Audiophilia

Headphones

I’d like to thank Hummingbird Media and Katie Kailus in particular for getting me a set of PXC 550s so quickly. This enabled me to do a shootout of sorts with Master & Dynamic’s new MW65 wireless set and to use the Sennheisers in the ultimate torture test, flying on Air Canada’s Q400 from Victoria to Vancouver sitting between two howling Pratt and Whitney turboprops. They’d give a headache a headache. The short puddle jump was the opening flight before the much quieter Airbus A350-900 took us to Munich for High End 2019. I was grateful for the review product and its practicalities for travel.

The PXC 550 Wireless is Sennheiser’s playmaker in the sub $500 active noise cancellation (ANC), over ear headphone market. And the market is filling up. As I mentioned, Master & Dynamic, known for ultra refined headphones finally mastered the somewhat black art of ANC, enough they felt comfortable releasing the new MW65 ($499). The PXC is priced well below the M&D and equal to models from Sony and Bose. The MSRP is $349.95.

May 23

May 23 My new Reference—The Bergmann Audio Magne Turntable

2019 has been a banner year for both Audiophilia and the improvement of my reference system. Audiophilia has added two fine writers and experienced significant growth in worldwide readership and advertising sponsors. I feel we have accomplished this through timely updates and excellence and honesty in audio reportage. There are no shortcuts at the magazine. And through the generosity and kindness of some audio legacy stakeholders we have known and highly respected for a long time, a couple of us here at the magazine have received a few long-term loan components to enhance our daily listening experience. For that, we are transparently grateful.

Reading previous reviews and articles will give you a better insight as to the whys and wherefores of our choices of these wonderful components. Try my 2014 review of the Bergmann Audio Magne Turntable ($14,000 incl. tone arm) and review of Alta Audio’s FRM2 Celesta Loudspeakers ($15,000). A look at Contributing Editor Karl Sigman’s latest VPI and Grado reviews will also offer context.

May 6

May 6 Master & Dynamic MW65 Active Noise-Cancelling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones

Headphones, Star Component Award

If you are an erstwhile reader of Audiophilia, you’ll know we have given highly positive reviews of several headphones from New York based Master & Dynamic. Although not yet adopted by some of the ‘cool kids’ as they have Beats, Master & Dynamic have shunned the bass booming, teenage friendly designs favoured by some and produced gorgeous headphones and earbuds with very refined sound and exquisite fit and finish. And like Beats, the audio educated of the cool kids can buy them at the Apple Store. CEO and Founder Jonathan Levine has also mastered a brilliant online strategy.

Audiophilia began by reviewing the M40 Headphones and following the improvement of Bluetooth and the wireless explosion, we reviewed the equally beautiful M60 Wireless Headphones. Those, and the MW65 ANC Wireless Headphones ($499) under review, project a feeling of refinement both outside the ear and the sound within.

Apr 17

Apr 17 Grado Labs Aeon Phono Cartridge

Two years ago I reviewed the Grado Labs Statement v2 Cartridge ($3500), at that time the highest priced Grado cartridge—the top of their Statement Series. Reviewed using my VPI Industries Prime Turntable, I was so impressed, it has remained as my reference since—it further pulled me into vinyl. After that review, I concluded that besides speakers (which are in general large and heavy), phono cartridges (always tiny and light) are examples of a component that can significantly change the sound quality of an audio system in a way that is immediately noticeable.

The $6,000 Grado Labs Aeon Phono Cartridge debuted this year. The Aeon and its sibling, Epoch ($12,000), are two products in a new, higher-end ‘Lineage Series’. The Epoch, which was the first released, and with a very hefty price tag, has been highly praised. Grado Labs now promotes both these cartridges as their flagship models. On the Grado website it is stated that the Epoch and Aeon feature a unique system that has the lowest effective moving mass of any cartridge.

Apr 14

Apr 14 Kiseki Purple Heart NS Moving Coil Phono Cartridge

Analog

As soon as most vinylphiles see a trapezoidal nugget in wood, stone or metal with some delicate Japanese Kanji, our moving coil hearts skip a beat. I’m a Phasemation guy—Japanese made, but no Kanji. Just a beautiful hunk of Duralumin. How many of us have lusted after a Koetsu Jade Platinum or Blue Lace? Hand made gems of the very best audiophile jewelry. And the heart of a fine analog front end.

