Comments Off on FiiO M3K Portable Hi-Res Audio Player $70 Review
“So how about some upgrades to your current setup? Perhaps move away from those old and overly bulky / heavy portable audio gear to the latest and greatest? Maybe you truly want to be on-the-go whilst doing extreme sports? Without a doubt either one, or dare I say both, of these FiiO devices could easily work seamlessly within your lifestyle. Am overjoyed to hear great sound for the everyday person’s budget. Gone are the days of needing hundreds of dollars and big, bulky setups to hear impressive sound quality as you move through your daily life. Of course FiiO does offer higher priced units with more features, higher amplifier power output, etc. Have no doubt the BTR3 and M3K will be big sellers. Considering the sound offered at this price point, Apple iPhone users will be wanting to get in on the BTR3 action since they desperately need a quality setup to hear music authentically as the artist intended.”
Playback Designs MPD-8 Dream DAC Review
October 9, 2018 Comments Off on Playback Designs MPD-8 Dream DAC Review
“Andreas Koch believes that DSD is a first-class file format capable of providing excellent sonics. While most of the DSD (dsf) files available for download are DSD64, superior sound can be obtained from Double DSD (DSD128) or Quad DSD (DSD256) files. The MPD-8 has the capability to play Direct or Native DSD as opposed to DoP. Playing DSD files under the DoP (DSD over PCM), results in a 30 to 50 percent increase in CPU processing overhead. This might affect the sound when the DAC is driven directly by a computer. Also, the DoP implementation for DSD256 requires support for PCM at 705.6 kHz and 768 kHz. These high sampling rates pose a significant challenge for both the computer CPU and USB audio interface. Most DACs, including the MPD-8, support DoP with a top limitation of DSD128. Playback Designs provides an ASIO driver for Windows that allows one to play DSD files directly without DoP allowing DSD256 capability. There is also support for Linux playback of DSD256 in products like the Sonore Signature Rendu SE. OSX users will be limited to DSD128 using DoP with the MPD-8. DoP sounds quite good when heard with the MPD-8, but Native playback sounds a little better to me.”
Monoprice Monolith Liquid Platinum Headphone Amplifier World Premiere $699 Review
October 8, 2018 Comments Off on Monoprice Monolith Liquid Platinum Headphone Amplifier World Premiere $699 Review
“Attack speed is about average, not quite delivering the brilliant transient snap of the Blue Note Award-winning HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2. The focus of the Liquid Platinum seems more tuned to deliver richness rather than speed. The body and decay of the notes are both quite lovely, with a trail of sonic information lingering behind every note detailing everything from the dimensions of the recording space down to the singer’s choice of herbal tea and Chapstick. The soundscape and imaging are excellent. The forwardness of the midrange does seem to make vocals a bit closer to you, relative to a flatter presentation like that of the HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2. As a result, there is a certain intensity to the Monolith Liquid Platinum that I really like. It feels more personal. It pairs perfectly with that sultry midrange and intimate signature to deliver a really cohesive experience.”
Bluesound Node 2i review
October 8, 2018 Comments Off on Bluesound Node 2i review
“The Arcam rPlay remains a fine streamer for the money, but that really serves to highlight just how far Bluesound has come since its previous generation. Though the space between them is not massive, the Node 2i betters its rival pretty much across the board.As far as sub-£500 wireless streamers go – whether incorporated into a Bluesound multi-room system or not – you almost certainly won’t achieve sound quality superior to that of the Node 2i.”
PSB M4U8 WIRELESS
October 8, 2018 Comments Off on PSB M4U8 WIRELESS
“Whether you are watching a movie or streaming your favorite music, the M4U8 will deliver exceptional performance and keep you smiling. Highly recommended for anyone who loves watching movies or listening to music anywhere and any time the M4U8 is a winner and deserves your consideration. PSB continues to hit home runs and I look forward to their next project. Superbly engineered and designed the M4U8 is an exceptional product.”
Grado GS2000e Headphone Review
October 7, 2018 Comments Off on Grado GS2000e Headphone Review
“Both the Chord and the PMC are extremely accurate devices which effectively get out if the way and let the transducer do the talking. They reveal the Grado to be an almost sublimely balanced device. Absolutely nothing at any point of the frequency response feels overemphasised or pushed back and this makes for a listening experience that is exceptionally enjoyable regardless of what you choose to listen to on them. I started one listening session with the considered and lovely Kidal by Tamikrest with its effortless combination of North African instrumentation with rock sensibilities and finished with Polygon by Battle Tapes which is to delicacy what John Candy was to hang gliding. At no stage did the Grados feel like anything other than the perfect tool for the job.”
McIntosh $200.000 Audio System sound
October 7, 2018 Comments Off on McIntosh $200.000 Audio System sound
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