Category: First Impressions
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The Mighty Parasound NewClassic 200 Integrated Amp & DAC In The House! First Impressions And Unboxing Pics!
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My first experience with the $1195 Parasound NewClassic 200 Integrated Amp & DAC was eye-opening. It was part of an impressive display at this year’s RMAF, where it was matched up with a massive pair of $4500 Tekton MOAB speakers. It was a combination so successful; I felt it was possibly the best-sounding rig at the…
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The Seductive Fiio M11 Pro Digital Audio Player In The House! First Impressions And Unboxing Pics!
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Fiio’s M11 Digital Audio Player had some pretty beefy specs, but evidently that wasn’t good enough because now we have the jam-packed Fiio M11 Pro. In this new version, they upgraded the DAC chips to two flagship AKM “Velvet Sound” chips, doubled the storage from 32GB to 64GB, put in a Fully-Balanced THX-Certified amp section,…
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Zorloo Ztella: The Tantalizing Specs On This Tiny MQA-Enabled DAC Will Entice You
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Almost two years after the launch of their well-received Zorloo Zuperdac-S, Zorloo has announced a new, MQA high-resolution audio-enabled USB DAC. It’s called Ztella, and it’s the smallest MQA DAC released thus far, not much bigger than a standard USB-C dongle. From the press release: Zorloo is pleased to introduce Ztella, the smallest USB-DAC with high-end audio…
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Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless Copper High-End Stereo Headphone In The House! First Impressions And Unboxing Pics!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it. Apple’s removal of the headphone jack from their smartphones and its subsequent removal by other smartphone makers has increased the demand for high-quality wireless audio. This has pushed audio manufacturers to up their game when designing Bluetooth headphones, and the product I have today is one of…
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Rocky Mountain Audio Fest Report Part 5: The Show In Pictures-Room Highlights!
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So this is the wrap-up of my Rocky Mountain Audio Fest 2019 coverage, and basically, I wanted to post some pics of the rooms I dug but haven’t posted yet. Zu Audio’s room was pretty cool with the Druid 6 and Omen Dirty Weekend paired with Pass Labs/Holo Audio gear, the newly launched Sonus Faber Olympica…
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Rocky Mountain Audio Fest Report Part 4: The Show In Pictures-Headphones & All In One Speaker Systems!
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RMAF was a blast…I flew in late on Friday, so I didn’t have time to spend hours listening to headphones like I usually do at the shows. But I did take some quick listens and saw some pretty cool stuff! I also wanted to add in some pics of the new all-in-one audio systems and…
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Rocky Mountain Audio Fest Report Part 2: Polk Audio Makes A Splash With Legend Series, Plus Sony’s New SA-Z1 Signature Speaker!
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Man where to start! There was so much going on this weekend at RMAF, including two major product launches from Polk Audio and Sony. Discovering The Polk Legend Series It’s been a while since Polk Audio released new speakers for the specialty audio market. But all that changed at RMAF. At the show, they launched…
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SVS Prime Towers In The House! First Impressions And Unboxing Pics
I just did a review on the DALI Oberon 5 Floorstanders, and pretty much that whole review I ranted and raved about how compact they were for a tower speaker. Well, this week I’m checking out a speaker on the opposite end of the tower speaker spectrum, the $1000 a pair SVS Prime Tower. The…
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Album Of The Week: Sara Gazarek-“Thirsty Ghost”
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This week’s Album Of The Week is a Jazz Vocal gem from an artist named Sara Gazarek. I’ve been following this LA-based Jazz vocalist since 2005 when she released a beautiful album entitled Yours. On that project, she introduced the world to her clear as a bell vocal and bewitching production, and I’ve been a…
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Simgot’s Flagship EK3 Three Balanced Armature IEM In The House-First Impressions And Unboxing Pics!