The Kiseki Purple Heart NS (New Style) is the modified version of the Japanese cartridge that made the turntable rounds thirty years ago. These new models are made by hand and in small numbers. They originally sold for $3499 but can now be purchased for $3199.

Apr 5

Apr 5 ModWright Instruments PH 9.0 Tube Phono Stage

Quality phono stages are all the rage. Records are now so popular with audiophiles, vinyl returners and the general population, a quality phono stage is aspirational in any fine analog set up. Dealers and vinylphiles have been shouting this from the rooftops for years. Audiophilia has reviewed five in the past twelve months. All first class, with outstanding fit and finish, varying designs, and with quality sounds unique to themselves. A wide array of prices but all significant investments. Ah, the cost, always the elephant in the listening room.

Dan Wright of Modwright Instruments took all this to heart when designing his new PH 9.0 Tube Phono Stage ($2900). Modwright is known for the beauty of its design aesthetic and the quality its parts. So, producing a quality phono stage, especially based upon the Modwright Instruments $7900 PH 150 Phono Stage may not seem too much of a stretch. But competing with excellent phono stages $4000 and up with one priced at $2900 is a more difficult proposition.

Mar 28

Mar 28 Pure Fidelity Harmony Turntable

John Stratton is the hardworking owner/designer of Vancouver High End analogue start up, Pure Fidelity (PF). He made a splash last year with his very well received initial opus, the Eclipse Turntable. It takes guts to dive into audiophile waters as a start up. If you are not in for the long haul with creative ideas, solid engineering and tireless work energy, don’t bother.

Stratton had a busy winter. The Harmony Turntable is the result of eight months of research with a new design; the Harmony has a larger plinth than his Eclipse with a larger sub platter, sitting within an 18lb machined, 6061 aluminum isolation platform and retaining the exquisite finishes. The aluminum platform is a very clever, effective idea and has the same profile as the ‘table.

Mar 22

Mar 22 No Filter—Jerome Sabbagh & Greg Tuohey

Last month, I received a very pleasant email from Parisian-born, Manhattan-based tenor sax player Jerome Sabbagh asking if Audiophilia would be interested reviewing his latest release on vinyl. If it’s jazz, blues or classical vinyl, I’m usually a hard yes. No Filter is a collaborative project with guitarist Greg Tuohey (songs are original and about 50/50 on the record between Sabbagh and Tuohey) with bassist Joe Martin and Kush Abadey on drums.

I received the album promptly and scheduled it for some late night listening and a full review session the following day. The album had me at late night. And while this wonderful record was playing, I checked out the back cover. I discovered some serious vinyl and analog shenanigans going on. The LP was recorded live to 1/2 inch, two track analog tape at 30” per second and was mastered and cut by no less than the master himself, Bernie Grundman. The quality shows in the artwork, the gentle and tactile recording quality and the mastery of the performances from all four players (no edits or overdubs on the album).

Mar 14

Mar 14 VPI Industries HW-40 Direct Drive Turntable

In October 2018, I was invited by Mat Weisfeld (President, VPI) to attend a party at the VPI Industries Listening House to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the company. The main event was the debut of a new and remarkable item that is the basis of this review: the VPI Industries 40th Anniversary Turntable, HW-40, named after VPI founder Harry Weisfeld (HW), who attended the event and even swapped out various high-end cartridges on the fly throughout.

Although from a distance the HW-40 ($15,000 incl. arm) appears to be a $30,000 VPI Classic Direct Drive Turntable (to be discontinued), closer inspection reveals an extraordinary revision chock full of newer technology including an updated and upgraded version of their Direct Drive Motor that now incorporates motion control software, an internal linear power supply, a JMW-12-Fatboy Gimbal tonearm (not pivot), a whopping removable 25 pound platter, a high-grade removable acrylic dust cover and exceptional new footing/isolation that defies belief in the ability to ward off resonance and vibration: You can pound your fist on the shelf top where the table is sitting and playing music and the needle does not dance; the sound is not disturbed. This is accomplished by a mix of reinforced composite absorption pads and the construction of the chassis. And to top it off, it comes with both a Stainless Steel Outer Periphery Ring (to flatten the record onto the platter, eliminating edge warps and more completely coupling the record to the platter), and a ‘Signature’ stainless steel clamp. Only 400 units are to be manufactured for sale, so this anniversary version is a Limited Edition—for now.

