REL Acoustics 212/SE Sub-Bass System $4200 Review
October 6, 2018 Comments Off on REL Acoustics 212/SE Sub-Bass System $4200 Review
“In enthusiastically recommending the 212/SEs, nevertheless a final word of caution. To extract the great performance of which they are capable, one must be careful and judicious in room placement, as well as crossover and level settings. If you are looking primarily for “big bang” performance on movie blockbusters, it is doubtful the 212s will sound right on music. But if you move toward a subtler blend of the subwoofers with your main speakers, so that the subs never call attention to themselves, you will be rewarded with superior music reproduction and awesome movie nights. In short, I think you will be very impressed if you make the opportunity to audition the 212/SEs”
ZANDEN AUDIO SYSTEMS MODEL 9600MK2 MONO POWER AMPLIFIER REVIEW
October 6, 2018 Comments Off on ZANDEN AUDIO SYSTEMS MODEL 9600MK2 MONO POWER AMPLIFIER REVIEW
“The Zanden’s limitations are few. Yes, this will not find favour among those wanting to cram as much top end energy as possible into every musical experience. And if you play this into difficult loudspeakers in a huge room, and then deluge it with heavy opera, the Zanden will eventually run out of puff. The valve regulation, however, seems engineered well enough to withstand complex themes without folding up and compressing the midrange.
You know you are onto a winner when a brand is spoken of in hushed tones. Zanden Audio Systems is one such brand, and the 9600Mk2 is part of the reason why those hushed tones are uttered. Of course this amplifier deserves world-class partners and that makes it extremely expensive in context, but it defines a musical performance the likes of which you simply don’t get from other components. That doesn’t just put the Zanden in the audio A-List, it turns out to be Audio Royalty, and you want that music in your life more and more.”
Pro-Ject Audio Systems Classic SB Turntable Review
October 5, 2018 Comments Off on Pro-Ject Audio Systems Classic SB Turntable Review
“The sound from the Classic SB and Sumiko Blue Point No.2 was never less than rich and natural, if occasionally restrained through the MM input. The pairing revealed a luminous midrange in the voices of Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle, with all their respective gruffness and gorgeousness intact, in their duets on Waits’s score for the film One from the Heart (LP, Columbia PC 37703). “Picking Up After You” was detailed and continuously musical, with the correct amount of smoothness, and flawless integration that an MC cartridge can deliver. “Broken Bicycles” sounded even more resolved, but the lower end of Waits’s voice was a bit thin. In “Take Me Home,” Gayle’s voice sounded natural and potently transparent, with nothing obscuring her midrange. The Classic SB could dig deeply into vocal recordings.
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True-Fi Sound Enhancement App Now Supports 200+ Headphones
October 5, 2018 Comments Off on True-Fi Sound Enhancement App Now Supports 200+ Headphones
“The app supports Mac (macOS 10.9 or later) and PC (Windows 7 or later), and new models are added to the list of supported headphones every month at no extra cost, according to Sonarworks. Once activated, the desktop app can be used on up to three devices simultaneously. The company said a mobile app for Android and iOS devices is coming soon.
The addition of 15 new headphone profiles brings the number of True-Fi-supported headphone models to 232. New models include Apple Airpods, the Behringer HPM1000 and HPS3000, Creative Aurvana Live!, HyperX Cloud Alpha, the Meze 99 Classic and 99 Neo, Monoprice Monolith M1060, Panasonic’s RP-HJE125, the Razer Kraken Pro, and five Pioneer models, including the HDJ-X5 and HRM-7.
Astel&Kern SP1000M Music Player – Hands On Review
October 5, 2018 Comments Off on Astel&Kern SP1000M Music Player – Hands On Review
Sony’s Aspirational Audio Player $8,000
October 4, 2018 Comments Off on Sony’s Aspirational Audio Player $8,000
“Perhaps Sony has realized that the manufacture of low-cost, commodity audio products is a game they don’t want to play. And Sony was always known for delivering products that were often a cut above everyone else’s. Now, with products like the DMP-Z1, Sony seems to be testing the waters of very high-end audio. A small market, perhaps, but a profitable one. I wish them well. If you want more info on the DMP-Z1, check out Sony’s web page.
And does a $8,000 music player incite rage in you, or does it inspire appreciation? Sony would love to find out, especially if your opinion is positive, and it goes viral.
Chevy Camaro ZL1 – Custom Focal Utopia System Explained – Video
October 4, 2018 Comments Off on Chevy Camaro ZL1 – Custom Focal Utopia System Explained – Video
Audio Research Reference 160M monoblock power amplifier $30,000 Review
October 3, 2018 Comments Off on Audio Research Reference 160M monoblock power amplifier $30,000 Review
“Of all the power amplifiers, integrated amplifiers, and pre-power combinations to have spent time in my reference system, the pairing of Audio Research’s tubed Reference 160M monoblocks and REF 6 preamplifier stands out as having sounded the most musically neutral and natural. Other components may offer more warmth and glow, or wider soundstages, or greater dynamic contrast, or more bass slam, transparency, and detail—but there was an inherent rightness to the sound of this supremely musical ARC pairing that puts it in a class by itself.
Since hearing the Reference 160Ms and REF 6 together, all of my preconceptions about the sound of tubed equipment have gone out the window. While choosing an amplifier will always be based upon many factors—economic means, personal taste, and the willingness to monitor and occasionally replace tubes among them—I’m convinced that the Reference 160M will find a home on many a solar- or wind-powered desert island. It’s that good.”
Audiophilepure 
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