Enjoy the Music.com High-End Audio Review Magazine, Hi-Fi Audiophile Equipment And Gear Articles

High-End Audio / Audiophile Equipment Reviews And Think Pieces

June 2021

Hi-Fi And Music Industry News
Essential high-end audio news you need to know.
Enjoy the Music.com posts audiophile news virtually every day.

The HiFi Summit Q2 2021 By Joe N Tell
For the third time within two years, the audio community has an excellent high-quality online streaming show resource for 2020, 2021, and beyond! The HiFi Summit, produced by Joe N Tell (Joe Mariano), brings modern features that are expected when showcasing the best in high-fidelity audio and home theater gear. Excellent seminars and group chat are joined by questions from viewers within their Lobby Discussion and YouTube live stream. When talking about their very first event, Joe said, "This is the first online trade show and worldwide conference the HiFi industry has ever seen. Although we created this in response to COVID-19, we believe this is the future of HiFi trade shows. If there's doubt, consider how crazy online shopping seemed 20 years ago. We've created a trade show that companies deserve and an expo that consumers will love. Get ready for an entertaining, engaging, and educational time. Although we can't be together in person, we're glad you're here with us."
---> See our The HiFi Summit Q2 2021 show report.

T.H.E Show 2021 Exhibition Room Report
Celebration, resolution, and re-commitment to champion audiophile and music enthusiast journeys.
Show Report By Emiko, T.H.E. Show's Director Of Marketing And Social Media
I find myself deleting the opening sentence of my piece, "It's 7am and I'm drinking coffee in a veritable ghost town." No sooner had I settled into my choice table and chair, in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel, Ralph Sorrentino of CH Precision popped up out of thin air. I swear that man is a wizard! My second sentence was lined up. "A blazer? Can a blazer style with yoga pants? This is the first time I'm faced with wearing 'real clothes' in over 14 months." You see, I am the Director of Marketing for T.H.E. Show and we are (now were) the first show in the US to open after the pandemic shut down and, if I understand correctly, the first audio show in the world to complete its run from start to finish (Guangzhou did launch before us but we understood it, unfortunately, closed after the first day.) On Wednesday, June 10th, after more than a year of sleepless nights, I packed up my suitcase with — gasp — real pants and shirts, and double gasp — drove down to the hotel where T.H.E. Show 2021 was about to kick off.
---> T.H.E Show 2021 high-end audio event report.

The Music Industry Just Took A Backwards Step On Streaming Pricing... In Glorious HD
Editorial By Tim Ingham
Founder Of Music Business Worldwide
Amazon's Echo Studio launched in Q4 2019 at a $199.99 price point in the US. "In 2019, Amazon launched Amazon Music HD, a high-quality audio streaming offering that is available to customers at a premium price in the United States. We believe the value proposition that streaming provides to consumers supports premium product initiatives." This, from Warner Music Group's pre-IPO filing last year, is a key part of the modern music industry's big sell to investors. Just you wait, it says: streaming is $9.99-a-month today, but tomorrow, oh man, the possibilities for building on this price-point are endless. Today (May 17), those possibilities hit the floor with a thud. A thud captured in stunning HD sound. It was a noise that hurt my ears – and reiterated a troubling power balance between music rightsholders and Big Tech.
---> The Music Industry Just Took A Backwards Step On Streaming Pricing... In Glorious HD.

This Is The Best Time To Be A Music Enthusiast
Product development, reviews, and true lossless hi-resolution on the rise!
Editorial By Steven R. Rochlin
Over 25 years ago when I started Enjoy the Music.com there was very little info about high-end audio / audiophiles online. Today, that has all changed as we have thousands of websites from the latest and greatest gear to vintage audio, DIY, headphones, etc. In addition, we now have more manufacturers than in the history of our hobby! It is virtually impossible to keep up with it all, let alone report on every new piece of high-end audio equipment. I'd be slapped silly by not mentioning that true lossless high-resolution music, without the 'need' for typical music BUSINESS lossy compressed scams and schemes, is now mainstream and not limited to only a few niche' streaming music players. Without a doubt, this is the best time to be a music enthusiast! Way back when in the 1980s and 1990s there were only a tiny few small digest-sized print publications plus Audio and Stereo Review (to name a few) here in the States. Europe and other parts of the globe had their fave publications. It was like we were part of a super-secret hobby we all love. There was a tribal feeling about it all too!
---> This Is The Best Time To Be A Music Enthusiast.

