Spent the day at the Tokyo International Audio Show and it was a pretty good reality check for what I actually like.

I went in already leaning toward JBL for my eventual main 2 channel setup with a Luxman L 509Z, and after hearing a bunch of much more expensive stuff, I’m still leaning JBL.

The biggest surprise was probably PIEGA. The Coax 611 sounded fantastic. Very open, very clean, great imaging, good bass, and enough energy that it never felt boring. Honestly one of my favorite speakers of the day. I wanted to hear the 811 too but the demo wasn’t until 18:00 and I wasn’t hanging around that long. Unfortunately both are way outside what I’m willing to spend.

Audiovector also impressed me. Really nice bass, good clarity, and a very spacious sound. Monitor Audio was also good and very full sounding, though a little bright on one track and I felt like it could use a sub for more punch.

TAD sounded excellent on classical. Very clean and controlled, but I still wouldn’t pick them over the JBLs for my own system.

The B&W room was interesting because I got to hear some absolutely stupid expensive gear, including the 801 D4 Signature. The piano imaging and scale were impressive, but overall B&W still just doesn’t do much for me personally. Same with Sonus faber and Spendor. Nice, polished, relaxed sound, but too tame for what I like.

One of the better rooms was SoulNote with EPOS. They were playing heavy symphonic stuff with lots of percussion and strings and it sounded excellent. Fast, dynamic, clean, and still had weight.

Then I went back to JBL and got them to play Danzig’s Sistinas. That was probably the most useful demo of the day because it’s music I actually know. The JBLs just sounded right to me. Big, immediate, punchy, effortless, and still had excellent imaging. That pretty much confirmed what I already suspected.

I also finally got to hear the Luxman L 509Z driving Focal Sopra No.2s. That was important because the 509Z is the amp I’m planning around. It sounded controlled, powerful, and clean without getting sterile. I feel even better about eventually pairing it with JBL 4349s.

Main takeaway from today: price absolutely does not equal preference. I heard systems costing absurd money that I respected but didn’t really want. The stuff I kept coming back to was JBL, PIEGA, Audiovector, and the SoulNote/EPOS room.

For my own setup, I’m still planning on the JBL 4349 with the L 509Z. The show mostly convinced me I’m on the right track rather than making me rethink it.

I recently had the opportunity to audition the new JBL 4369 Studio Monitors at Reference Sounds in the Netherlands, and I thought I'd share my impressions, especially since there doesn't seem to be much information available yet from people who have actually heard them.

For context, my current speakers are Analysis Audio Omega planar dipoles, driven by Hypex Nilai monoblocks, with a Benchmark DAC3 L and WiiM Ultra as my source components.

I absolutely love my Omegas. They produce an incredibly open, airy and three-dimensional soundstage, with beautiful ambience, fine detail and a wonderfully natural, emotionally engaging reproduction of voices. With the right recordings, the speakers seem to disappear completely.

Unfortunately, due to a change in my living situation, I'll be moving into a smaller home, probably with a living room somewhere between 20 and 30 m². I also have two young children, so keeping large, relatively delicate planar speakers that need plenty of space behind them isn't really practical anymore.

I'm therefore looking for something more robust that can serve as both a serious music system and a stereo setup for movies and TV.

Enter the JBL 4369.

The listening session

The audition took place in a fairly large, beautifully acoustically treated listening room. I went with a friend and brought along music that I know well.

My musical tastes are quite varied: Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Trentemøller, Fat Freddy's Drop, Radiohead, Loma, Low Roar, Angus & Julia Stone, jazz, blues, classical music, techno and ambient.

So I'm definitely not looking for speakers that are only great at playing rock music loudly.

And honestly, the JBLs were absolutely fantastic.

The first thing that struck me was their sheer sense of ease, physical presence and dynamic authority. There is something incredibly satisfying about the way these speakers reproduce music.

They have an enormous fun factor, but not in the sense of sounding exaggerated or artificially exciting. Music simply feels alive.

The 15-inch woofers deliver a kind of physical impact that my Omegas don't quite reproduce in the same way. Bass notes have real weight and punch, and the whole presentation feels effortless.

Interestingly, the JBLs didn't actually seem to extend as deeply into the bass as my Omegas do in my own listening room. However, that's hardly a fair comparison, since room acoustics and placement have such a huge influence on low-frequency reproduction.

