Review of Pass Labs Xs 150 Monoblock Amplifiers

In reviewing the Pass Labs Xs 150 Monoblock Amplifiers, Fred Crowder writes:

The speed of delivery for instruments and voices is stunning.  There is no hint of any distortion or noise.  Nothing in the musical presentation takes away from any other element.  The air, space, depth and apparent room ambience of the recording are palpable.  Each instrument has its own dynamic envelope which allows a pianissimo strike of a triangle to exist alongside a forte gong crash, with each instrument perfectly distinguished, each part of the musical whole, but also being appreciated as their own notes.  The amps rendered it effortlessly.   I cannot imagine that I would ever want more power.  The stage is three-dimensional, images are stable and placed believably on that stage, each surrounded by its own cushion of air.  Bass is powerful and at the same time taut, articulate and well controlled.  With my speakers, which each employ four 10-inch dynamic drivers to reproduce the range below 170 Hz —  there appears with these amps to be an extra half octave of extension at the bottom.  Noise is vanishingly low, grain is for all practical purposes non-existent.  Most importantly, these are musically natural and emotionally satisfying.

Read the full review of the Pass Labs Xs 150 Monoblocks on the Dagogo.com audiophile review web site.

Review of the Palmer 2.5 Turntable

In his review of the Palmer 2.5 Turntable, reviewer Paul Seydor of The Absolute Sound writes:

There’s much to be said for a product that precisely defines its purpose and then proceeds to fulfill it to near perfection. The British designer Jon Palmer set out to make a high-end turntable that would be essentially plug-and-play without serious compromise in performance at a price that, though far from inexpensive, is by no means unreasonable in the world of high-end audio. The result is the Palmer 2.5 turntable, the domestic price $7995. Allow me to anticipate my conclusions by saying that in my judgment, Palmer has not only realized his brief, but made a turntable that I have no hesitation calling sonically, aesthetically, and functionally one of the most satisfying I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing. It’s a design I could happily close up shop with tomorrow and enjoy thereafter without a moment’s regret or thought for something else.

Read the full review of the Palmer 2.5 Turntable here.

Review of Bryston Mini T Loudspeakers

In his equipment report on the Bryston Mini T Loudspeakers, Ron Doering of The Absolute Sound writes:

Indeed, these are one of the few speakers I’ve experienced which do the trick of realistically putting a singer, guitarist, bassist, what have you, in the next room. Doing my laundry I could swear on a stack of TAS back issues that Ella Fitzgerald was right there next door in the listening room. Well of course “she” was, as that is where my stereo is, but my point is that it sounded as if a real person were singing in the other room. Try this and you’ll see what I mean (or not).

Read the full review of the Bryston Mini T Loudspeaker here.

SPECS & PRICING

Driver complement: One 8" ceramic-coated aluminum cone woofer, one 5.25" ceramic-coated aluminum cone midrange, one 1" titanium dome tweeter
Crossover frequencies: 160Hz and 2.3kHz
Loading: Bass-reflex
Frequency response: 37Hz–22kHz (+/-3dB)
Maximum SPL: 118dB
Min/Max recommended power: 10–250W
Sensitivity: 85dB (1 watt, 1 meter anechoic)
Impedance: 4 ohms nominal
Dimensions: 10.5" x 22.5" x 9.8"
Weight: 42 lbs. each
Price: $3195/pair in real wood veneer; $2695/pair in vinyl; $499/pair for custom stands although Bryston suggests any quality stand 18–24 inches in height

Top Tower Speakers For Under $3,000

Looking for a pair of tower speakers?  The Absolute Sound is promoting their "2013 Buyer's Guide: Floorstanding Loudspeakers Under $3,000".  From the $1298 PSB Image T6 that the TAS staff write:

"The PSB Image T6s offer a very high level of sonic performance for their price: bass to below 40Hz in-room, natural warmth a little further up (where floorstanders often dip), a largely neutral midrange, and a clean treble. The T6s play more loudly, with less of the distortion or compression expected from speakers of this size."

All the way up to the $2998 GoldenEar Triton Two where the TAS staff remark:

The Triton Two is a three-way, five-driver, dualpassive-radiator-equipped floorstander with a built-in powered subwoofer. Voiced from the top down, it handles high frequencies via a shockingly good ribbon, the all-important middle frequencies via dual ultra-wide-bandwidth midrange drivers, and the low end via a sophisticated subwoofer powered by a 1200-watt, DSP-controlled amplifier. The result is an elegant, full-range floorstander that sounds astonishingly refined, delivers spectacular 3-D imaging, and provides robust, full-bodied dynamics.

Click here to read the full buyer's guide.

HomeTheaterHiFi.com has just published its review of the Onkyo NR929 9.2 Receiver.  Reviewer Gabe Lowe writes, "If you think about it, 20 years is a very long time in the technology world. The fact that Onkyo continues to release excellent THX-certified A/V receivers demonstrates that the partnership continues to be strong, and valuable for both parties. The TX-NR929 is no exception. The performance is what I have now come to expect from Onkyo - excellent amplification, fantastic audio imaging, and superb video processing. The feature set continues to improve with every iteration as well, and not just by incorporating fringe things that 5% of the customer base will use. Instead, Onkyo adds extremely useful features such as Bluetooth, mobile application support, streaming services, and more. I continue to be impressed by Onkyo's A/V receivers, year in and year out. The TX-NR929 continues that tradition, and thus it is my pleasure to give it my enthusiastic recommendation."  Read the full review here.

Review: Pioneer SC-79 Receiver 9.1 Channels

Is Pioneer's $3,000 SC-79 Receiver worth it's price?  It features 9.1 Channels, 140 watts/channel, HDMI 1.4, and as a new feature: HDBaseT among many other features.  

"The Pioneer SC-79", writes Chris Heinonen on Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity, "adds more features to what was already a feature packed receiver. The updated SABRE DACs sound very good when sent high-quality audio like a Blu-ray disc or HD Tracks download. Even with lower quality sources like Spotify over AirPlay it sounds fantastic and has plenty of power in reserve. With HDBaseT it now works well for those that want to use is in two rooms at once. With the extra amplifier channels available and HDBaseT you can easily use it for a main theater room, music in another room, and sending video and audio over HDBaseT to another."  Read the full review of the Pioneer SC-79 9.1 Channel AV Receiver here.

Review of Polk Audio LSiM703 Monitor Speakers

Polk Audio has been making high-quality products since 1972.  Over the last few years, the company has been stepping up its game at the high end of its product line, beginning with the LSiM707 floor standing speakers...", writes Andre Marc in TONEAudio Magazine.  "The $1,500-per-pair LSiM703 bookshelf speakers reviewed here capitalize on the same technology and driver advances as the larger 707s, but do so in a smaller package.  And like the $4,000-per-pair 707s, the 703s perform well beyond what their modest price tag suggests."  Read the full review here.