Constellation Performance Centaur II 500 power amplifier $55,000 Review
October 19, 2018 Comments Off on Constellation Performance Centaur II 500 power amplifier $55,000 Review
“My new torture track for revealing any problems a product might have dealing with low frequencies at high powers is “#thatpower,” featuring Justin Bieber, from Will.i.am’s #willpower (16/44.1 FLAC MQA, Interscope). The Bricasti reproduced the sampled kick drum with more upper bass than did the Lamms or the Constellation. Peak levels reached 98.6dB (measured with the Studio Six Digital SPL Meter app on my iPhone 6S, with C weighting and slow ballistics). When, on the line “I’ll take you higher,” the bass line drops to the subdominant, the Centaur II 500 sounded a little less “phatt” than the M1.2s, and even less so than the M15, to the benefit of the music’s clarity. The sampled snare drum in this track inherently sounds coarse, but the Centaur II 500 had less of a cack-cack quality than either the Bricasti or the Lamms. Winner on points? The Constellation.”
R
The Absolute Sound 2018 Buyer’s Guide: Stand-Mounted Loudspeakers Under $3,000
December 11, 2017 Comments Off on The Absolute Sound 2018 Buyer’s Guide: Stand-Mounted Loudspeakers Under $3,000
“5
Classic Totem through and through, the Sky is purpose-built—clean and seamless, with rigid cabinetry and beautiful veneer finishes. The Sky is also prima facie evidence of just how far small speakers have evolved in the way of a fuller-bodied and warmer musical balance. Its tweeter and woofer sing with an of-a-piece coherence. Given the right-sized room (medium-to-smallish) and strong amplifier support, the Totem Sky just clears its throat and lets loose, eliciting tuneful bass with resonant energy, dynamic vigor, and surprising slam. With break-in, the Sky grows significantly more textured and realistic: The ambience surrounding singers, for example, becomes airier and better defined. Hats off to Totem’s Vince Bruzzese for his continuing quest to coax big-time performance from the tiny two-way, while still harnessing the virtues of speed and transparency that come with a little box.”
2017 Editors’ Choice: Loudspeakers $10,000-$20,000
May 23, 2017 Comments Off on 2017 Editors’ Choice: Loudspeakers $10,000-$20,000
“The UniField Two is a 2.5-way design in which a 7″ coaxial driver is augmented below 80Hz by an aluminum-cone woofer. Internal chambers define a mini-labyrinth, which significantly dampens the vent output. The coaxial technology together with a non-resonant enclosure yields exceptional soundstaging and image focus. Expect impressive bass-range performance when the UniField is matched with a high-damping-factor solid-state amplifier, though the bass balance will be shifted toward the midbass. The UniField competes effectively with British stand-mounts from Spendor and Harbeth, offering greater rhythmic precision and bass heft.”
2017 Editors’ Choice: Power Amplifiers $1,000 – $3,000
March 27, 2017 Comments Off on 2017 Editors’ Choice: Power Amplifiers $1,000 – $3,000
“This 140-watt-per-channel amplifier—the latest refinement of Quad’s innovative, patented, award-winning “current dumping” technology—is, in PS’ opinion, the finest amplifier the company has ever made by a good margin, and unquestionably the most uncompromised implementation of Walker’s current-dumping circuit.”
Ferrari Red Technics turntable goes on sale for £32,000
March 9, 2017 Comments Off on Ferrari Red Technics turntable goes on sale for £32,000
“The deck has appeared on high-end audio marketplace Audiogon (via The Vinyl Factory). It’s the Technics SP10 MK3 NGS, which was originally conceived back in the early 1980s. This one, however, has been hand-built and finished by Artisan Fidelity, which specialises in this kind of thing.”
Vos Loudspeakers, Precision Sound Array, $135,000, 4 Towers,
December 25, 2016 Comments Off on Vos Loudspeakers, Precision Sound Array, $135,000, 4 Towers,
2017 BUYER’S GUIDE: FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKERS $5,000-$10,000
December 24, 2016 Comments Off on 2017 BUYER’S GUIDE: FLOORSTANDING LOUDSPEAKERS $5,000-$10,000
” Sonically, the Gold 300 tends towards a relatively “bottom-up” sound that is consistently balanced, rich, and full—and always musical. And its C-CAM ribbon tweeter boasts remarkable range. In addition to its stellar sonic capabilities, particularly throughout the midrange where its realism proved most striking, the Gold 300 is also quite a sexy-looking beast—even one that might meet with spousal/partner approval”
2016 EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS: SUBWOOFERS $3,000+
September 9, 2016 Comments Off on 2016 EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS: SUBWOOFERS $3,000+
“These two subs—identical except for woofer size (12″ vs. 13.5″) and amplifier power (1500W vs. 2500W)—raise the bar in subwoofer performance with their unlikely combination of brute-force power and tonal and dynamic finesse. Capable of delivering high SPLs at very low frequencies without strain, the Fathoms are equally adept at resolving the pitches, dynamics, and tone colors of an acoustic bass. Reference-quality performance at a reasonable price.”
2016 EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS: INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS UNDER $1,000
August 24, 2016 Comments Off on 2016 EDITORS’ CHOICE AWARDS: INTEGRATED AMPLIFIERS UNDER $1,000
Mark Levinson No.585 integrated amplifier Review $12,000
December 11, 2015 Comments Off on Mark Levinson No.585 integrated amplifier Review $12,000
” Immediately drawn into and involved in the music, I soon realized that I’d inadvertently increased the volume until the No.585’s display read 62dB. Mick Fleetwood’s drums were rendered with enough power and solidity that the Quads began to cut out on peaks. Soon, the No.585 went silent, and its display announced that it had an overheat fault condition. Sure enough, the areas of the top plate nearest the internal heatsinks were almost too hot to touch. I switched the amp into standby, but it continued to display the fault message. I reached around to the back and flipped the main power switch, waited one minute, then flipped it back on. The No.585 began its normal turn-on sequence: I hadn’t broken it. Whew!”
Audiophilepure 
You must be logged in to post a comment.