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Tag Archives: Golden Ear

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2022 Golden Ear: Denon DL-103, DL-103R, and DLA220GS Phono Cartridges

Posted on by Paul Seydor

Denon DL-103, DL-103R, and DLA220GS Phono Cartridges

$349, $499, $599

These are three completely different variations of the identical pickup. The DL-103 enjoys an extended life with out modification than some other phono cartridge within the historical past of audio, whereas additionally being one of the vital beloved audio merchandise ever made. The base mannequin DL-103 is strictly the identical pickup, manufactured precisely the identical manner (by hand) since its introduction in 1962. Five paramount virtues account for its endurance: a pure, supremely musical tonal profile; the flexibility to make recordings come dynamically, vibrantly, intoxicatingly alive; physique, dimensionality, and solidity leading to excellent decision of the sometimes-conflicting calls for of soundstaging and imaging; an impression of connectedness leading to a gripping sense of move and drive; and a sample-to sample-consistency and reliability that ought to be the envy of the business. These pickups are actually amongst my prime references. Only snobs will fret over the cut price pricing, whereas the remainder of us are rewarded with the peerless satisfaction supplied discriminating music lovers by this magnificent design for over six many years now.

The submit 2022 Golden Ear: Denon DL-103, DL-103R, and DLA220GS Phono Cartridges appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

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2022 Golden Ear: Graham Audio 5/5 Monitor Loudspeaker

Posted on by Paul Seydor

Graham Audio 5/5 Monitor Loudspeaker

$20,000/pair

A 3-way design with slot-loading of the midrange and woofer to attain a wider, smoother, extra uniform axial response, the 5/5 manages the troublesome trick of reaching a uniform frequency response throughout an roughly 60-degree window, whereas on the similar time realizing state-of-the-art imaging and a commandingly spectacular dynamic vary that may exceed the necessities of most music listeners in something in need of baronial-sized listening rooms. Bass response is deep sufficient to obviate the necessity for a subwoofer except pipe organs represent a gentle food plan, whereas the general tonal stability is such that day after day on recording after recording over a number of months the 5/5 left me with the sensation that I used to be listening to again to the unique supply in a means that I’ve skilled with only a few audio system. The 5/5 is designed to be an expert monitor of very excessive neutrality; regardless of its using a number of drivers, at no time throughout the lengthy analysis interval did I ever really feel I used to be listening to totally different drivers, totally different supplies, totally different colorations. So rigorously has Hughes chosen the drivers and so scrupulously has he matched and optimized them via measurement, crossover, slotting, and different engineering options, not least very cautious listening, to work as an built-in system, that the LS5/5 all the time appeared to talk with a single voice from prime to backside with fairly superb transparency and excellent coherence. To repeat what I mentioned of the 8/1: If I completely had to decide on one speaker to stay with the remainder of my life, the 5/5 can be on the brief record, albeit increased up. What I can say for now could be that I think about it the best three-way cone-based loudspeaker in my expertise and one of many most interesting, interval.

The submit 2022 Golden Ear: Graham Audio 5/5 Monitor Loudspeaker appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

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2022 Golden Ear: Excel Sound Corporation Hana SL Cartridge

Posted on by Andre Jennings

Excel Sound Corporation Hana SL Cartridge

$750

Around 5 years in the past, I stated that the Hana SL establishes a baseline of efficiency that any cartridge demanding the next value ought to exceed, with none steps backwards in different areas. This looks like it needs to be a easy matter, however the Hana SL makes it a tall order for some higher-priced cartridges, particularly the half about not stepping backwards. At that point, I additionally reported that the Hana SL had an even-handed response throughout the frequency spectrum, traces the grooves very nicely (from low-to-high frequencies), and has a contact of coloration that strikes it ever so barely to the nice and cozy aspect of impartial. Today, the Hana SL continues to impress in system configurations that embrace higher-cost analog entrance ends. At its value level, it’s nonetheless a standout. This cartridge will permit the proprietor to get pleasure from his vinyl playback system whereas offering an anchor for future upgrades of tonearms, turntables, and phonostages. For a cartridge at any value, the Hana SL holds its personal in opposition to the competitors, after which some. Over the years, it has been a simple suggestion, providing low distortion, excessive coherence, wonderful soundstage depth and width, and an uncanny sense of togetherness. It’s nonetheless a keeper.

