Gary Lea
Ayon Titan EVO Monoblock Tube Amplifiers Price $57,000 per pair
During my listening sessions I ran these puppies through a plethora of platter spinning, reel running, and CD tracking. I used two different turntables with different cartridges, a reel to reel running at 7.5 IPS, and a CD player. The musical selections ran from Led Zeppelin through Zubin Mehta! I threw everything I had and could find through these amps. The requisite massive sound stage, depth, and breadth of which is as good as I have ever witnessed was all there in grand scale. Height and pinpointing as much as the source material allowed was spot on.
I am certain that a good deal of this sonic goodness comes from the WE300 based tube—the AA62B! 300Bs have always been lauded for their ability to deliver sonic detail and delicacy in any application. They generally have not been known for massive grunt. A trade off many audiophiles will gladly make because after all detail and a lot of it is what separates tubes and generally high end audio from just running with a massive powered solid state unit for maximum grunt and decibels. What these amps do is provide plenty of both due to the AA 62B tube, a 300B on steroids. That does not come without a price but the ticket is well worth the bucks if you have them.
I have come to appreciate just how good Ayon products are; the line has something for everyone and I have yet to be in the presence of any of their gear and not been pleased and impressed because I have always been presented with quality and sonic delivery that made for a very good value at all levels for the asking price. The Titans are no exception to the Ayon rule. Definitely the pinnacle of their line of amps and they hold that distinction with well deserved pride and honor. If you are looking for a high end, top of the line set of monoblock amplifiers to live out the rest of your life with you might be able to find some others that will please you but I seriously doubt you would find any better at any price. If that sounds like where you are in your audio journey I suggest you run to audition a pair!
Read more HERE
Sumiko Moonstone Moving Magnet Cartridge $299
The Moonstone is an affordable high-performance moving magnet cartridge that utilizes the powerful mechanically-generated electromotive forces of the moving magnet to help give your playback extra punch and convincing realism. Exceptionally well-balanced and dimensionally dense, the breathtaking dynamics of the Moonstone outperform many lower priced moving coil cartridges without requiring a size able investment in a MC preamplifier.
Setup was a breeze, and the tracking weight was set right at 2 grams and never altered during the review period. This cartridge will not wow you with a fancy body made of Cantidentifyium. No translucent body with swirly colors, or trick colors. Black body with a red replaceable stylus assembly.
This cartridge punched way above its weight in terms of clarity, soundstaging, tracking and overall delivery of the music in a very neutral way. At a retail of $299.00 it stunned me with its capacity for delivering music so intimately especially at the price. Replacement of the stylus should it become damaged is reasonable and prevents the user from having to buy a completely new cartridge. This is a real boon to budding audiophiles.
Anyone getting into vinyl would be hard pressed to find a better value than the Moonstone! It offers superior tracking abilities, overall balanced presentation, and a sonic signature more akin to MC cartridges of ten years ago than the the moving magnet cartridges of yore! It would also make a great backup cartridge for the audiophile whose taste runs a little more exotic, but who cannot afford two exotic cartridges. This cartridge not only makes my list of highly recommended, but also piques my curiosity about the new reference series Songbird and Starling MC cartridges. Perhaps I will get an opportunity to review those new additions. Regardless check out the Moonstone if you want performance that leaves you moonstruck (Yes I said it, so there!). You will not be sorry!
Read more HERE
Steve Lefkowicz
This past year was tumultuous year for me personally, and that limited my output in the pages of PF, but that doesn't mean I didn't have plenty of time to listen to and evaluate several interesting products. In fact, from that standpoint, 2018 was a very encouraging year for people like me, who focus on real world products that might have a broad appeal, even if only because of a reasonable price, or more importantly, a very high performance/price ratio. In fact, I had a tougher time than usual in trying to pick just three pieces to recognize. I really believe we are in the midst of a new golden age for lower cost, higher quality audio gear, and the options available to both newcomers and long term audiophiles working on relatively limited funds are better than ever.