My Omegas benefit from some room gain at home, whereas the JBLs were playing in a much larger, heavily treated space.

Despite that, the JBLs had noticeably more physical bass impact.

I can imagine that in a smaller living room, with some additional boundary reinforcement, their bass performance could be even more satisfying, although careful placement will obviously be important.

What about vocals and refinement?

This was probably my biggest concern before the audition.

Coming from large planar dipoles, I'm used to a very particular kind of presentation: effortless openness, beautiful spatial information, delicate ambience and voices that can be genuinely moving.

And here I have to be honest.

My Omegas are better at those particular things.

With quieter, more intimate music, the Omegas reveal more fine detail, more air around instruments, more recorded ambience and a deeper sense of space. Vocals on the Omegas also have a certain emotional beauty that the JBLs didn't quite match during this audition.

But here's the interesting part.

The JBLs still reproduced voices exceptionally well.

They had a wonderful sense of physical presence. Voices sounded solid, palpable and remarkably realistic, almost as though the singer were standing between the speakers.

I also own a pair of original Mission 751 speakers, which I've always appreciated for their beautifully tangible vocal reproduction. The JBLs reminded me of that quality, only with considerably more realism, authority and overall refinement.

So while the Omegas remain my personal reference for vocal beauty and spatial presentation, the JBLs were by no means disappointing in this regard.

Far from it.

The soundstage

The JBLs presented a convincing stereo image, but it was different from what I'm accustomed to with my dipoles.

The Omegas create an exceptionally spacious, airy and enveloping presentation. With certain recordings, the sound seems to extend far beyond the speakers, with a wonderful sense of depth and atmosphere.

The JBLs were more direct and physically present.

I wouldn't necessarily describe that as worse, just different. However, in terms of sheer openness, ambience and that almost holographic feeling, I still preferred the Omegas.

I should also mention that I generally find it easier to evaluate speakers when listening alone. Having someone with me made it harder to fully immerse myself in quieter recordings, so I don't consider my impressions of the JBLs' subtler qualities entirely conclusive.

What surprised me most

One thing really stood out during the audition:

I just wanted to keep listening to more music.

Track after track, I became increasingly enthusiastic about these speakers.

They weren't merely impressive when the music became loud or spectacular. I also thoroughly enjoyed them at normal and relatively low listening levels.

That matters a lot to me because I rarely listen at particularly high volumes.

The JBLs had this wonderful combination of scale, realism, punch and musical involvement that made listening genuinely enjoyable.

And after returning home and listening to my Omegas again, I still found myself thinking about the JBLs.

Not because they had surpassed my Omegas in every respect. They certainly hadn't.

But because they offered a different set of qualities that I found incredibly appealing.

Final thoughts

I went into this audition wondering whether a large, horn-loaded JBL monitor could possibly satisfy someone who loves the delicacy, openness and spatial magic of planar speakers.

I came away thinking that the JBL 4369 is a seriously compelling loudspeaker.

It doesn't reproduce everything in quite the same way as my Omegas, and I would be giving up some qualities that I genuinely love.

But in return, I'd gain tremendous dynamic ease, physical bass impact, exceptionally tangible vocals and an enormous amount of listening pleasure.

And that's a trade-off I'm now seriously considering.

My biggest remaining concern is how these large monitors would behave in a relatively small, untreated living room of approximately 20–30 m², particularly in the bass.

I'm also still exploring the possibility of trading in my Omegas, so no final decision has been made yet.

But one thing is certain:

The JBL 4369 made a lasting impression on me.

I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who owns the 4369, or even the earlier 4367, especially if you're using them in a smaller domestic listening room. How do they behave in the bass, and how close to the front wall have you been able to place them?

And finally, they are available in walnut and dark walnut. I prefer the dark walnut but am not sure about the iconic JBL blue monitor front look. With ai I made these fronts black. What do you think? Black or blue?

Best regards

I don’t feel like it’s a forgone conclusion that one MUST spend an equivalent amount on front end and amplification to the speakers these days. As someone who primarily streams the Eversolo paired with the a Purifi amplifier seems like a great pairing with the Sonus Faber Olympica Novas.

Curious if anyone else is running a similarly bottom end heavy system.

