Digital sources: Custom Intel/Win11 and Mac mini M4 music servers running JRiver Media Center v34 and Roon 2, Merging Devices Hapi II DAC. QNAP TVS-873 NAS. Oppo Digital UDP-103 universal disc player.
Power amplifiers: Benchmark AHB2 (3).
Loudspeakers: Three KEF Blade 2 Meta (L/C/R) with IsoAcoustics GAIA II feet; KEF LS60 Wireless (SL/SR); two KEF KC92 and one SVS SB 2000Pro subwoofers.
Cables: Digital: Mogami Gold AES TD DB25-XLR snake. Analog interconnects: Benchmark Studio&Stage XLR–XLR. Speaker cables: Blue Jeans speakON-terminated…
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Sidebar 3: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive units: 1" TPCD (Thin-Ply Carbon Diaphragm) tweeter, two 6.5" carbon-cone midrange drivers, one 12" paper-cone woofer with rear port. Crossover frequencies: 350Hz, 2.3kHz. Frequency range: 20Hz–24kHz. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 5.4 ohms minimum at 85Hz. Sensitivity: 87.5dB/W/m. Recommended power: minimum 80W.
Dimensions: 45" (1143mm) H × 12.1" (307.3mm) W × 20" (508mm) D. Weight: 159lb (72.1kg) each.
Finishes: Each speaker pair painted to customer order, with automotive paint.
Serial numbers of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Vinyl playback: Technics SL-1200MKV turntable with KAB 3-speed mod, fluid damping, and tonearm wiring; LP Gear The Vessel, Ortofon 2M Blue, Audio-Technica AT-VM95C cartridges. Technics SL-50C turntable with Ortofon 2M Red cartridge.
Phono preamplifier: Pro-Ject Phono Box RS2.
Digital playback: dCS Bartók APEX DAC/streamer.
Preamplifier: Benchmark LA-4.
Power amplifiers: Benchmark AHB2, Aragon 8002.
Streaming receiver: T+A Symphonia.
Loudspeaker: B&W 808.
Accessories: Butcherblock Acoustics equipment rack, SME turntable cable…
I reviewed the Kii THREE digital active loudspeaker in the September 2017 issue of Stereophile and was totally smitten. Despite its compact size, it sounded open and well-balanced. It was capable of convincing, lively reproduction of solo voice, full orchestra and chorus, and anything in between. It was cutting edge in supporting analog and digital sources, direct-wired and network connections, and streaming. It was a pioneering effort in controlling loudspeaker radiation patterns to minimize the influence of room acoustics on reproduced sound.
Now Kii is offering a newer, smaller, less…
The Kitsuné HiFi KTE LCR-1 MK5 phono stage
Last month, when I was at Richard Cirulnick's place, I noticed he was running a Valab LCR phono stage with his ELAC EMC-1 moving coil. The Valab LCR was the phono stage that became Kitsuné HiFi's $1498 KTE LCR-1 MK5, which I raved about in Gramophone Dreams #50 (footnote 5). Hearing how transparent and vital the Valab sounded in Richard's system made me run home and re-install the KTE LCR-1 MK5 in my system. I wanted to remind myself what low-impedance RIAA sounds like.
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but despite its conspicuously…
Sidebar 4: Measurements
Before beginning any measurements, I connected the Kii Control unit to one of the loudspeakers and installed the Kii Home app—v.1.1.27 (build 60)—on my iPhone. When I powered up the speaker, the app found it via Bluetooth, and it allowed me to connect the speaker to my Wi-Fi network. I then connected my MacBook Pro's USB port to the Control unit. Apple's AudioMIDI utility revealed that its USB port accepted 32-bit integer data sampled at all rates from 32kHz to 384kHz. The USB Prober app identified the Kii as "Kii Control" from "Kii Audio GmbH" with the…
Photos by Jason Victor Serinus
Octave Audio of Karlsbad, Germany, a longtime manufacturer of tube electronics, presented the North American debut of its new Octave Jubilee Class A mono amplifier ($85,000/pair; go here for more info) at Definitive Audio in Bellevue, Washington, (across the lake from Seattle) on January 29. The first stop in a three-city US tour by Andreas Hofmann, company president and designer, and John Quick, VP Sales & Marketing for Octave’s US distributor, Dynaudio North America, the multi-day event included two back-to-back sessions followed by open houses. Days…
One winner will take home two extraordinary Mobile Fidelity audiophile pressings that showcase analog recording at its finest: Rock a Little by Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac, each presented in strictly limited, reference-grade 45RPM editions. From the lavish, high-resolution textures of Rock a Little to the tape-like warmth, dynamics, and realism of Fleetwood Mac’s landmark 1975 release, this sweepstakes celebrates music made with ambition—and mastered for listeners who demand absolute fidelity. Enter for a chance to experience two iconic albums as they were always meant to be heard.…
Punk rock was never meant to grow old. For their first three studio efforts, The Replacements epitomized the punk ethos. Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (1981), the EP Stink (1982), and Hootenanny (1983) are loud, bashy fun. Song titles on Stink give a fair idea of the band's level of maturity in those days: "Fuck School"; "White and Lazy"; and "Dope Smokin' Moron." It has been suggested over the years that this most worshipped and mythologized of all '80s indie rock bands weren't just deliberately sloppy but suffered from self-sabotage. Around 1984, the band discovered that punk, even…
"They lack the original analog warmth." "The AI-powered 'demixing' process has produced a clearer sound with better separation." "The new mixes lose the magic of his father's original '60s mixes." "The selective use of compression is pure heresy."
Opinions vary, but like everything connected to The Beatles, charged arguments over Giles Martin's ongoing remastering of, and sonic tinkering with, the band's hallowed recording catalog are unending. To be fair, potentially changing the band's sonic profile to something more "modern" was always a no-win proposition, with zero chance of pleasing…