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The first time I saw pics of SIMGOT’s new flagship IEM, the $360 EK3, I was in love. The shiny transparent resin shell, the honeycomb imprinting, the splendid gold/silver braided cable, I was hooked. The only thing left to wonder was, “Does it sound as good as it looks?” Well, fortunately, thanks to SIMGOT, I…
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Audiolab 6000N Play Network Audio Player In The House-First Impressions And Unboxing Pics!
A couple of months back, I got Audiolab’s 6000A Integrated Amplifier in for review, and I loved it so much I bought the unit as a reference amp. Today I’m taking a look at the companion product to that amp, the $599 6000N Play Network Audio Player. The 6000N Play leverages the DTS Play-Fi Wireless audio…
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NAD VISO HP70 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphone In The House-First Impressions And Unboxing Pics!
NAD is known more for excellent budget amps than headphones, but the few models they have put out so far get high marks amongst audiophiles. Their cans are known best for a spacious open sound along with deep bass, and I’m assuming this will carry over to their VISO HP70 Wireless, which is their first…
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Periodic Audio C (Carbon) IEM and Ni (Nickel) Headphone Amp In The House!-First Impressions And Unboxing Pics
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Just got a pair of Periodic Audio’s new Flagship in-ear headphones, the $399 C (Carbon) IEM in the house, and I can’t wait to give these a real good listen. Periodic Audio basically only makes IEMs, (they do have the Nickel amp, which I also have) and their mission is to make the best sounding one…
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Dekoni Audio Blue Planar Magnetic Headphones In The House! First Impressions And Unboxing Pics
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I’ve been trying to get my hands on these headphones for a while now. I’ve heard them at shows and was impressed by the sound, but it’s a whole different animal to break-in a pair at home. There is no shortage of Fostex T50 mods out there, and the Dekoni Blue is the first I’ve…
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DALI OBERON 5 Floor Standing Speakers In The House! First Impressions And Unboxing Pics
Every time I listen to DALI speakers, I revel in how they bring out the emotion in the music…it’s hard not to bop your head or tap your foot when playing a pair. The OBERON series to me represents a sweet spot in the DALI line where you are getting the most DALI sound for…
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HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2 Headphone Amp In The House! First Impressions And Unboxing Pics
I first heard the $499 HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2 headphone amplifier at AXPONA this year. I was so impressed with how it drove a pair of Meze’s Flagship Empyrean headphones that I had to reach out to the company for a unit to put through the paces at the crib. Thankfully, HeadAmp obliged and sent a…
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HiBy W5 Bluetooth Hi-Fi Headphone Amplifier In The House: Unboxing and First Impressions
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Man…When I first read the specs on the HiBy W5 Bluetooth Headphone Amplifier, I couldn’t help but back it on Kickstarter. For $69 I got a wireless headphone amp that can drive 300-ohm headphones, supports Hi-Res wireless connections and sports a top-flight ESS Sabre DAC chip. I figured I couldn’t lose. Most of the Headphone…
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Paradigm Monitor SE Atom Bookshelf In The House: Stylish and Affordable!
I’ve been waiting a long time to get my hands on these speakers. As an admitted long-time fan of “Digms” (That’s how Paradigm fans refer to their beloved speakers, by the way) I had to check out the latest incarnation of their entry-level Atom speaker, the Paradigm Monitor SE Atom Bookshelf. It’s a very polished…
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Audiolab 6000A In The House: A Truly Versatile Integrated Amplifier
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35 years ago, Audiolab shook things up with their 8000A Integrated Amp, a product still revered today for its bulletproof build quality and high-end sound. Now they have distilled the essence of the 8000 series down (along with adding digital capabilities!) into the more affordable 6000 series, and the $899 6000A Integrated Amplifier is the cornerstone.…
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Triangle AIO 3 Multiroom Speaker And AIO C Audiophile Music Streamer In The House!
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This week I’m checking out the AIO Multiroom system from Triangle. They are a French hi-fi manufacturer that makes some of the most beautiful speakers, and now they are bringing that same craftsmanship to multiroom speaker systems, something along the lines of Sonos or the new Bowers & Wilkins Formation system. AIO, unlike some of…