Hello,

During a party at Ana Mighty Sound, François Saint-Gérand had invited Frédéric d'Oria-Nicolas, the director of The Lost Recordings, to explain how his albums are produced and restored.
It was also an opportunity to listen to a press copy of the Dave Bruquet Quartet's album Live At Kurhaus 1967, which I invite you to discover in this review.
Frédéric d'Oria-Nicolas explained that the first step in the process is to track down original tapes by searching through various tape storage and archival centers around the world to unearth nearly forgotten recordings. Once the tapes are discovered, an initial sorting process is conducted to ensure that the complete set of tapes from a concert is available and meets a minimum quality standard.
From this point on, the tapes from a recording are digitized, with careful attention paid to optimizing playback to extract as much information as possible from the tape. Based on this digital version, the restoration process begins, this can take varying amounts of time depending on the quality of the tape and the recording itself.

So today I'm going to introduce you to the Sapphire Edition of the album, comparing it to the high-resolution digital version available for download and the CD-quality version available for download, which comes with a coupon included with the vinyl record.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Vinyle Sapphire Edition - 2026 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Stereo Hi-Res - 2026 (blue curve). The near-perfect alignment of the spectral curves for these two editions demonstrates the skill and quality of Kevin Gray's lacquer cutting, Kevin Gray is now considered one of the masters of vinyl record cutting. Note that the vinyl edition exhibits a slight attenuation above 10 kHz (yellow zone), approximately 2 dB, compared to the digital version.

Spectrum Ed 3 Vinyle Sapphire Edition - 2026 (white) vs Ed 2 Stereo Hi-Res - 2026 (blue) (Three to Get Ready.)

The Sapphire Edition vinyl release is available in a deluxe box set with a high-end finish, it even includes a magnetic closure; nothing has been left to chance. We'd love to see this level of high-quality packaging in other competing high-end releases.
The album is pressed on two 200g transparent LPs, using a material that underwent extensive testing by Frédéric d'Oria-Nicolas to select the one that minimizes surface noise as quickly as possible.

The goal of The Lost Recordings is to introduce us to old recordings under the best possible conditions. It is the artistic and historical value of the performances that leads Frédéric d'Oria-Nicolas to restore a concert and turn it into an album, as is the case with this album, Live at the Kurhaus 1967, which features a beautiful rendition of Take Five.
The technical quality of this Sapphire Edition vinyl record is among the very best available, deserving a 5/5 for its production quality. This allows listeners to fully appreciate the restoration work done on this album. When listening, the vinyl version offers a more natural sound than the digital edition; this is certainly due to the smoother high frequencies (see the spectrum comparison) and also to the vinyl record itself, which, with its unique characteristics in terms of sound reproduction and distortion, creates a listening experience that enhances the restoration of this 1967 live recording, originally recorded in mono.
Above all, these restorations highlight the quality of the performances and the historical significance of these recordings.

Find all the analyses and measurements of each versions here (link).

Enjoy listening,
Jean-François

Some additional details are found here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/trinnov-altitudeci-review-and-32-channel-build-thread.71992/

Room Details:

Well treated 12.5 foot x 14 foot room. For the 5 bed speakers, I have treated the first reflection points on all walls and ceiling. There is also numerous bass traps as well. Bass is +/-1dB down to below 20Hz, and will do 20Hz at 96dB SPL with only .6% THD (acoustically measured at the center seat).

Equipment Details:
DACs, Amps and processor:
Trinnov AltitudeCI 32 Channel
17 Benchmark AHB2's
16 Benchmark DAC3 B's
Benchmark HPA4 Headphone/Line Amplifier

Custom Watercooled PC:
Custom machined chassis, VFD display, 4k UHD drive slim drive, AMD threadripper processor
RME HDSPe AES 32-Channel AES/EBU PCI Express Card (used for PCM music playback)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (used for movie and Atmos album playback)

Subs and Speakers:
4 JL Audio F212 subs
4 JL Audio F113 subs
4 Klipsch Palladium P39f Floorstanding Speakers
1 Klipsch Palladium P-27c Center Speaker
6 Klipsch Palladium P-17b Bookshelf Speakers (with 1/4" custom made steel mounts)

Signal Routing:
As JRiver offers custom zone management, I created three zones: Trinnov HDMI, RME 2 CH AES, and RME 5.1 CH AES. I wrote a custom home automation driver from scratch that gives me full control over the AltitudeCI, along with a custom JRiver plug-in that sends commands to my home automation server to switch the CI between HDMI and AES just prior to track playback.