Mar 8

Mar 8 T+A Elektroakustik DAC 8 DSD High End D/A Converter

Digital, Star Component Award

The grandly named T+A Elektroakustik GmbH was a company hitherto unknown to me. After years in the business, many reviews, shows, events and store visits, I was surprised such a highly regarded company had escaped my notice. I’m going to set that straight with an in depth look at one of the company’s DACs, the DAC 8 DSD High End D/A Converter.

T+A is a German company founded in 1978 and produces a full range of electronics and loudspeakers. The company is based in Herford, very close to my old stomping grounds in Westphalia.

The DAC 8 is from its ‘entry level’ Series 8. Let’s hope the 8 gets some trickle down love from the top DAC in T+A’s HV Series, the $37,500 SD 3100 HV Reference Streaming DAC. Our unit under review has an MSRP of $4450, a slightly easier digital pill to swallow.

Mar 4

Mar 4 Wireworld Platinum Starlight Ethernet Cable

Cables, Star Component Award

Audiophiles with a high-end audio system eventually recognize that cables make a difference in the sound quality (SQ) of their system. Interconnects, speaker cables, power cords, USB cables and so on. Sometimes the SQ is just different, sometimes ‘better’, sometimes ‘worse’ as compared to the cables they already have.

Controversial as it is, it is what it is. For me the time came about six years ago when I experimented with power cables that clearly made a positive difference in my ever evolving system, particularly amplifiers. That the soundstage grew in all three dimensions and the bass benefited were the most obvious improvements. As a scientist and skeptical as I should be, I was baffled; but I accepted what I heard with my own ears and moved on—keeping the new cables and enjoying the sound.

Mar 4

Mar 4 Brahms: 4 Symphonien—Berliner Philharmoniker/Claudio Abbado/ESOTERIC remaster

I have been a long time fan of Claudio Abbado’s Brahms since my father bought me an early Abbado DG Brahms LP in 1972 (Serenade No. 2; Academic Festival Overture). Grade 8 in Canadian School years. I was never a fan of the Serenade, but Abbado’s Academic was stunning and sounded as such with Karajan’s remarkable band. This new Esoteric release is a remaster of the late 80s, early 90s DG Brahms set recorded at the beginning of Abbado’s reign with the Philharmoniker.

I never owned this particular set, but I very much admire anything Abbado conducted in those days with the LSO, Boston, Chicago, Vienna or Berlin. Such a consistent standard with five great orchestras over a large repertoire. His consistency can be found in this re release through all four symphonies and sundry orchestral works.

Feb 22

Feb 22 Allnic Audio H-7000 Phono Stage

No sooner had the review been posted on Audiophilia of the splendid Allnic Audio H-1202 Phono Stage ($3750) when distributor David Beetles called to ask if I wanted to review Allnic’s $14,999 H-7000, the upgraded model of Allnic’s H-3000, all transformer-coupled, LCR phono stage.

Yes! Please.

After reviewing the H-1202 and ZL-5000 Power Cable, I was utterly convinced of designer Kang Su Park’s prowess and looked forward to a deep dive into his upscale analogue device.

Feb 6

Feb 6 Allnic Audio ZL-5000 Power Cable

Cables, Star Component Award

Designer Kang Su Park of Korea’s Allnic Audio is an obvious deep thinker and top tinkerer. We recently published a review of his H-1202 tubed phono stage. It was a marvellous piece of design with superb sound. Park also designs cables. When David Beetles from Allnic distributor Hammertone Audio asked Audiophilia to review the H-1202, he slipped into the conversation that a loom of Allnic Audio cables was also available for review. Cables—discussing or writing about them—do not scare me. Some publications won’t touch them. Mention of the ‘C word’ in forums or on Facebook and you’re likely to get an earful. For the naysayers, enjoy your Belden wire and lamp cord. For the rest of us confirmed cable fans, please allow us our fun. Either tribe, please read on.

