Reviews
Transrotor Crescendo Turntable & Reed 1X Tonearm
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- Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer
- Category: Reviews Reviews
- Published: 15 February 2021 15 February 2021
What was thought to be a dinosaur in-waiting, with extinction as intensely ominous as the outlandish rainbow-like shine from polycarbonate discs, has resulted in a mere lull followed by an explosive rebirth. Yes, seemingly retrograde – but far from it, really – the mechanical turntable and vinyl, its analogue expression, have survived onslaughts from many-a-digit-based technology. They have persevered with assertive triumph. Germany’s longest-running analogue specialist Transrotor, like its industry brethren, has weathered the onslaught of digital music and continues to adhere to its no compromise principle of producing highly sophisticated turntables. Ditto for relative newcomer Reed, a tonearm specialist offering a variety of finely-engineered options. In this review, we examine in detail our in-situ pairing of Transrotor Crescendo Nero with the Reed 1X tonearm (recently subtly modified to 1H).
Wilson Benesch A.C.T. One Evolution Loudspeakers
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- Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer
- Category: Reviews Reviews
- Published: 01 February 2021 01 February 2021
While evolving technologies have changed the electronics space, notably in developments across Class-D amplification, through to streaming software/hardware platforms and in music delivery, innovation in dynamic loudspeaker design has been more about progressive refinement rather than transformation. Fundamentally, a magnet, coil, spider, cone/dome, etc. have been the transducer’s consistent core elements since its invention by Kellogg and Rice in the 1920s. What’s more, the benefits of advanced diaphragm materials over ‘Ye Olde’ plain paper or cloth have been fervent fodder for subjective and empirical debate by engineers and audio enthusiasts alike. Nonetheless, the team of designers at Wilson Benesch has refined the concept, enhancing aspects of the company’s revolutionary first-gen product to position the new A.C.T. One Evolution at the cutting edge of loudspeaker design.
Yamaha NS-3000 Loudspeakers
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- Written by Stephen Dawson Stephen Dawson
- Category: Reviews Reviews
- Published: 01 February 2021 01 February 2021
When I was young, it was conventional wisdom in the high-fidelity community that Japan was one of the best places from which to acquire the electronic components of your audio system. But your loudspeakers really ought to be American, British or, perhaps, European. Meanwhile, Yamaha – a Japanese company if ever there was one – was producing the Yamaha NS-10, or what has been described as “the most important loudspeaker you never heard of”. In the late 1970s and through the 1980s the NS-10 became almost ubiquitous in recording studios, principally for their revealing nature. So what do we make, now, four decades later, of the Yamaha NS-3000 speakers? At just under AU$13,000 per pair for mid-sized two-way speakers, we’re talking about Yamaha firmly placing itself in high-end territory.
Larsen 9 Loudspeakers
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- Written by Barry Jones Barry Jones
- Category: Reviews Reviews
- Published: 15 January 2021 15 January 2021
Until recently, Larsen was a brand name unfamiliar to me. Upon learning they employ an Ortho-acoustic design, my mind conjured images of a white robed man cradling an unusual speaker design on the pages of a once popular print Hi-Fi magazine (I’m pretty sure that memory is correct even though a decent Google search couldn’t back me up). The original plan was for a review of the Larsen model 8.2 however a last-minute change resulted in a pair of the flagship model 9 being delivered to my door. To quote a diminutive Jedi master, “Disappointed I was not”.
Copland CSA 100 Hybrid Integrated Amplifier
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- Written by Stephen Dawson Stephen Dawson
- Category: Reviews Reviews
- Published: 01 December 2020 01 December 2020
Copland is a Danish electronics company. Its products consist of integrated amplifiers, preamps and power amps, along with a high-end DAC. Most of the amps are valve-based. But the CSA 100 seems to be the entry level integrated amp and is a hybrid model. That is, line amplification is handled by a single double-triode tube, with a MOSFET circuit providing the grunt needed to drive loudspeakers.
Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Reference Series 3
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- Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer
- Category: Reviews Reviews
- Published: 01 December 2020 01 December 2020
Digital technology has advanced in quantum jumps over the last few years. Intergalactic leap-frogging. Despite this evolutionary path, or perhaps because of it, it’s alleged in some circles that only a few hundred green ones are required to provide as-good-as-it-gets sonic performance. Ones and zeros are said to be… well, just ones and zeros. This school of thought is represented via semi-generic brands, many of which manage to provide decent enough build and sound quality. Definitive audio performance? Umm… Yeah, Nah. Not even. Notwithstanding this narrow view of the universe, there are many specialist companies producing truly exceptional digital playback systems at the actual state-of-the-art. Both in terms of excellence in applied technologies and engineering while aiming for the highest levels of audio performance. Among these is Berkeley Audio Design’s Alpha DAC Reference Series 3, an all-out assault on digital playback.
