Michael Yap has posted a review of the Totem Wind loudspeakers ($13,995/pair) at Hi-Fi Senses. His conclusions: “With it, the Wind isn’t laidback or in-your-face, but rather it is there at the sweet spot, just right where you want it, making the sound neither too far or too close to you. Vocals and synthesizers...
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Kriz Tan has posted a review of the AURALiC VEGA DAC ($3495) at Hi-Fi Senses. His conclusions: “I had tried several DAC in the past and Auralic Vega is considerably one of the most value for money (VFM) choice with respect to its various features. From filters, clocks settings, upsampling and many more that...
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Jez Ford has posted a review of the AURALiC Aries Mini wireless streaming node ($699) at AVHub. His conclusions: “We were astounded by the Auralic Aries Mini. From one simple box it played almost everything quickly, smoothly and glitch-free. It handles NAS drives, high-res files, Tidal, AirPlay, Bluetooth. You can add a hard drive...
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Greg Borrowman has posted a review of the NAD C 546BEE CD player (769) at AVHub. His conclusions: “The NAD C 546BEE is a fabulous CD player. It’s well-built, well-designed, sounds great using either filter setting (but for me, sounds better in the ‘Slow’ setting) and has a decent swathe of features including the...
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Robert E. Greene has posted a review of the Sony SS-NA5ES loudspeakers ($6000/pair) at The Absolute Sound. His conclusions: “The Sonys do not sound exactly like ordinary speakers. But I can promise you that if you grant the design the premise of its balance, you will find them hugely rewarding. With a subwoofer system...
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Robert S. Youman has posted a review of the Marigo Labs Iridium v1.0 power cable ($3650) at Positive Feedback. His conclusions: “There was some clear decisive synergy going on with a variety of digital components—that includes DACs, transports, music servers and even digital amplifiers. However, I would not box them in or limit them...
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Dave Clark has posted a review of the Aurender N100H music streamer ($2699) at Positive Feedback. His conclusions: “At $2699 it offers you 2TB of audiophile-built storage in a simple and elegant box one-box solution and it takes up half the space of most components giving you some extra breathing room on the shelf....
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Music streaming is officially going high resolution. The industry’s official logo mark for Hi-Res MUSIC – previously applicable primarily to high quality digital download services – will soon be available for adoption by music streaming services as well, according to an announcement today from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and its member...
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Philip Teh has posted a review of the Beyerdynamic T1 v2 headphones ($1099) at audiofi.net. His conclusions: “As always, the proof is in the hearing and nothing beats a personal test drive. If you’re in the market for a HD800-class sound signature and prefer a closer soundstage, then the Beyerdynamic T1 v2 is definitely...
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Michael Trei has posted a review of the Audioengine HD6 wireless loudpeakers ($749/pair) at Sound and Vision. His conclusions: “All-in-one solutions like the HD6 aren’t designed to replace an audiophile’s component stereo rig, and many audiophiles would find the system’s lack of tweakability frustrating. But it’s precisely this simplicity that makes an integrated approach...
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Steven R. Rochlin has posted a review of the Dynaco ST-1 preamplifier ($1500) and ST-70 power amplifier ($2500) at Enjoy the Music. His conclusions: “Upon seeing the new ST-70 i was in awe of the very solid build quality. Much care has been taken to provide a long and trouble-free life. Sure we could...
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Alan Sircom has posted a review of the Meze 99 Classics Walnut Gold headphones (€309) at Hi-Fi+. His conclusions: “The Meze 99 is an unexpected joy. It has a sensational musical performance, even when played with very humble audio equipment, and is comfortable enough (both in wear and in listening) to allow the listener...
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Eric Neff has posted a review of the Spread Spectrum Technologies Son of Ampzilla II power amplifier ($3500) at Hi-Fi+. His conclusions: “To sum up, my time with the Son of Ampzilla II has been both a revelation and a privilege. I have never found such a high performing solid-state amplifier at this price...
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As the flagship model of the new 800 Series Diamond, the 800 D3 takes the innovative, ground-breaking technologies developed for the new series to the ultimate conclusion. The result is the best loudspeaker Bowers & Wilkins has ever produced. The new Bowers & Wilkins 800 D3 loudspeaker redefines reference quality sound. It is the...
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Jason Kennedy has posted a review of the Neodio Origine CD player (£27,600) at The Ear. His conclusions: “It really is hard to find CD players that have this combination of transparency, fine detail and tonal depth. Some of the best valve powered examples get close but it’s rare to find one that’s this...
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Christiaan Punter has posted a review of the Metrum Pavane DAC (€5000) at Hi-Fi Advice. His conclusions: “In its price range it is definitely one of the top performers, and if it is the supremely etch-free NOS sound that you’re after, it may be one of the best options out there. If you crave...
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Warner Music Group (WMG) today announced a long-term licensing deal with music technology specialists MQA. The agreement – the first between MQA and any major music company – will significantly increase music fans’ access to hi-resolution music globally. The agreement paves the way for recordings from WMG’s diverse roster of acclaimed artists and its...
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Steven Stone has posted a review of the Spatial M3 Turbo S loudspeakers ($1995-$2595/pair) at HomeTheaterReview. His conclusions: “While there are a number of conventional loudspeakers with limited dispersion patterns, only horn-loaded designs can have a fully controlled dispersion pattern like the M3. However, most horn designs (especially older ones) are large arrays that...
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Roy Gregory has posted a review of the VTL S-400 Series II Reference stereo amplifier ($33,500) at The Audio Beat. His conclusions: “Ultimately, all choices when it comes to audio equipment are personal, and part of the reason the S-400 II has left such a deep impression on me is that it dovetails so...
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Roy Gregory has posted a review of the AFI Flat record flattener (€2490) at The Audio Beat. His conclusions: “The unit I have here is one of a first run of ten production samples, but even so the fit, finish and operation are exemplary, while the appearance is a world away from the lab-gear...
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Ken Kessler has posted a review of the Metronome CD8 CD player (£7500) at Hi-Fi News and Record Review. His conclusions: “‘Elegant’ was the first adjective that came to mind when I saw this player, and elegance remained its pre-eminent virtue. At no time did it sound ‘digital’ or harsh, regardless of the origins...
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Frederic Beudot has posted a review of the Zu Audio Event II interconnects ($860-$1000) and speaker cables ($870-$2808) at 6moons. His conclusions: “What I can attest to is that they have created a line of cables that had no issues equaling and at times challenging all of my in-house wires regardless of price. I...
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WL Low has posted a review of the dCS Debussy DAC ($11,499) at av2day.com. His conclusions: “However, viewed on it’s own merits, the dCS still deserves recommendation beyond par excellence, at it’s current retail price of RM49,000/unit. High-end-dom certainly doesn’t come cheap at this point, but if it’s absolute digital audio performance that one...
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Roland Dietl has posted part two of his review of the ZeroUno DAC (€5500) at Positive Feedback. His conclusions: “The ZEROUNO is a rarely-seen symbiosis of thoughtful circuit design in all aspects, using extremely high-quality components, while showing a perfect finish too. The sound quality as well as the ability of this DAC to...
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Clement Perry has posted a review of the Frank Acoustics’ UB25000 power conditioner ($4500) at Stereo Times. His conclusions: “The improvements wrought by the Frank Acoustics device were nothing short of extraordinary. Improved dynamics, ease of flow, natural hues and a lowered noise floor makes the UB25000 perhaps one of the greatest add-on products...
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