Larry Cox has posted a review of the Classe Sigma SSP surround sound preamplifier ($5499) at Positive Feedback. His conclusions: “Classe’s Sigma SSP acts like the sum of a good two channel preamp and a surround sound preamp. I like so much of what the Sigma SSP preamp offers that I think it should...
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Dan Schwartz has posted a review of the SST Thoebe II preamplifier ($3500) and Son of Ampzilla power amplifier ($3500) at Positive Feedback. His conclusions: “The Theobe II preamp does everything you expect from a contemporary preamp, and (as reviewed) throws in a phono stage and DAC. Plus, in my opinion, it looks really...
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Marek Dyba has posted a review of the TEA 8695 phono stage (€69,000), TFA 9501 preamplifier (€69,000), and TM 8801 power amplifiers (€60,000/pair) at Positive Feedback. His conclusions: “I tried to find at least one record that would sound not so good on the AudioTekne system and I failed. High quality, audiophile recordings sounded...
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Rob Johnson has posted a review of the Wyetech Ruby STD preamplifier ($9500) at TONEAudio. His conclusions: “This is a very special preamplifier, offering performance rivaling the world’s finest, as Herbert said it would. If its other parameters work for you, you will not be disappointed––this is a wonderful preamplifier.” You can read the...
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Angelo Jasparro has posted a review of the Bel Canto 3.7 preamplifier ($4495) and Bel Canto 600M monoblock amplifiers ($4990/pair) at Audio Activity. “In conclusion, this is a quartet with a simple and elegant look, with an impeccable and accurate sound given at reasonable price, perfectly in line with today’s market. If you do...
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Andre Jennings has posted a review of the Ayon Audio CD-3sx preamplifier-DAC-CD player ($8100) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: “Complete stability from a vacuum-tube-based digital player with high-quality sound reproduction can be a pleasurable experience for many users. The additional benefit of intuitively well-designed user controls is a welcome bonus.” You can read...
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Rene van Es has posted a review of the Orpheus Lab Heritage preamplifier (€38,590) and power amplifier (€42,200) at Stereo Times. His conclusions: “When an amplifier is made the way Orpheus Lab makes them you end up with fast and natural sounding devices, with enormous power reserves that behave like the ideal straight wire...
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Christiaan Punter has posted a review of the Jeff Rowland Capri s2 preamplifier and 125 power amplifier (together €9000) at Hi-Fi Advice. His conclusions: “The Capri s2 + 125 are beautiful components to look at, they are not larger than the need to be but feel extremely solid and luxurious. Connectivity is more than...
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Jeff Fritz has posted a review of the Simaudio Evolution 850P preamplifier ($30,000) at SoundStage! Ultra. His conclusions: “n fact, some finer points of its sound quality are without peer: It delivered a huge soundstage in my system, with many recordings making my room seem larger than it actually is; it was utterly transparent,...
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Dick Olsher has posted a review of the Audible Illusions L3A line preamplifier ($3995) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: “The L3A line preamp distills the best attributes of modern tube sound: swift transients, a detailed presentation, and natural yet non-euphonic textures. It is its insistence on the sonic truth that defines it as...
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Greg Simmons has posted a review of the KR Audio P-130 preamplifier ($5600) at Stereo Times. His conclusions: “It’s simple to set up, simple to use, and it’s built to a very high quality standard. It was an excellent match for my amplifier and – while it emphasized slightly different qualities than my own...
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Ron Nagle has posted a review of the Margules SF220.15 20th Anniversary preamplifier ($4599) and U280sc 25th Anniversary power amplifier ($5399) at Enjoy the Music. His conclusions: “For music to have any real relevance it must reach out and touch inside something inside of us. It is better to follow a flowing stream of...
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Wojciech Pacula has posted a review of the AudioPax Maggiore l50 preamplifier (€18,000) and m50 monoblock amplifiers (€31,000/pair) at High Fidelity. His conclusions: “Audiopax delivered rich, deep performance with them, not trying to make them something they were not. They sounded right, as I imagined they should have. The system played recently recorded albums...