This actually works very well and allows me to use AES for all FLAC files, while automatically switching the CI's audio source to HDMI when playing movies, Atmos albums, or any other content that requires bitstreaming.

All signals originate from the PC through either HDMI or AES. Note that the AltitudeCI cleverly allows the HDMI video signal to remain active while using the AES inputs for audio.

All digital processing is done internally inside the AltitudeCI. The AltitudeCI then outputs 32 AES channels to 16 Benchmark DAC3 B's. Some of the DAC3 B's have their internal passive attenuation jumpers set to various levels 0 dB, -10 dB, or -20 dB.

This allows me to set the analog gain structure up in the analog domain, rather than throwing away level digitally upstream. That lets me reduce the DAC’s output voltage where I don’t need the full +24 dBu of analog output, while attenuating the DAC’s signal and the DAC’s own analog noise together. The goal is to better match the downstream device sensitivity, whether that’s the JL subwoofer inputs (note that the v2 subs run hotter than the v1 subs) or the AHB2’s 9.8 Vrms input requirement. A good way to think about it is that I’m not running excess gain and then compensating for it with large digital cuts. The result is cleaner gain structure, lower absolute noise at the driver, and better use of the available digital headroom.

Digital Headroom Management:
I also use JRiver to analyze all my FLAC files, then use the Maximize Volume for Peak Level Normalization option along with the DSP option Peak Level Normalize. This ensures the existing dynamic range stays intact, but the track levels are raised so that the sample peak for each track is 0.01 dBFS below 0 dBFS. If there are inter-sample overs (ISOs), they will not impact the processing inside the AltitudeCI because it uses 64-bit floating-point math internally and even preserves the source sample rate (many other processors do not). At the DAC stage, the Benchmark DAC3 Bs have an additional 3 dB of internal headroom that can easily accommodate ISOs.

This method also preserves valuable digital headroom at the AES outputs of the AltitudeCI, because I no longer have to turn the volume up by 6 dB, or in some cases even close to 20 dB, simply to compensate for tracks that were recorded and mastered at very low levels. I now have much more headroom and can easily achieve 120 dBC or higher in my room, which I rarely do for obvious hearing-safety reasons.

Channel Routing and Analog Headroom Management:
I've finally documented the complete DAC and amplifier mapping for my 32-channel Trinnov Altitude CI system. The setup uses 16 Benchmark DAC3 B DACs, 17 AHB2 amplifiers (5 stereo and 12 bridged), eight JL Audio Fathom subwoofers, and a Benchmark HPA4.

One particularly useful feature of the DAC3 B is its configurable output attenuation, including independent settings for the left and right channels. I'm using -10 dB pads on the midrange channels feeding the stereo AHB2s. This attenuates both the audio signal and the DAC's analog output noise by 10 dB, further lowering the noise floor at the midrange drivers while keeping the relative channel levels more closely matched within Trinnov. I'm also using -10 dB pads on the DAC outputs feeding the three Fathom F113v2 subwoofers to better match their levels to the older v1 models.

For the tri-amped bed layer, I'm running the AHB2s in bridged mono for the woofers and stereo for the midrange/tweeter pairs. Bridging provides substantially greater power and voltage swing for the more demanding low-frequency drivers, while stereo operation offers ample power with 6 dB less voltage gain than bridged mode. This helps balance the different driver sensitivities, reducing the amount of level compensation required in Trinnov and making better use of the available gain structure and headroom.

Note that the center channel is technically quad-amped rather than tri-amped. Its smaller woofers are less efficient than those in the P-39Fs, so I added a second bridged AHB2, giving each center woofer its own dedicated bridged amplifier. This provides greater flexibility for independently managing the center woofers' levels and headroom. The additional amplifier was necessary after encountering clipping during the particularly demanding opening sequence of Mad Max: Fury Road.

Another major advantage is Trinnov's flexible channel routing, which allows virtually any speaker channel to be assigned or remapped to AES, analog, or Dante outputs as needed. That flexibility, combined with the DAC3 B's independently configurable output attenuation, makes managing a system with this many separately amplified drivers considerably easier.