Enjoying The Music
Do We All Hear The Same Thing?
Roger Skoff writes about how we listen and what it means.
Article By Roger Skoff
Many years ago, back in the late 1980s or early 1990s, a magazine did a demographic study of its readership and found that well over 90% – including subscribers, newsstand buyers, and pass-along readers – were male. Shortly after that came out, I and a bunch of other high-end audio reviewers (I was reviewing for the publication Sounds Like at the time) happened to get together at the Summer CES in Chicago (yes, they still had two Consumer Electronic Shows a year, back then) and we got to talking about why that might be – after all, everybody likes music, both men and women, so why would it be almost exclusively guys that were interested in high fidelity sound? As it was, two guys in the group from different publications were licensed PhD psychologists, so we had their professional opinions to combine with the casual observations of the rest of us in concluding that, even though experiencing the same music, men and women didn't necessarily hear the same thing.
---> Enjoying The Music: Do We All Hear The Same Thing?

Heavenly Soundworks FIVE17 Loudspeaker Review
Their special features may be just the ones you need.
Review By Brett Rudolph
An odd thing happened over the last year or so from 2020 through mid-2021. We changed how the world worked in many different ways, and the audio industry was no exception. All public shows, either public or trade-only, were canceled, put on hold, or made virtual. Companies could no longer debut their latest creations, exhibit their upcoming technologies, or garner interest in new ideas as they had in the past. Yet despite these challenges, the industry continued to produce new products, create new and improved components and speakers. One of these new speaker systems was destined to end up in my listening room right at the end of last year, as luck would have it. My review of the impressive Heavenly Soundworks FIVE17 loudspeaker is below. Towards the end of last year, the opportunity presented itself to speak with Jonathan Couch, one of the co-founders of Heavenly Soundworks. We had a great conversation. The result was the review that follows. It spanned a few months, substantially longer than usual because the stands were not available until the middle of March.
---> Heavenly Soundworks FIVE17 loudspeaker review.

CrystalConnect Monet Network Ethernet Cable Review
With just a taste of their Diamond network cable as well.
Review By Dr. Matthew Clott
Asking an audio reviewer to review a network cable is sort of like asking a car reviewer to review an alternator belt or a particular gasoline (although gasoline would likely equate more correctly to power cords in this scenario). I might even liken speaker cables or interconnects to tires if I continue the analogy; which have a more direct connection to the signal path, or similarly connect the engine, chassis, and suspension to the road. Under most circumstances, I humbly and politely pass when asked to formally review cables. Not because I don't think they make a massive difference in the system's performance (which they unquestionably do), but because in most cases cables affect an overall sense of voicing and presentation that is personal and subtle. And, because people seem to marry themselves to a particular cable manufacturer who has won their devotion, and I don't feel that reviews affect a change in the interest the way that reviews of components do. Also, if I'm being honest, it's sorta painful reviewing cables. I have heard fantastic performances from many cable lines in my listening room....
---> CrystalConnect Monet Network Ethernet cable review.

Furutech NCF Clear Line AC Power Line Optimizer Review
A skeptic gets his comeuppance.
Review By Paul Schumann
If you've read any of my previous reviews, you know that I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to audio. More than one time I've read about some amazing piece of gear, rushed down to the high-end audio parlor (remember those?) to take a listen, and came away disappointed. It's not that it always sounded bad (although, sometimes it did), it just didn't wow me as I was expecting. Where I especially cast a wary eye is an accessory item that promises to improve the overall sound of the system. The Furutech NCF Clear Line is just such a product. So when Steven asked if anyone wanted to review it, of course, I said yes. Okay, full disclosure here, I have been wanting to review a power conditioning device for quite a while. One area I have been remiss in the development of my system is the AC end of things. I've almost bought one a couple of times, but always backed off. Then during the middle of summer, when the AC quality goes dramatically down because of all the air conditioners I start kicking myself. Yet I never seem to pull the trigger on getting one when I have the chance.
---> Furutech NCF Clear Line AC Power Line Optimizer review.

North America Premiere Review!
Lindemann Limetree Phono II Review
Small package – Big impression!
Review By Clive Meakins
Lindemann is very well versed with digital technology and Class D amplifiers. For some people, they've been "flying under the radar" with their Phono stage. The Limetree Phono II is the successor to the well-regarded Limetree Phono. Being very candid; my initial reaction to the suggestion to review the Phono II was, "another relatively affordable Phono stage – I really hope it stands out from the crowd". What I will say at this point is that I'm very pleased I accepted the challenge! A Phono stage can make or break a vinyl-playing system – it needs to match the deck and cartridge electrically plus be a good match in terms of character. It's not hard to put together a couple of OpAmps with an RIAA correction network in between and voila, you have a Phono stage... but that's not to say it'll be a good one that makes systems shine. I've already hinted that auditioning the Phono II was a good use of my time so rest assured that if you are looking for a Phono stage at around €600, finding out more about the Phono II will be very worthwhile. The Lindemann Limetree range covers the Bridge, Network, Headphone, and Phono II....
---> Lindemann Limetree Phono II review.

