savoy014

Holy Schitt ! I just put some money down for the Schitt Lyr. The distributor, Audio Iconic is presently out of stock, with a new shipment coming in at the end of the month. Owners of hard-to-drive orthodynamic headphones are probably already very familiar with the Lyr, which boasts 6 watts of power, and 40 volts output capability into a 32 ohm load. Actually my Audeze LCD-2 Rev 1 is relatively easy to drive as far orthodynamic headphones go, but the Audeze / Lyr pairing is quite often recommended on forums, so I thought I would check it out. A quick listen (across 3 tracks) with the distributor's LCD-2 Rev 2, to the bottom rung Asgard and the Lyr indicated that the Lyr was the way to go. I was hoping to save a bit of money, but it was not meant to be. The Asgard sounded too smooth and flat, with a lack of dynamics and bite. The Lyr had a wetter and more prominent bass, with a relatively dry top end sparkle that matches well with the Audeze which can sometimes sound a little bit dar...

Introduction The Calyx Femto is the latest DAC from Digital & Analogue, the wonderful Korean company that brought us the 24/192 DAC and the Coffee DAC and headamp. I loved my 24/192 DAC, but wished it had more inputs. The Femto is obviously the answer to that and much more. Based on the ESS Sabre 9018 DAC chip, the Femto is a full sized component  with all the inputs that you could ask for. At a price multiple of the 24/192, the Femto has to deliver much more to earn its share of the Audiophile wallet. Features The Femto is a massively chunky and heavy unit. You need to personally lift it to feel its 18.5 kg weight and massive solid aluminum panels. Somehow, pictures do not convey the true size of the unit - it is much bigger than it looks. Measure your rack space carefully before purchasing ! Of particular interest are its feet, which are lined with cork, and its power button, which is discreetly located on the left hand side of the unit. I seldom switch off my digital equipme...

I have had this CD for almost 20 years, and without a doubt, this would be my single "desert island disc". Now, I am sure desert islands have neither electricity, nor hifi equipment, but let us not get distracted. This is probably Jacqueline Du Pre's most well known recording, and its commercial popularity probably means that many of you readers would already have a copy. Despite its less than stellar recording, the sure emotive power of the performance has always captivated me, and after the first few bars, you ceased to care about the recording quality (which is actually decent but not excellent). HD Tacks is now offering a 2012 remastered version in high resolution. After having been burnt by some of their high resolution offerings that sounded far worse than my red book CD versions, I had two minds about buying this. Eventually curiosity took the better of me, and I made the plunge. Thankfully, the remastered version is wonderful ! Apart from the improved clarity and ...

I got a mail from my lovely receptionist girls on a package that has just arrived for me. Talk about fast. Nine days - from the time of placing my order to delivery from the UK to Singapore. Despite already owning some of the recordings in this set, the pricing at GBP 66 (inclusive of delivery to Singapore) from Amazon UK, was simply too good to resist. Just a handful of the recordings in this set would already justify the asking price. Considering that many have been out of print, and were being sold for ransom-like figures, this is a god send to classical music lovers. 50 CDs are included in the set, including a bonus CD which includes an interview with Wilma Cozart Fine, the vice president of Mercury responsible for production of the series in the past. Whether you are just starting out in classical music, or you are serious enthusiast, this set is simply a must have. You can have a look at the complete list of recordings (and even sample some of the tracks) at  http://www.decca...

Introduction The Acrolink 7N-S1000III and 7N S-1400III are part of Acrolink's new line up of cables for 2011, and also an introduction of 7N purity copper into their lower range of cabling. Utilising similar geometry to their predecessors, the S-1000 / S-1400 have two widely spaced conductors in a flat shaped dielectric. Looking at the design, this will most likely result in fairly high inductance but very low capacitance. The main difference between the S-1000 and S-1400 is conductor gauge, the S-1400 having more than double the number of strands of copper in each conductor leg. S-1000III - Picture from official website S-1400III - Picture from official website Sound Quality Acrolink users are unlikely to encounter any surprises here. Great midrange, with excellent high frequency extension and control, with emphasis on the "air" around instruments and the sense of acoustic space. The S-1000III subjectively sounds faster than the S-1400III. The latter has a harmonically r...

On test here are the following gunslingers, 1. Aurio's Classic 2. Cold Rays 3. Finite Elemente Ceraball Universal 4. Finite Elemente Cerabase Classic 5. Finite Elemente Cerabase Compact   6. Franc Audio Ceramic Disc Classic 7. Golden Sound's DH Cones and Squares 8. Herbie's Tenderfoot 9. Herbie's Isocup with Black Lamp Ball 10. Kryna C-PROP Mini / D-PROP Mini 11. Magic Hexa 12. Stillpoints Ultra Mini 13. Stillpoints Ultra SS (New)  14. TAOC TITE-46GP 15. Valab ball bearing footer 16. Yamamoto Sound Craft PB-09 / PB-10 Ebony base Aurios Classic Unlike its namesake, the Aurios cannot be dunked in milk, or eaten. But like Oreo cookies, the Aurios are made out of two circular halves, with the goodstuff in between. 3 steel ball bearings take the place of the sweetened white cream in the cookie version.The steel bearings sit in a circular race, with a plastic triangular guide to hold the 3 ball bearings in place. Out of all the devices featured here, the Aurios have the dubi...

Photos from official website Introduction The Okki Nokki record cleaning machine is probably one of the most affordable vacuum based record cleaning machines on the market. Locally, it costs a shade under S$ 900. The Okki Nokki has a bi-directional motor (a useful function to brush the grooves of the record in both directions), and comes supplied with a small battle of record cleaning concentrate, and a goat's hair brush. Operation The Okki Nokki is quite idiot proof to operate. Two switches control the unit. The top switch toggles between clockwise and anti-clockwise rotation. The bottom switch controls the vacuum. The vacuum motor has a useful automatic shut-off feature in case the reservoir becomes full. A visit to the kitchen sink, pull out the tube behind the unit, and drain the dirty fluid out. With a bit of practice, you can apply the cleaning fluid, brush the surface over a few revolutions in both directions, and vacuum up the dirty fluid, all in about a minute a side. The ...