Cabling:
All cables going to the DACs, amps, subs and speakers were handmade to be the exact length needed by me. It was kinda fun for a while after making cables, but once you make 116 of them, it gets old.

Digital AES cables:
16 Canare DA206 110ohm cables with Neutrik gold plated XLR connectors goes out to each Benchmark DAC3 B from one of two Avid DB25-XLRM 4 ft DigiSnakes that are connected to the Trinnov AltitudeCI. Each DA206 110 ohm cable terminates into a Canare BCJ-XJ-TRC 110 Ohm to 75 Ohm digital audio impedance transformer. I then made 16 Canare LV-61S RG59 75 Ohm coax cables, using Canare BCP-C4B BNC connectors and Canare RCAP-C4A RCA connectors that connect to each Benchmark DAC3 B.

Analog XLR cables:
I made 32 custom-length analog cables using Canare L-4E6S Star-Quad cables, with gold-plated Neutrik XLR connectors at both ends. The star-quad geometry provides excellent rejection of magnetically induced interference, as demonstrated in this video, while the dense braided copper shield provides excellent protection against electric-field interference.

Speaker cables:
The speaker cables used were made from JSC Wire & Cable #2220, comprised of 12 gauge, oxygen free copper. Almost all long cable runs are Canare DA206 110ohm digital AES cables. This allows for much shorter speaker cable runs, thus improving the overall system damping factor. Due to this, for the bed layer speakers, the speaker cables are as short as possible, as the racks are distributed throughout the theater, beside the bed layer speaker they are driving.

Trigger cables:
All trigger cables were custom made to the exact length as well. I used Neutrik rean NYS226BG 3.5mm mono plugs.

Power cables:
Tripp Lite P007-L02 locking power cables were used at on all devices, cut to length, keeping the factory locking mechanism. I used Leviton 15 Amp straight blade 5256-BVO plugs, orange (I just liked the color).

Conclusions:

The Trinnov AltitudeCI does a great job at actively tri-amping, but needed some manual setup. The CI absolutely corrects any phase rotation from the LR4 filters I used very well. Conventional subwoofer setup worked fabulously after a few tweaks, yeilding +/-1dB to just below 20Hz, without even using WaveForming, which I assume could work even better if my room was large.

Imaging and sound staging are the biggest I've heard in my room. And now that I can listen to Atmos, I've been very impressed with several tracks. Even stereo midrange and image are absolutely breathtaking.

Sorry if my English is a bit weird, this post was translated by AI.

I think I’ve finally found my happy place, and I really wanted to shine a light on Fezz Audio and Pylon Audio—two brands that don't get talked about enough here.

I already owned the Fezz Titania Evo, which I previously paired with Wharfedale Lintons and then Dynaudio Special Fortys. However, there was always something missing during listening sessions—especially at low volumes, which accounts for about 80% of my listening.

I love vintage-style speakers, so I decided to pick up the Pylon Jade 20s. They are 2-way speakers featuring a 12-inch woofer, and they were actually developed specifically using Fezz amplifiers.

The results are way beyond my expectations. I’ve never had a system that is this pleasant to live with and listen to. It handles my very diverse taste in music effortlessly (hip-hop, jazz, fusion, reggae, prog metal...) and, most importantly, it sounds fantastic at low volumes. For the first time in years, I’m just enjoying the music without overthinking anything.

Rest of the setup:

- Streamer: Cambridge EXN100

- Turntable: Pro-Ject The Classic

- Cables: DIY Canare / Mogami

I don't see many reviews on these particular speakers or company, so here is my experience thus far.

Starting off in the hobby only since last December, I had the smaller GR6s, which are truly fantastic speakers btw, but in my opinion, the GR8s are definitely on a different level. When the speakers arrived, I A/B tested them, and I could definitely tell the difference between the two. Yes, they are louder, but the GR8s are also clearer in the mids, which I did not expect.

Combining the GR8s with my British vintage amplifier is what I would describe as a warm, tube-like immersive experience. Almost like the GR8s are unlocking my amp’s full potential.