The submit 2022 Golden Ear: Excel Sound Corporation Hana SL Cartridge appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

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2022 Golden Ear: Graham Audio LS8/1 Loudspeaker

Posted on by Paul Seydor

Graham Audio LS8/1 Loudspeaker

$9700 (stands included)

My colleague Robert E. Greene, who has had long experience with the classic BC-1 loudspeaker designed by Spencer Hughes, reviewed the new LS8/1, possibly the last upgrading of that venerable design, carried out by Spencer’s son Derek. The importer allowed me to audition the review pair for about three weeks before they went over to REG’s. Because I knew my time with them was limited, I listened as much as I could. While I lack REG’s familiarity with the original, I did own son Derek’s first go at upgrading his father’s design in the nineties, the Spendor SP1/2, one of the most timbrally truthful loudspeakers I’ve ever heard. The 8/1 is even better in that regard. I cannot improve upon REG’s review, so I will mention two aspects of the original design that gave many people trouble: considerably less than stellar bass response (to put it mildly) and somewhat limited dynamic range. As I hear it, there is no basis for any reservations along these lines in the LS8/1, except in very large rooms. If I were absolutely forced to choose one loudspeaker for the rest of my life, the LS8/1 would be on the short list.

The post 2022 Golden Ear: Graham Audio LS8/1 Loudspeaker appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

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2022 Golden Ear: T+A 200-Series Electronics

Posted on by Alan Taffel

T+A 200-Series Electronics

$4900/$5700/$6900

In my series on “Building a Compact Reference System,” I sung the praises of modular, multifunction electronics as a space-saving alternative to separate components. In creating the 200-Series, the folks at German audio powerhouse T+A had the same goal but a different idea about how to achieve it. What if, they thought, we could retain the benefits of separates—individual power supplies, physical isolation between digital and analog elements, the ability to buy only what you need—but conserve space by making those separates smaller? Thus was the petite 200-Series born. The series comprises a multi-format (CD, HDD, streamer) player, a Roon-ready DAC/pre with both digital and analog inputs, and a stereo power amp. Together, the stack runs $17.5k, which isn’t cheap but is still a deal for what it is. For instance, I’ve compared the 200-Series with my more than twice as dear CH Precision integrated amp, the I1, and the result was startling. The T+A stack was nearly indistinguishable from the far-costlier Swiss equivalent. The CH I1 does have a little more dynamic jump and slightly more fleshed-out tonality. But, boy, is it close.

Aside from sonics, the 200-Series components are achingly attractive—in a retro-audio sort of way—and feature myriad thoughtful touches. These include the ability to stick in a thumb drive, a technically correct (and excellent-sounding) BNC SPDIF input, and control connections between the components that allow the threesome to behave more or less as one. If I were searching in this price range for a compact, versatile electronics stack, I would look no further than the T+A 200-Series.

The post 2022 Golden Ear: T+A 200-Series Electronics appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

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2022 Golden Ear: Wadax Reference Server

Posted on by Robert Harley

Wadax Reference Server

$59,000 ($76,495 with Akasa optical interface)

This crazy-expensive server must be mated to Wadax’s equally crazy-expensive ($225,000) Reference DAC to realize both products’ performance potentials. That’s because the custom, proprietary Akasa optical interface between the two elevates their already state-of-the-art performance to an entirely new realm. But if you have the dough and the significant rack space, there is no better sounding digital front end, in my experience. The Server and its optical interface took the system to the next level of timbral realism, soundstaging, resolution, and bass performance. The Wadax pair overcomes so many of digital’s shortcomings, particularly in its ability to create a palpable sense of three dimensionality, in liquidity of timbre, and in clarity of instrumental line. The Server’s bass is revelatory, resolving pitch, dynamics, and texture in acoustic and electric bass convincingly. Moreover, unique front-panel controls allow you to fine-tune the Server to your system without changing the data. The Server reveals, for the first time, the potential of digital files in that it makes those files, streamed or stored on the integral 2TB drive, high-res or Red Book, sound like remastered versions.