There have been times this past year where, as I sat listening to my favorite tunes, whether from LP, my music server, or streaming from Tidal, through these different products, I felt that we really have reached a point where a truly satisfying, minimally compromised audio system can be assembled to fit within a realm of the average middle class income. Maybe it is a case of High End Audio getting back to being good old HiFi, rather than primarily a luxury pursuit for the wealthy.
The contenders that I've spent time with this year include several speakers, amplifiers, and accessories, all whose reviews need to be finalized and published. However, here are the three winners for me this year.
Schiit Audio Vidar Amplifier $699
The 100 wpc Class-AB solid-state Schiit Audio Vidar is exactly what you expect from this company if you have been following their path for the last several years. It is a technically advanced and innovative design, with excellent sound quality at an extremely reasonable price. I used this amp with every speaker in my collection, including Tekton's Double Impact, Impact Monitor and Lore, Magneplaner .7, ELAC's Debut F5, B6 and their new Debut 2 6.2, and my more-than-twenty-year-old Sound Dynamics 300ti. It has more than enough power to drive all of them far beyond my normal listening levels, even the power hungry Maggies and ELAC F5. Possessing an extremely low noise level (rated SNR>115dB), it really allowed each speaker to perform to a high level. A fine stereo amp at $699, by using the balanced input it is a true balanced mono amp (not bridged) offering a full 400 wpc into eight ohms for just $1398/pair, though I have not yet tried it in that configuration. Yes, I have compared it to some other amps that bested it sound quality-wise, but those were much more expensive at four to five times the price (First Watt F7 at $3000 and the Burson Audio Timekeeper Virtuoso at $3500). Not since the original B&K ST-140 or Adcom GFA555 of the 1980s has a "budget" oriented amplifier offered such a high performance/price ratio relative to its current market. This is as easy a recommendation as I've ever had to make!
See full reviews from Dean Seislove HERE and Larry Cox HERE.
Tekton Design Impact Monitor Speakers $2000
This is the third Tekton Design speaker that I've given a Writer's Choice award in the last six years. Simply put, Tekton's designer Eric Alexander just keeps designing speakers that hit every major point that I hold important in a set of speakers, and at prices that a self-avowed bargain hunter like me can appreciate. Though I didn't review the Tekton Impact Monitors, I did get to live with the review set that Victor Chavira wrote about in Issue 98 (HERE) or a few months.
Though viewed as small speakers in comparison to Tekton's larger floor standing models, the Impact Monitor is no mini-monitor, but very much in that traditional near-two-cubic-foot size. They may look much like the top two feet of the Double Impact, but use different drivers and port arrangement. They of course use Tekton's patented tweeter array, where the six outer drivers are driven as a super lightweight midrange driver (above about 1000Hz) with only the center tweeter used for the highest frequencies.
Highly efficient like all Tekton speakers, I used amplifiers from 15 to 100 wpc (both solid state and tube) with great results. Like the larger Double Impact that I gave my award to last year, the Impact Monitor excels in the categories of detail retrieval, natural tonality, dynamic expression and sound-staging. Maybe not so surprising, these speakers were solid into the mid 30 Hz range in my room, and needed no subwoofer for any music I chose to play. In many ways, they may actually perform better in my room than the Double Impact.
What more can you ask for?
PS Audio Sprout100 Integrated Amp $599
A significant upgrade to the original Sprout that I reviewed back in Issue 79 (HERE). Major improvements to both power output (still Class-D, now 50 wpc into 8 ohms and 100 into 4) and the DAC (now DSD capable) are only a start. The addition of a full function remote and standard RCA connectors for the line level connections make the Sprout100 far more universal in appeal. The biggest improvement for me was simply in terms of sound quality. The phono input did fine with both MM cartridges I used (a Music Hall Spirit and a Sumiko Pearl). The power amp section has lost the reticent and uninvolving sound of the original to produce excellent results with several appropriately priced speakers I tried, including my long time favorite Tekton Lore, which the original simply couldn't make sing the way they are capable. Even power hungry speakers like the ELAC F5 and B6 came to life with the new Sprout100. Replacing the coax (RCA) digital input with a TOSLINK optical input is far more useful, as it easily allows connecting a TV or cable receiver (I used it with both an ATT U-Verse receiver and direct from our flat screen TV in a 2-channel or 2.1 configuration).