Pro-Ject Audio CD Box DS2 CD Player Review
The $1000 Pro-Ject CD Box DS2 CD player is very versatile; CD player, transport, and DAC. But does it make sense in 2021? Indeed it does.
Review By Ian White
There is a strong degree of irony that vinyl has pushed CDs into the dustbin of history. Vinyl had a very strong 2020 with consumers purchasing more than 22 million new records in North America alone. Used record sales were even stronger. There is no question that the CD is on life support in the domestic market. Digital downloads and streaming have made sure of that. That the final shovel-full of dirt will be delivered by those of us who love records in the digital media age was certainly unexpected. All that being said – why are so many companies manufacturing new CD players? Why would the company that sells the most audiophile-grade turntables in the world offer multiple CD players and transports in 2021?
---> Pro-Ject Audio CD Box DS2 CD player review.

iFi Audio iDSD Diablo DAC / Amplifier Review
The little Devil.
Review By Al Chieng
Established in 2013, iFi Audio currently has developed and manufactured over 30 products from its headquarters in Southport, UK. Sourcing parts from all over the world its main aim has been to create high quality audio wherever you are. Thus, the iFi Audio iDSD Diablo would be the quintessential device to deliver on its mission statement. For the more eco friendly consumer iFi has specifically pointed out in their website that they utilized recycled materials in both their packaging and products and no hazardous toxins are within components. The Diablo sits atop the portable / transportable DAC / amps (that is a mouthful) categories in the iFi lineup. Why should you care about the packaging? Well sometimes it is all about the experience. Now I am not looking for something wrapped in gold leaf and encased in a specially carved wooden box, but within this price point and standing on the top of lineup you have expectations.
---> iFi Audio iDSD Diablo stereo DAC / amplifier review.

Audio-gd AMP NFB-1 Preamplifier & Headphone Amplifier Review
A top-notch headamp that works well with all types of headphones and music.
Review By Gary Alan Barker
Audiophiles Thanks to our friends at Underwood HiFi something very exciting has come to America; the Audio-gd NFB-1 AMP Headphone Amplifier/Preamp. You can be forgiven for reading that as Audio-god (or gold) because the NFB-1 AMP certainly fits the bill. The NFB-1 AMP is the newest entry into the growing lexicon of Current Mode amplifiers and Audio-gd has pulled no punches in their zeal to produce what is not only an amazing deal at $799 US but one of the best solid-state amplifiers I have heard. My tenure with Translinear Amplification (Current Mode) dates back about thirteen years to my time with Halcro. The DM series of megabuck amplifiers ($20,000 to $40,000) were equipped with Current (Mode) Audio Signal Transmission (CAST) inputs and outputs (on the preamp) which offered significant benefits over either standard single-ended or balanced connections.
---> Audio-gd AMP NFB-1 preamplifier & headphone amplifier review.

The Art Of Listening
The emotional power of sound.
Article By Frederick J. Ampel of Technology Visions Analytics
Original article was aimed at custom installers, yet this information is also beneficial to audiophiles and videophiles alike.
Listening to and experiencing an audio environment is a unique and intense multilevel encounter. Stephen Handel, Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee, put it as well as anyone in the preface to his wonderful book: Listening: An Introduction to the Perception of Auditory Events (MIT Press, 1993, ISBN13: 978-0262081795, $62): "Listening puts me in the world. Listening gives me a sense of emotion, a sense of movement, and a sense of being there that is missing when I am [just] looking. I am more frightened by thunder than by lightning, even though I know that thunder is harmless and lightning is deadly. I feel far more isolation living with ear plugs than living with blinders. Listening is centripetal, it pulls you into the world. Looking is centrifugal, it separates you from the world." Let's understand precisely what Handel is saying: If the audio system's re-creation capability is working correctly, it can and should pull the listeners into the presentation with the power to make them believe that they are "there," wherever there might be.
---> The Art Of Listening.