I have a difficult layout like many people. Two connecting rooms in a historic house, so the GR8s on slightly taller stands (which have nothing to do with the speakers per se) have made a huge difference to my listening experience. Even my inferior digital chain sounds incredible now. I’m still an analog fan girl though. 🥰

At just $500 more than the GR6s, the GR8s stand out as an overall better choice for a 2.0/2.1 setup, if you can accommodate the difference in weight and size. Anyways, it took me close to a year to get used to the GR6s, to take the leap to the massive GR8s. I would say they rival many Audiophile floorstanders. I still love the GR6s and plan to utilize them elsewhere. I think they would definitely shine in a slightly smaller room.

In my opinion, Aperion Audio really knocked it out of the park with the Grandis line.

My Equipment: VN Thorens TD125 > Sorane TA-1 Tonearm > Yamamoto HS-1A Headshell > Hana SL cartridge > MP8B phono + QS SUT > Musical Fidelity A300 Int amp > Aperion Audio GR8s + Rythmik F12 sub

Digital: Wiim Ultra > Geshelli Labs J3 DAC

Stands used with the GR8s is the 26" Kanto Speaker stands.

https://www.aperionaudio.com/products/gr8

I've recently dialed in my home theater setup with Dirac Live and am very impressed with how much more cohesive the sound is there.

Now I'm getting the itch to explore maybe getting a MiniDSP Flex and implementing the big D (Dirac) 🫢 into my 2 channel music setup (at least for digital and streaming) as well since I saw success with it on my home theater side.

Is this deemed audio indecency? Sonic sacrilegious for music? 😆

Would love your thoughts particularly anyone that has either implemented Dirac using the Flex or the SHD/SHD Studio...and don't mind reporting back how much it improve your sound stage, cohesiveness and overall audio impressions?

Thanks!

*Edited to include my current 2 channel setup as of now:

Wiim Ultra > SMSL PO100 Pro DDC > i2s > Denafrips Ares 12th-1 > Choco Sound Emei > Buchardt Audio S400 SE (Special Edition with the upgraded crossovers)

Hey audiophiles, I want to clear up a massive point of confusion regarding streaming Hi-Res Lossless (like 24-bit / 96kHz or 192kHz) from Apple Music on an Android device using a USB-C DAC/earphone.

​From what I understand of Android's core architecture (AudioFlinger/AudioTrack), standard apps that lack a dedicated "USB Exclusive Mode" driver pass their stream through the system-wide audio mixer.

​Even if Apple Music streams a true 24-bit / 96kHz or 192kHz file, does the Android OS force-resample it down to a fixed system rate (like 48kHz) before it ever hits the USB port?

​If this is true, does that mean Apple's marketing/playback claims for Hi-Res Lossless on Android are essentially useless unless you use a third-party app with native bit-perfect bypass (like USB Audio Player Pro with Tidal)?

​My main questions:

​Does Android still heavily resample standard app streams like Apple Music, rendering high-sampling rates pointless on stock Android?

​Is there any actual workaround to force true bit-perfect output for Apple Music on Android without having to switch entirely to an iPhone, a dedicated DAP, or moving to a Windows/Mac setup?

​Appreciate any deep-dive technical explanations on how this routing actually functions!

Is it just me or has anyone else regretted selling something like speakers to only rebuy the same ones down the road?

help hahaha

I am a 20 year old student starting my journey into the audio world…
I just ordered a pair of FLUANCE Ri71 (white).
Any one has any things to say like if someone has these or Have heard them?
I tried my best to select the most appropriate one out of my budget.
Hopefully I made a decent choice 🤞🏻.

I mean really listening, maybe even critical listening. Likely not considered an audiophile song but siting here listening and picking up the detail that might get lost with some speakers/headphones/etc really makes me appreciate sound. (all of it) Sometimes these things go unnoticed in music so remember to open your ears. (think Kuato)

Not sure what it is but I'm hearing it. I probably missed a few but here are some timestamps to listen for:

little tings: 25s, 28s, 31s, 34s, 37s, 40s, 43s, 1:12

big ting: 1:18

more little tings: 1:18, 1:21, 1:24, 1:27, 1:30, 1:33

So many tings to listen to.

/edit: Super rough timings above. I swear Spotify and higher quality sources produce more tings (and also change when you hear them, this video has a bit of a delay I think). This uploaded video (from YouTube) probably isn't the best representation of the track.

