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"... To conclude the Ampeggio/Maarga comparison, this—and not the larger—Voxativ speaker remains the best single-driver creation I've yet heard. John Atkinson's Stereophile measurements shed light on its surprising in-room performance. That said, Jacob George's eventual capitulation to the concept's irreconcilable LF limitations and subsequent years of perfecting an integral active auxiliary bass system demonstrate an important point. Stubborn adherence to a lovely ideal (a single driver is best, period) can become somewhat myopic. That's definitely relevant when the final retail price comes crashing down on tolerance for genre-specific can't-dos and demands to get it all instead. Rethm's $8.450/pr asking price for the Maarga demands that already, don't you think? How much more so the Ampeggio's $29.500? In my book the Indian isn't simply the better balanced speaker. It's the better speaker period. And that's without yet factoring its decisively lower sticker..." |
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"... To return to Lyr's apparent main attraction, peak swing into 32Ω is a mighty 40 volts. In casual Schiit slang this "will make the magic smoke come out of your headphones". So make no mistake, yes with such power you could blow up your expensive Sennheiser HD800 or beyerdynamic T1 if you cranked up the juice without wearing them. Anyone sane and not stone-deaf couldn't while actually listening. A 400 horse-power street rocket is potentially lethal too but only if not treated with respect. To author such a beast, the Lyr designers—have to—trust the intelligence of their audience not to do anything stupid. By implication it also means that a Lyr owner will possess a machine that'll properly drive any known headphone on the market. At least in the Schiit catalogue that makes it the only truly universal model (and needless to say 120dB IEMs would seem silly in this context)..." |
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"...Why is Spatial subversive? By surgically addressing the main problem traditional hifi does not, far less costly electronics and speakers can perform far superior. As long as room effects on loudspeaker response are not addressed, owners of even $100.000/pr speaker suffer ±10dB amplitude aberrations and wildly irregular response kinks across the audible range. The more expensive and thus full-range loudspeakers become, the more they activate room modes. Lower and louder bass creates more boom. This interferes more profoundly with midband clarity and fine harmonic development. Changing electronics and cabling willy-nilly to compensate for these effects is entirely haphazard and pitifully ineffective. It's also expensive. That's what makes the typical audiophile journey so frustrating and ultimately doomed. The root problem is never addressed..." |
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"... The ST2 HiFi's overall performance was outstanding in terms of tone, timing and soundstaging. I can easily declare that the Trinnov added coherence and delivered the highest fidelity to my usual playback chain I've yet encountered. From my various experiments with configuration settings, I definitely think that the best performance from the ST2-HiFi is achieved by exploiting its full range of functionalities when inserted between digital source and power amp/s. Another salient feature was the stunning improvement in soundstage accuracy and detail amount regardless of volume setting. The Trinnov allowed me to listen at loud or low volumes without any particular prejudice regarding comfort, intelligibility or resolution..." |
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Congratulations to the eighteen makers of these fine audio components. As the selection shows, desirable hifi kit comes in all sizes and price ranges. It's not how much money you have to spend which guarantees success or complete satisfaction. It's identifying your needs in a realistic manner, then searching for a combination of gear that will go farthest in the simplest most cost-effective way.
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