The post 2022 Golden Ear: Wadax Reference Server appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

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2022 Golden Ear: Stenheim Alumine Five SE Dynamic Loudspeaker

Posted on by Jonathan Valin

Stenheim Alumine Five SE Dynamic Loudspeaker

$72,000

Just last year I had the pleasure of reviewing one of the best cone loudspeakers I’ve heard—the $78k, three-way, three-driver Estelon X Diamond Mk II. As luck would have it, I had the exact same experience this year, thanks to the Swiss company Stenheim.

Though also a three-way floorstander, Stenheim’s Alumine Five SE is otherwise quite different than Estelon’s X Diamond II. For one thing it has a hefty (220-pound!), damped aluminum chassis, where the Estelon’s is made of a hefty (190-pound!) slurry of acrylic and marble. For another, the Stenheim’s aluminum enclosure is shaped into a conventional rectangular box, unlike the Estelon’s fabulous, near-inaudible, hourglass-shaped one. For a third, the Alumine Five SE is modest in size—less than four-feet tall, one-foot wide, and a foot-and-a-quarter deep—where the Estelon is considerably taller, wider, and deeper. For a fourth, the Stenheim uses “old-fashioned” paper- and fabric-cone drivers (two slot-loaded 10″ woofers, one 6.5″ midrange, and one 1″ fabric-dome tweeter), once again unlike Estelon’s latter-day ceramic-sandwich and diamond Accutons.

On the surface, the Alumine Five SE looks like a chunky little schoolgirl, but, as I say in my review, it is actually a chunky little stick of dynamite. With a near-hornlike sensitivity of 94dB/1W/1m and a relatively stable 8-ohm impedance, the Alumine Five SE is capable of simply phenomenal dynamics—unexceeded in speed, power, and nuance by any cone speaker that I’ve reviewed, regardless of size, configuration, or price. When coupled with what may be the most extended, naturally colored, well-defined-in-pitch bass I’ve heard from a ported loudspeaker (only the Estelon contends), it’s explosively “alive”-sounding. From the low end (down to 30Hz) through the mid-treble, it is capable of dynamic swings that go from 0-to-60 in the blink of an eye. It is also simply gorgeous in tonality (just a little on the bottom-up side), minutely detailed, and unusually three-dimensional in imaging. There isn’t a thing about this phenomenal loudspeaker I don’t like. As was the case with the X Diamond Mk II, it is a standard-setter, only it doesn’t require quite as much square footage behind and around it as the larger Estelon does to perform its magic tricks.

If you listen in a smallish-to-medium-sized space and want the whole enchilada—and not just a taste—without compromise in speed, extension, beauty, resolution, and realism, I can’t think of another cone loudspeaker that will beat this one out. It not only wins one of my Golden Ear awards for 2022, but it will also certainly be my nominee for TAS’ 2022 Loudspeaker of the Year Award—indeed, for Overall Product of the Year.