Wilson Audio SabrinaX Loudspeakers
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- Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer
- Category: Reviews Reviews
- Published: 15 November 2020 15 November 2020
The new SabrinaX may look just about identical to its predecessor – there are visually-subtle yet substantial performance-based upgrades – but in updating the Sabrina platform the Wilson Audio engineering team, led by dynamic duo Daryl Wilson and Vern Credille, have carpe diem’ed. The significantly revised SabrinaX is the recipient of Wilson Audio’s latest technologies and design credo. As crowned most recently by the flagship Chronosonic XVX, the stream of philosophical and engineering concepts that permeate Wilson Audio’s latest offerings are, ultimately, stimuli inspired by the no compromise limited-run WAMM Chronosonic. That the company has adopted many of these doctrines and practical elements to SabrinaX, the floorstanding entry point, shows engineering generosity besting mere trickle-down interpretations and potential oversimplifications. What super-incentive for exploration…
Revel PerformaBe F328Be Loudspeakers
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- Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer
- Category: Reviews Reviews
- Published: 01 November 2020 01 November 2020
When Sydney Harman’s Revel hit the high-end loudspeaker market in the late 1990s, the company created quite the stir with its distinctive Gem, a beautifully-styled and high-performing standmount which garnered rave reviews globally. To round-out the flagship Ultima line, the remarkable Studio and Salon floorstanders followed and, again, were deservedly considered among the very best loudspeakers available. This writer loved the unusual styling which featured heroically-fabricated main cabinets with strikingly-fashioned interchangeable side panels available in a selection of beautiful finishes. The design presented users with a variety of mix-and-match options to suit any décor. Then there were the custom drivers and the overall engineering prowess. And the sound was… revelicious.
Vermouth Audio Reference DIN to RCA Phono Cable
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- Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer
- Category: Reviews Reviews
- Published: 01 November 2020 01 November 2020
What is a ‘reference’ if not an absolute truth, an ultimate goal? It’s a word tagged to products encapsulating a company’s best technologies and, mostly, flagship products. The audio industry certainly has dozens of brands using the term. Then, subsequent to developing a superior product, terms like ‘Signature’, ‘Designer’s Reference’ and so on appear as creative expressions which shoot ever upwards, seemingly transcending the concept of a definitive ‘reference’. Here at SoundStage! Australia HQ, we’ve been using all manner of upmarket cable types and brands including Vermouth Audio’s outstanding Reference line. Recently, we received the company’s latest Reference series creation, the superbly well-made Phono cable. Will this latest offering live up to the lofty term ‘reference’?
McIntosh Laboratory MA352 Integrated Amplifier
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- Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer
- Category: Reviews Reviews
- Published: 15 October 2020 15 October 2020
There’s always a sense of both eager anticipation and excitement for the arrival of any McIntosh Laboratory product slated for review. The company’s products are uniquely and gorgeously styled, immaculately built and, as far as our experience goes, they have always performed. When we heard the new MA352 integrated amplifier had been sent to SoundStage! Australia HQ after only just landing by local distributor Synergy Audio, we feverishly went about making preparations for embedding it into our reference system. Cables were carefully run from source and dedicated circuit’s power outlets, supporting platforms were anchored down and a comprehensive list of auditioning software was enthusiastically curated. When the MA352 finally arrived and was fervently unpacked, its sheer beauty had us immediately smitten. In Yoda voice: In love, was I. But is this striking amplifier’s magnificence more than skin deep? Read on…
Magico A5 Loudspeakers
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- Written by Edgar Kramer Edgar Kramer
- Category: Reviews Reviews
- Published: 01 October 2020 01 October 2020
It takes highly refined skills to adapt state-of-the-art technologies and design philosophies incorporated in a company’s upmarket models to far more affordable products. Doing so while keeping the integrity of not just the upper-tier products, but of the company ideology itself, is a juggling act that requires intelligent engineering and strategic wisdom. With the A series, Magico has managed to balance streamlined construction and revised design elements on to products which maximise performance and heighten affordability. As the culmination of Magico’s entry level ‘A’ line, the A5 is the archetypal embodiment of trickle down and re-engineered concepts.
HANA ML and MH Moving Coil Cartridges
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- Written by Vedran Simunovic Vedran Simunovic
- Category: Reviews Reviews
- Published: 01 October 2020 01 October 2020
When you really think of it, there’s no particular reason why something like a gramophone and its records weren’t invented centuries ago by, say, Galileo, or Hero of Alexandria, or someone even earlier. The concept is so simple and elegant that it’s truly timeless, so much so that if an asteroid hits the Earth tomorrow, or if we blow up the planet, it is my firm belief that the only technology able to reproduce the sounds of yesteryears will be mechanical, based on vinyl and shellac records. Just because of that fact alone we should treasure these records, these plastic marvels that reproduce music every bit as good as a CD player or a streamer but fell out of favour in a world obsessed with convenience. Two cartridges that go a long way in pursuit of this noble goal are HANA’s MH and ML.