The Intro
Editorial By Art Dudley
Recently I received some new CD re-issues from JVC who have begun applying their very nice XRCD process to the RCA Victor catalog of classical recordings from the 1950s and 1960s. Among this batch was a personal favorite: Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony orchestra performing Beethoven's Symphony No.7. I enjoy this one the most of all the Sevenths in my collection, and the fact that my copy is a mono LP isn't something I ever gave all that much thought to. In fact, until someone corrected me on the point, I half assumed that LM-1991 might be one of those recordings in the RCA catalog that never came out in stereo in the first place. (I am not the sort of record collector who concerns himself with such details, although I am often thankful for the knowledge of those who are.) I also remember thinking that a stereo version of this LP, with that big, gaudy LIVING STEREO banner across the top, must surely suffer by comparison in terms of its cover art, which is Botticelli's La Primavera, reproduced on a sturdy fold-over sleeve the likes of which I haven't seen on any other record.
---> The Intro by Art Dudley of Listener magazine.

Alien Influences
Editorial By Joe Roberts
From Sound Practices Issue 12
These days there are more audio magazines around than ever before, yet one has to wonder about the very future of print in an age where more than anybody wants to know about most topics is accessible for free on the Internet. Paper magazines are expensive and resource-thirsty to produce and circulate. It costs a few dollars to print up a magazine and a few more to mail it, then it takes days if not weeks to get where it's going. The same information minus the paper wrapper can be disseminated electronically in seconds for almost free. For that reason alone, paper media are more or less doomed to eventual extinction, sooner or later. It is an old story how economic considerations drove electronics design from the $20 tube to the 20 cent transistor. Well, the same forces are assuredly at work in the information delivery business. It's still a challenge for a producer to get consumers to pay for digitally-served information in these early days of the technology but this will surely change as people get used to the concept of paying for raw info rather than tangible paper artifacts, buying "ideas" not books. Inevitably, print journalism will have to find a new home, but in the meantime there's a golden age of audio journalism afoot.
---> Alien Influences by Joe Roberts.

A Few Words About 78 RPM Cartridges And Styli
Article By Dave Dintenfoss
From VALVE Volume 2 Number 9
While volumes can (and indeed have) been written on the topic, I'll state the basics. "Size is everything." Yes, in this case, it is indeed true. For later 78s, say, from the 40s and 50s, you can get good results with a "standard" 78 RPM stylus (these range from 2.7 to 3.0 mils). Some 78 styli are spherical while others are truncated spherical or truncated elliptical. Truncated styli are usually the best since, if fitted properly, they stay off the bottom of the groove and thus reproduce the music with less noise. But even the spherical (sometimes called "conical") work pretty well. For most acoustics and very early electrics, useful styli range from 3.3 mil up to 4.0 mil. For 16-inch transcription discs, 2.5 mil was standard with alternative standard at 2.0 mil. Stylus sizing isn't an exact science and you'll need to experiment for best results. Remember, groove depth and cross-section weren't nearly as consistent in the 78 era as they've been during the microgroove era. Also, popular 78s were available for years so it's not unusual to find a 78 reissue from the late 1940s with a groove configuration common to discs made two decades earlier -- or even a reissue with an early electrical from the late 1920s with a selection from the 1940s on the flip side!
---> A Few Words About 78 RPM Cartridges And Styli.

World Premiere Review!
PrimaLuna DiaLogue Six Monoblock Power Amplifier Review
Worth every penny of their asking price.
Review By Tom Lyle
When I'm shipped a piece of equipment such as the PrimaLuna DiaLogue Six monoblock I'm reminded that audiophiles are a lucky bunch to be participating in this "hobby" at this period of time. No matter what you choose (or do not choose) – analog or digital, dynamic or electrostatic, tube or solid-state – all of these contenders have advanced to the point that it is a matter of listener preference more than anything else. As far as tube amplifier design goes, auto-biasing that is used in many of the top manufacturers of these amps (including a more advanced type in the PrimaLuna), baby-sitting the tubes have become a thing of the past. But this feature would be of little use without the fact that at the same time the price-to-sound ratio (or simply, value) is getting so incredulously high that recommending cost-no-object gear, let alone on-the-high-side of mid-priced gear very difficult to justify.
---> PrimaLuna DiaLogue Six monoblock power amplifier review.

Moth Audio si2A3 Vacuum Tube Integrated Amplifier Review
Like a moth to a flame...
Review By Steven R. Rochlin
How do you make a great product even better? How do you make it less expensive? How do you offer one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your audience? If you said "the internet" than you could very well be right. Moth Audio first grabbed the eye of the industry at the Hi-Fi '97 show in San Francisco. In fact i personally found their gear to be very refreshing as the visual appeal of retro-looking solid construction was a well needed relief from the usual black or silver box. Here we have the second generation of this Moth Audio amplifier now called the si2A3. The si2A3 is a single-ended zero-feedback "Class A" three watt per channel tube amplifier. This new model is a good evolution as the customers have asked for more than one input and the rectifier tube to be more accessible... and Moth delivered this and more!
---> Moth Audio si2A3 vacuum tube integrated amplifier review.