There are many fine stereo integrated amps available these days in the under-$1000 range, but the new Sprout100 seems to hit all the important points for what is needed in today's market. This is an amp that is easy to recommend for both newcomers looking for their first real stereo, and also for more experienced audio enthusiasts simply looking to keep costs down.
Review coming
Robert H. Levi
final Sonorous X Closed Back Headphones $5000
The X marks the spot of the most expensive dynamic headphones on the market today. With a commitment to supply the U.S. only one pair per month from the factory in Japan, there is little reason to lower prices. These are gorgeous cans, revealing amazing fit and finish, and closed in for top isolation. What got my attention in addition to the outstanding sense of realism and rounded definition on first listen were the specifications of the titanium drivers.
The X has a 105dB efficiency and an impedance of just 16 ohms. That is half the impedance of Grado Headphones and efficiency similar to ESS Heil Headphones. These attributes made listening to DAPs and high-end headphone amplifiers much quieter and much more detailed than ever before. Using an Astell&Kern ultima A&K1000, even CD rips were more alive. High-resolution albums up to 4X DSD were totally stunning. The promise of the extraordinary DAPs and newest playback devices bloomed to become the best headphone experience on the planet. Yes, the X even eclipses the best electrostatics providing a real meat on the bones presentation and intense beauty. Plus the ambient hall sounds, now this is a brilliant headphone performance.
The final Sonorous X, a surprise and a delight for whom the best is just good enough and the cost is no object.
Read more HERE
Townshend Audio Allegri+ Preamplifier $2995
Until the perfection of Fractal Wire in electronics by Max Townshend, the entire category of passive preamps was dead to me. I would rather have a vintage Dynaco than a passive preamp. All of that has changed. The Allegri+ preamplifier is an almost perfect line stage with no discernable intrinsic colorations or distortion to report. Old style passive preamps containing capacitors, resistors, and parts galore ate up nearly 25% of the energy of your sources before the signal was output to your amplifier. The Fractal Allegri+ uses less than 5% of that precious energy to control your amplifier. This is very special indeed.
Results: More power for dynamic swings! Lower distortion and elimination of colorations! You want neutral, you get neutral! The Allegri+ exudes quality.
Small, compact, and priced right, now everyone can afford the state of the art in at least one category. Only RCAs available, at least there are plenty of them and very handy quality controls all front mounted. Even a 3.5mm input jack is featured for easy streaming from your DAP. I cannot recommend this stunning preamp more highly.
Townshend Audio of Great Britain has done it again. The Allegri+, now available in the U.S. Get yours before the price goes up!
Read more HERE
Zesto Audio Andros Allasso Step up Phono Transformer $2995
The Allasso is the step-up transformer for the ultimate audiophile who loves his phono cartridges. With features way beyond the competition, a neutral extremely detailed sound, and gorgeous depth of field, the Allasso is a triumph of American engineering. Zesto has given it 40 choices in stereo and 40 in mono to max out your cartridge perfectly. Dual floating adjustable grounds are featured. Solid exquisite build quality is featured. Plus, it is quiet, quiet, quiet! It is built and designed in Los Angeles with excellent service and advice assured.
Just being in the circuit, the Allasso lowered my noise floor over 25%. The grounding scheme in the Allasso is terrific and effective. Why settle for one or two step-up positions? The Allasso from Zesto is the ticket! It deserves the Reviewers Choice Award and then some!
Read more HERE
Brian Moura
Yuko Mabuchi Trio (Yarlung YAR80161DSD)
In 2014 one of my Writer's Choice Awards went to Bob Attiyeh for his contribution to the recording arts and giving new artists a state-of-the-art platform to launch their careers. It seems fitting that in 2018 I return to Bob's stellar work at Yarlung for another award.