In my last review I wrote of my predilection for one piece of gear/one review and for the component to focus on a single audio task. Here, Beetles presented me with two different power cords (Park calls them Power Cables) and their top of the line speaker cables and interconnects. It crossed my mind to do a full loom review, but my musical instincts nudged me toward my singles preference. With all the Korean wire in place, we’re talking north of 10 grand’s worth of cables. Before you faint, that’s peanuts compared to a full set of some crazy, esoteric cables.

Feb 4

Feb 4 Joscho Stephan Trio—Paris - Berlin/Berliner Meister Schallplatten Direct to Disc 180g vinyl

For those of you not familiar with vinyl Direct to Disc technology, think of it as cutting out the recorded medium middle man. New to me Berliner Meister Schallplatten explains the process as:

The recording is made onto a lacquer disc. With a galvanic process this lacquer disc is turned into an extrusion die. Every vinyl disc is thus an original copy of this recording. Because lacquer discs and extrusion dies are destroyed or worn out during the manufacturing and multiplication process, the pressed vinyl discs are ultimately the best possible reproductions of a direct-to-disc recording.

Lacking a storage process on tape or as a computer file, there are very short and direct signal routes. The instruments' sound waves are transformed into electrical oscillations by microphones, and cut into a groove on the lacquer disc by the cutting stylus directly and without any delay. Direct-to-disc recordings do without digitizing the music, and also without a lossy storage on analogue tape.

Jan 24

Jan 24 Mytek HiFi Manhattan DAC II

Digital, Star Component Award

Like most progressive digital manufacturers, Brooklyn’s Mytek HiFi ships multi-use, single-box audio solutions. Basically, full function, highly technical, very capable, one-box-cures-all, digital wiz kids. The Manhattan DAC II is Mytek designer/owner Michal Jurewicz’s top wiz kid.

It’s interesting the name of this unit changes from internet source to internet source. The title of our review is the name as it appears on the Mytek HiFi webpage. Others call it Manhattan II D/A preamplifier-headphone amplifier, Manhattan II, Manhattan DAC 2, and other odds and sods. The reasons for this could be as simple as lack of research, an editor’s personal taste, or, possibly, at first glance, a little confusion as to what this box can actually accomplish.

Jan 4

Jan 4 Allnic Audio H-1202 Phono Stage

It’s interesting to note that a $3750 phono stage is now considered, among some audiophiles, as entry level for delivering vinyl sound as it’s meant to be heard. Sure, there are relatively inexpensive examples that do a fine job—the excellent Rega Aria is priced at $1500—and some expensive models that don’t, but in my experience, higher priced analogue gear sounds better. You gotta pay to play.

My reference Sutherland Engineering DUO monoblock Phono Preamplifier was so good in review, I purchased the unit(s). The DUO is priced at $4000, slightly more than the subject of this review, the brand new Allnic Audio H-1202 Phono Stage at $3750. My DUO benefited from some serious trickle down goodies from Ron Sutherland’s $10,000 PhonoBlock Phono Stage. This new Allnic Audio ‘entry level’ phono stage benefits from the Korean company’s esteemed analogue lineage, with trickle down tech from its $39,000 H-8000.

Dec 11

Dec 11 PS Audio DirectStream (DS) DAC: Snowmass Upgrade

Digital

Over four years ago, in May 2014, I reviewed the PS Audio DirectStream (DS) DAC. I ended up purchasing it and I still use it as my reference. Many times over these last four years I have been approached by other audiophiles asking why I have a DAC as my reference that is not ‘new’ and ‘up-to-date’ as compared to other DACs that have the newest DAC chip. ‘Oh no’, I say, ‘you are wrong’, ‘my DAC is only at most months old, it is yours that is old.’

My response is in fact, a fact, and that is what is so special about the DS DAC: Because its electronics are software based not hardware based, you get a new DAC every time PSAudio updates the software—and updates are free of charge. The DS at $6,000 retail does not have a traditional DAC chip built within; instead it uses a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) which is an integrated circuit board that is programmed to serve whatever function it is commanded, including non-audio applications such as medical instruments and defence, distributed monetary systems and security systems.

Dec 4

Dec 4 Brahms: The Four Symphonies—DG Limited Edition 180g vinyl reissue