Hegel Music Systems H190v Streaming Integrated Amplifier Review
May 9, 2025 Comments Off on Hegel Music Systems H190v Streaming Integrated Amplifier Review
I briefly used the H190v with my Paul Carmody–designed DIY Amiga speakers, though the majority of my time with the H190v was spent using the Focal Theva N°2 loudspeakers. A pair of AmazonBasics 14AWG OFC speaker cables conferred power to the Focals. A Micro Seiki DQ-3 with an Audio-Technica AT95SH cartridge at the end of its MA-707 tonearm served as an analog source, while an Oppo BDP-105 universal disc player served as a digital source. The Oppo has a multitude of output options, so I was able to use both Have, Inc. RCA cables and Blue Jeans Cable DA202 XLRs to link to the H190v’s analog inputs, while a Tributaries Delta coax linked to the digital input. I used a generic Cat6 ethernet cable to connect my Netgear R6080 router to the H190v for streaming. And, as I’ll soon delve into, I used a Creek OBH-8SE phono preamp to compare against the H190v’s built-in phono stage.
Focal Diva Utopia Connected Loudspeaker System $40,000 Review
May 8, 2025 Comments Off on Focal Diva Utopia Connected Loudspeaker System $40,000 Review
One can almost picture the meeting between Focal’s design team and Naim’s engineers. “Let’s take our Focal ‘W’ membrane speakers and design an integrated system. Let’s take the same drivers from a $40,000 pair of speakers but put them into a simpler cabinet. Then let’s add separate Naim amps for the ‘W’ woofer quad pack in each speaker, plus one for the ‘W’ 6.5-inch bass-midrange for each speaker AND another for the “M” profile Beryllium Tweeter. While we are at it, we are going to add a Naim streamer and a Naim DAC, and control it all from an app. We aren’t done yet. Let’s not charge $60,000 for putting all of this into one cabinet. No, let’s keep the price at $40,000 USD and make it accessible for more to get our sound in one easy-peasy package!”
k.d. lang’s All-Analog Ingénue
May 8, 2025 Comments Off on k.d. lang’s All-Analog Ingénue
https://www.stereophile.com/content/revinylization-64-kd-langs-all-analog-ing%C3%A9nue
Opening with strummed guitars and accordion, “Constant Craving,” the only radio hit of lang’s solo career, won the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. As Ingénue‘s closing statement, it seems absolutely right, eloquently embodying the searching and desiring that energize the album.
Did Ingénue single-handedly create a new genre—one that no one else could follow because they lacked lang’s monumental vocal prowess and versatility? Perhaps. Whatever its larger significance, this was clearly a peak moment in a musical career that remains unique, an album utterly unlike anything else made before or since. It has never sounded better.
World Premiere Review! Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 Magnum Hybrid Stereo Integrated Amplifier Review
May 6, 2025 Comments Off on World Premiere Review! Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 Magnum Hybrid Stereo Integrated Amplifier Review
Now some clarity about the LRS with the Sphinx Magnum. After listening to the full impact of the Magnum with the Falcons, it became clearer to me that the Magnepan LRS needed more oomph to realize a larger presentation. I switched over to my reference amp, The Rogue Audio Pharaoh. Boom, full-scale, and solid tuneful bass. The Pharaoh has a monster power supply that can handle low sensitivity and 4-Ohm load speakers with more brute force, along with finesse. Of course, it is twice the price of the Sphinx Magnum.
The Falcons at 15 Ohms presented a friendlier load to the Sphinx Magnum. Voltage vs. Current. You could hear some of the tube-adjacent sound of the Sphinx Magnum coming through. Ok, it was getting late, so I opted to go for headphone listening so as not to disturb those who were sleeping upstairs. I wear headphones when doing radio shows and for listening to critical mixes of pre and mastered recordings. I was surprised by how nice sounding the headphone experience was on the Magnum. The MOSFET amp section makes for an easy and relaxing listening session. Oh yes, there was detail and the good things your ears beckon for.
WiiM Vibelink Amplifier Review
May 6, 2025 Comments Off on WiiM Vibelink Amplifier Review
https://stereonet.com/reviews/wiim-vibelink-amplifier-review
The Vibelink also has a Post-Filter Feedback (PFFB) circuit to minimise distortion and enhance clarity across different speaker loads, it is claimed. While affordable TPA3255-based amplifiers and ESS Sabre DACs abound, the WiiM distinguishes itself on several fronts. The unibody aluminium chassis is a premium touch and the switched-mode power supply is internal. Many competitors rely on chunky external power supply bricks, and some encounter overheating due to inadequate cooling.
WiiM’s fully passive cooling solution uses a PID thermal control circuit, a copper heat pipe and a large aluminium heatsink – PC assembly enthusiasts will feel right at home! During my listening tests, the Vibelink Amp reached a maximum of about 15 degrees C above ambient temperature after several days of continuous use. I didn’t trigger the amplifier protection circuit, so the cooling design definitely works. Also, the amplifier will power down after a period of inactivity, which is great in a world of rising energy costs.
Schiit Audio Skoll F Balanced Discrete Phono Preamp $399
May 4, 2025 Comments Off on Schiit Audio Skoll F Balanced Discrete Phono Preamp $399
We’d always recommend you pair a Bluetooth turntable with a great-sounding pair of wireless headphones or Bluetooth speakers to get the most out of your vinyl playback. The Pro-Ject pairs well with a variety of kit, from Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones to the Ruark MR1 Mk2 desktop speakers.
The Pro-Ject T1 Evo BT has an effortless way with music that makes listening to it very appealing, too. Its fluid and easy-going delivery might come at the expense of outright rhythmic attack and punch, but it has a mature balance that puts refinement to the fore.
There’s a satisfying amount of body and authenticity to vocals and instruments, ample dynamic contrast and snap when the music calls for it, and a general sense of spaciousness.
Vinnie Rossi gen2 Brama Review
May 4, 2025 Comments Off on Vinnie Rossi gen2 Brama Review
https://pt.audio/2025/03/16/vinnie-rossi-gen2-brama-integrated-amplifier-review/
But I do want to discuss one more design feature of the gen2 Brama, and it involves those lovely Western Electric 300Bs in the preamp stage that are positioned horizontally into Teflon tube sockets just under the top plate. When I reviewed Vinnie’s L2-i integrated amplifier a few years ago, it had a similar hybrid design–but the kicker was that you could use any DHTs that fit in the socket and it would work. Vinnie’s insistence on the Western Electric 300Bs for use in the gen2 Brama Integrated Amplifier, which costs about three times as much as the L2-i, tells me that with all of his research and those long listening sessions the WEs were the ones he loved the most.
Audiophilepure 
You must be logged in to post a comment.