The Yuko Mabuchi Trio features talented pianist Yuko Mabuchi along with jazz veterans Bobby Breton on drums and Del Atkins on bass. In their self-titled debut album Yuko Mabuchi Trio, the trio plays classics including "What Is This Thing Called Love," "On Green Dolphin Street," and "St. Thomas" by Sonny Rollins as well as "Sona's Song" penned by Yuko Mabuchi.
Whether listening in stereo or multi-channel direct stream digital (DSD), the album captures the fine playing of the musicians with rich helpings of detail, ambience, and stellar sound quality. In multi-channel we hear the trio in the front channels of the room with the surround channels reserved for hall ambience and audience applause at the end of each selection.
What I find most compelling about this album is its sheer sense of musicality. Once I start listening to the Yuko Mabuchi Trio album, I always play it all the way through. It is literally too good to stop after only one or two tracks. And that is something that few recordings truly deliver. No wonder it was a favorite to show audio systems at their best during shows like AXPONA and Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in 2018. This album has Writer's Choice Award written all over it.
Review coming soon though was reviewed by Robert Levi HERE
ATC CDA2 Mk2 CD Player/Preamp and DAC with ATC SCM50SE Loudspeakers
ATC (Acoustic Transducer Company) was founded in the UK by speaker designer and musician Billy Woodman. At ATC his first product was the ATC SCM50 loudspeaker with its now famous 3.5" mid-dome driver. While ATC initially was a major player in the professional market in recording studios and concerts, they also sell their speakers in more richly appointed cabinets for the home audio market.
ATC is a strong believer in active speakers that feature built in amps (although they also offer passive editions of their speaker line). Something we rarely see in the high-end home audio market. They feel that the active speaker approach lets ATC have full control over the crossover, amplification, and electronics of the speaker. Resulting in better imaging, phase accuracy, and eliminating issues with impedance loads presented by speaker cabling.
This year ATC launched a new version of their CDA CD preamp and DAC ($2,495). The CDA2 Mk 2 CD preamp now features Stereo DSD playback up to DSD 256. At the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, the new CDA2 was connected to a pair of the special edition ATC SCM50SE speakers ($34,599) and was playing music from CDs and music files via a Mac laptop running JRiver Media Center.
Selections from a CD as well as music downloads from Shelby Lynne's album Just A Little Lovin' and finally an analog to DSD 128 music download from 2xHD-Storyville Records with jazz saxophone legend Ben Webster's album Gentle Ben. The sound from this system was easily among the best heard at the 2018 RMAF show. Detailed, smooth, warm, and very musical. Music that you could listen to for hours at a time. A system well worthy of the Writer's Choice Award.
Review coming soon
Chopin's Last Waltz, Robert Silverman, Pianist (IsoMike 5606)
Ray Kimber is an important member of the high-resolution audio world for many reasons. He is best known for his invention of a line of specially braided cables sold under the name KimberKable. But Ray is also the man responsible for IsoMike, a unique recording technique that uses an acoustic baffle system that reveals additional detail when recording music.
In their latest release Ray Kimber and his IsoMike team brought us Chopin's Last Waltz with pianist Robert Silverman. The album features live recordings of Chopin in a 4 channel configuration with the IsoMike system suspended above Silverman's piano. It was recorded direct to DSD 256 Stereo and DSD 256 Multi-channel and then released on Stereo Vinyl LP (through Acoustic Sounds) and on Stereo and Multi-channel DSD 256, DSD 128, and DSD 64 (through NativeDSD Music). Kimber also notes the DSD edition of the album has "no compression, no limiting, no kidding."
The purist approach to this recording brings huge benefits to the listener. You are treated to a very vivid and realistic performance of this wonderful composition. It really does sound like you are listening to a live piano performance in your music room. When played on a cost-no- object 4-channel system at the recent Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver, it was a real show stopper. Whether you are a fan of LPs, DSD stereo, or DSD multi-channel recordings, this Writer's Choice Award Winner is a must have for your music collection.
Review coming soon though was reviewed by Robert Levi HERE