The post 2022 Golden Ear: Stenheim Alumine Five SE Dynamic Loudspeaker appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

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2022 Golden Ear: Bluesound Powernode Gen 3 Streaming DAC and Integrated Amplifier

Posted on by Muse Kastanovich

Bluesound Powernode Gen 3 Streaming DAC and Integrated Amplifier

$949

The Bluesound Powernode Gen 3 is an all-in-one stereo (or multi-room) system for modern times, incorporating wired and wireless streaming, DAC, analog inputs, and power amp, with full control from the BluOS app, which can be run on (almost) any computing or mobile platform. It includes everything you might need except for phono preamplifier, speaker cables, or speakers, in a compact and unobtrusive chassis. The real story here is the surprisingly good sound for the price. The Powernode Gen 3 easily fits into systems that include other components (even cables) that cost as much or more than the Bluesound unit itself without embarrassing itself sonically. Slightly on the mellow and forgiving side of neutral, it should pair well with a wide variety of speakers and rooms; yet it still provides plenty of detail and microdynamics for a surprising amount of satisfaction from all genres of music. Also surprising is the amount of power available—130W (8 ohms) and 220W (4 ohms) of IHF dynamic power for musical peaks.

The post 2022 Golden Ear: Bluesound Powernode Gen 3 Streaming DAC and Integrated Amplifier appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

World News

2022 Golden Ear: Bluesound Powernode Gen 3 Streaming DAC and Integrated Amplifier

Posted on by Muse Kastanovich

Bluesound Powernode Gen 3 Streaming DAC and Integrated Amplifier

$949

The Bluesound Powernode Gen 3 is an all-in-one stereo (or multi-room) system for modern times, incorporating wired and wireless streaming, DAC, analog inputs, and power amp, with full control from the BluOS app, which can be run on (almost) any computing or mobile platform. It includes everything you might need except for phono preamplifier, speaker cables, or speakers, in a compact and unobtrusive chassis. The real story here is the surprisingly good sound for the price. The Powernode Gen 3 easily fits into systems that include other components (even cables) that cost as much or more than the Bluesound unit itself without embarrassing itself sonically. Slightly on the mellow and forgiving side of neutral, it should pair well with a wide variety of speakers and rooms; yet it still provides plenty of detail and microdynamics for a surprising amount of satisfaction from all genres of music. Also surprising is the amount of power available—130W (8 ohms) and 220W (4 ohms) of IHF dynamic power for musical peaks.

The post 2022 Golden Ear: Bluesound Powernode Gen 3 Streaming DAC and Integrated Amplifier appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

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2022 Golden Ear: DS Audio DS 003 Optical Phono Cartridge

Posted on by Jonathan Valin

DS Audio DS 003 Optical Phono Cartridge

$2500 ($6000 with matching equalizer)

After setting new standards of fidelity in the ultra-high end with his POY-winning $15,000 Grand Master optical cartridge (and $45k, two-box Grand Master equalizer), DS Audio’s ingenious Tetsuaki “Aki” Aoyagi has turned his attention to the rest of us.  The $2500 DS 003 ($6k with its matching DS 003 equalizer) is a “trickle-down” masterpiece. Using many of the technical innovations first found in the Grand Master (such as a dual-mono optical generator with independent LEDs and photo detectors for each channel and a beryllium “shading plate,” which reduces moving mass to 1/10th that of a typical moving-coil cartridge), the “third-generation” 003 sounds almost exactly like a slightly less finely detailed, slightly less spacious Grand Master. Every bit as standard-settingly quiet, explosively dynamic, and robustly rich in color as its big brother, the DS 003 makes opting (or optical’ing) for a new-tech oc a lot easier (and a lot less of a trade-off) than it once was. With channel separation measurably approaching 33dB in the midrange and tracking that is as smooth and glitch-free as that of the far pricier Grand Master, the DS 003 does not compromise soundstaging and trackability in the ways that earlier-gen, “affordable” DS Audios did. If you’ve longed to sample a top-line oc but haven’t had the moolah to do so, now’s your chance. The DS 003 opens the door—and opens it wide—to a new world of noise-free, tape-like playback, with bass response and treble sweetness and bloom that you could previously only get with reel-to-reel. Another sure-fire nominee for a 2022 TAS Product of the Year Award.

The post 2022 Golden Ear: DS Audio DS 003 Optical Phono Cartridge appeared first on The Absolute Sound.

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