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Chris Groppi has posted a review of the Rotel RB1590 preamplifier ($1749) and RC1590 power amplifier ($2999) at Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity. His conclusions: “For the money, you’d be hard pressed to find a better sounding, more fully featured preamp and power amp combo than the Rotel RB-1590 and RC-1590. The...
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Dick Olsher has posted a review of the Atma-Sphere UltraViolet UV-1 preamplifier ($1900) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: “Sonically, the UV-1 occupies the middle ground between vintage and modern tube sound. It abandons absolute neutrality in favor of a bold and assertive midrange replete with wonderful tone-color saturation. You definitely need to give...
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Terry London has posted a review of the Raven Audio Cirrus tube stereo preamplifier ($3995) at HomeTheaterReview. His conclusions: ” The Cirrus, based on its beautiful rendering of both color and space, is a music lover’s type of preamplifier. When mated with either tube or solid-state amplifiers and a variety of musical genres, the...
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John Gatski has posted a review of the Teac UD-503 preamplifier-DAC ($999) at Everything Audio Network. His conclusions: “So there you have it: my headline is “TEAC makes a super, fully featured DAC for less than $1,000.” Using the latest AKM DAC chip, dual-mono design and with lots of connectivity, including balanced HP amp...
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Alan Sircom has posted a review of the Constellation Audio Inspiration Preamp 1.0 line preamplifier (£9000) and Mono 1.0 power amplifier (£19,976/pair) at Hi-Fi+. His conclusions: “hat Inspiration has done is light a torch under the competition; these are products that play in the £50,000 league for £10,000 a piece. In fairness, bringing better...
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Fred Kaplan has posted a review of the Balanced Audio Technology Rex II line preamplifier ($25,000) at Stereophile. His conclusions: “he Balanced Audio Technology Rex II is a wonder that has eked from my LPs and CDs more new things than any other component I’ve sampled in years—and not in a cold, analytical way,...
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Steven Stone has posted a review of the Tortuga LDR3.V2 passive preamplifier ($1195) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: “Sure, it may not be flashy-looking, and it’s not going to add to your system’s warmth or euphony, but if you want the ultimate in transparency you would be hard-pressed—regardless of budget—to find a preamplifier,...
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Anthony Cordesman has posted a review of the Burmester MC151 music center ($25,000) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: “The Burmester is a superb-sounding digital player, and one where cost was never intended to be a key concern. The unfortunate thing is that luxury is often worth the price.” You can read the full...
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Neil Gader has posted a review of the NAD Masters Series M12 digital preamplifier ($3499) and M22 stereo amplifier ($2995) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: “The NAD Masters Series M12/M22 combo proudly holds its own in pretty much any company. And it scores points at all levels—refinement of sound, classy execution, and cool,...
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Dick Olsher has posted a review of the Monarchy Audio NM24 preamplifier-DAC ($1590) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: “First, there’s still plenty of audio magic left in Burr-Brown’s 24-bit/96kHz PCM1704 chip. Second, a tube buffer is sonically superior to an op-amp-based buffer, as can easily be ascertained by auditioning both built-in buffers. Third,...
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Aaron Garrett has posted a review of the Ayre Acoustics KX-5 Twenty preamplifier ($8950) at SoundStage! Ultra. His conclusions: “he KX-5 Twenty is not only the best preamplifier I have reviewed, it may be the best component of any type that I’ve reviewed. It’s only logical, then, that I give the KX-5 Twenty my...
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Edgar Kramer has posted a review of the McIntosh C2500 preamplifier ($6500) and MC452 power amplifier ($7500) at AVHub. His conclusions: “The McIntosh C2500 and MC452 excel at spectacular dynamic expression, beautiful and accurate tonality, satisfying detail retrieval, and the recreation of a generous soundfield. All these qualities will satisfy the most demanding audio...
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