World Premiere Review!
Chisto Easy Groove Solutions
Concentrate, Virgin Concentrate, Extreme, Enzycaster, Concentrate, Spray & Wipe, Disk Analoguer, and Hi-End Show-Gloss.
Review By Tom Lyle
For the last few years, I've been cleaning my records by using a VPI 16.5 wet/vacuum record cleaner. My record cleaning liquid of choice has been for quite some time a simple solution of distilled water and a surfactant (the surfactant reduces the solution's surface tension, making it spread more easily on the surface of the record). Before the VPI, I used a Nitty Gritty record cleaner, and before that, an Audio Advisor record cleaner. With those machines I've tried countless solutions sold by many different companies. None were worthy of a review. A couple of months ago, a variety of record cleaning solutions arrived at my doorstep made by a brand called Chisto. Chisto also makes products they call "Digital Care" for CDs and DVDs, solutions to clean the cabinets of audio/video gear, as well as a product that reduces static-electricity on one's audio and video components. Chisto is manufactured in Ukraine. In Russian, "chisto" means "clean."
---> Chisto Easy Groove Solutions for vinyl LP cleaning.

Loudspeaker Mega-Tweakfest Featuring
Synergistic, Bybee, Soundeck And More!
Rick Becker reviews the Synergistic Research Cable Risers, XOT Transducers, HFT Speaker Kits, Plus Bybee Technologies Quantum Clarifiers. Also included are the Soundeck Damping Feet, Synergistic Research Tranquility Pod, and MiG SX Footers.
Review By Rick Becker
As I said at the beginning of my previous review, the Synergistic Research Tweakfest, my original plan was to review a bunch of speaker mods that would negate the need for a $10,000 to $20,000 speaker upgrade. Surely a couple of thousand dollars-worth of tweaks could bring my speakers up to acceptable standards? In light of the crippled economy during the COVID 19 pandemic, what could be a more noble effort — short of making face masks and providing PPE to hospitals and meat processing plants? Given that I can barely pour scotch on the rocks, much less come up with a vaccine, the best I can do is self-isolate and not become part of the problem. So here are some findings that may lead you to musical bliss in these tough times or at least give you something to think about until times get better.
---> Loudspeaker mega-tweakfest featuring Synergistic, Bybee, Soundeck and more!

TBT: North America Premiere Review!
Nagra Classic Preamp Review
For those who have a system that can appreciate its ultra-luculent and musical sound.
Review By Tom Lyle
Nagra is a Swiss company that has a well-established reputation as a leading manufacturer of professional recording equipment. They were founded about 60 years ago, but it wasn't until 1997 that they also started making high-end audio equipment for home use. I was already afflicted with the audiophile bug back when Nagra introduced their first components for the high-end market, and it was then that I knew that I wanted to own one, or, at the very least hear one. I finally have a Nagra component in my system, their very attractive looking Class A vacuum-tube powered Classic Preamp. Of course, this isn't Nagra's first preamp. In fact, they say that used their previous preamplifier model, the JAZZ, along with Nagra's HD DAC as a reference to ensure that the newer preamp outperformed the older models. And so here it is, the latest preamplifier from Nagra.
---> Nagra Classic Preamp review.

TBT: World Premiere Review!
Sound Lab Majestic 545 Full-Range Electrostatic Loudspeakers Review
The quest for realistic sound from a pair of speakers is likely to end here.
Review By Tom Lyle
The same pair of Sound Lab loudspeakers have been my reference for about 15 years. The reason I acquired them is simple: Back in the day, I heard a pair of Sound Lab A-1's in a friend's large system, and fell in love. To this day, these speakers are the best I've ever heard of any type, as they produce a sonic hologram of the recording that I can visualize with my ears. But I didn't immediately go out and purchase a pair of A-1s. This was not only because they cost much more than I could afford at the time, nor was it because they weighed nearly 200 pounds. It was because of their size. The massive Model A-1's are over seven feet tall, three feet wide, and at their base about two feet deep. Our living room at the time, which was also our listening room, in no way could accommodate them. Eventually the planets aligned, and I purchased a pair of Sound Lab speakers. Fortunately the Sound Lab Majestic 545 electrostatic speakers as reviewed here bring things down to size nicely.
---> Sound Lab Majestic 545 electrostatic speaker review.