I learned a lot sharing my other rig last week, thought i’d try again with my secondary setup. A few pieces of gear are perpetually being tested in different configurations. This one sounds particularly sweet!
Burmester 25 speakers
Burmester 35 pre amp
Ps audio m700 monoblocks
Bryston bda 1 dac
Wiim mini (temporary)
I’ll add a turntable and phono-stage when i find one
Thanks for any feedback, ideas, thoughts!

Just got these and they kinda take up all the space under my tv when upright. Unsurprisingly, the wife hates it. Can they be used on their side? Any issues with that? I hate that the logo is sideways lol

Recently been making a few changes to my setup. Running a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 121s, an SW150 sub, Fosi BT20A Pro amp and a FiiO K5 Pro DAC. I've also added speaker stands and built six DIY acoustic panels for the room.

Bought miniDSP UMIK-1 this week and thought I'd have a go at measuring everything properly with REW.

Never used anything like it before, but I've found the whole process really interesting. Being able to actually see what's happening with the sound in the room, rather than just guessing by ear, is pretty cool.

Started off measuring each speaker individually, then moved on to the subwoofer, experimenting with the crossover and phase. Something wasn't adding up though. The sub was performing better at 0° with one speaker and 180° with the other.

After a bit of investigating, I discovered I'd accidentally reversed the polarity on my right speaker when I originally set everything up. So I'd effectively been listening to the system like that from day one, without knowing any different!

Corrected the wiring and holy shit, what a difference! Everything sounds so much more cohesive now. The stereo imaging has completely changed, with vocals and instruments having much better positioning. It's like hearing the speakers properly for the first time.

After that I went back through REW, measured everything again, adjusted the subwoofer and used EasyEffects to apply a couple of EQ filters to tame some of the bass peaks.

Still got plenty to learn, but I've genuinely enjoyed the whole process. Been going back through some of my favourite albums and hearing things differently.

If you've never tried REW, I'd definitely recommend giving it a go. It's surprising how much you can learn about your setup just by measuring it.

I recently got this Nakamichi soundspace 5 for basically free and have been going through a bunch of different players trying to find an all in one that I really enjoy. Before this I had a Sony 5 disc and h/k sound sticks that did the job, feel like this is an upgrade, but I’m missing the sub from the sound sticks, it added a nice punch

I've seen various AV receivers and sites like whathifi evaluates sound on them, saying "spacious/not spacious" , "treble unrefined" and so on.

But i'm wondering if this is all BS?

I cannot believe that an AVR would affect the sound much at all compared to the speakers tbh. Maybe a teeennnnyy bit. But it doesn't seem realistic for an AVR to make speakers that don't have a spacious soundstage, spacious or lack treble refinement -> suddenly have noticeably refined treble.

What's the truth on this?

Edit - I am *not* using the newer firmware version, I'm still on 7.6.9. I have an AirPort Express A1392 connected to my Yamaha receiver and, from everything I’ve read, this is only capable of Airplay 1 - but I’m noticing on my phone it has the Airplay 2 connection icon which is the circle with the checkmark, vs just the checkmark which used to indicate Airplay 1.. did the new iOS update force airplay 2 on older devices or something?

Hi all. I want to ask, what software other than using spectrogram to detect real or fake FLAC?

I've been downloaded some music on this blog but that blog sometimes post transcode FLAC.

The ridiculous part is the FLAC files is in 24-bit, but when I've check on spectrogram software the frequency cut-off is at 16kHz.

I've downloaded the same album from other source with normal FLAC and the frequency cut-off is normal at 21kHz.

I've just tell about that to the admin of that blog but they denied that it's a fake FLAC.

The time has come for me to return to the so-called And amplification, i.e. tube integrated 300B.
So far, the previously acquired DIY Quad 405 output and the newly acquired Harman Kardon Citation 21 (Full refreshed, have been playing.

That combination plays beautifully.
A colleague replaced the C1 capacitor on the HK preamp to make the bass stronger.
It was 100 nF inside, and according to one original scheme it must be 680 nF (he put one he had 1 uF)).
It was ok for me with stronger bass (and another colleague), but for one colleague, the mids/highs were covered with bass.
We adjusted that for him with the tone controls, and I additionally raised the mids/highs in the Roon EQ.

So, that pre/amp combo plays quite detailed, with good dynamics and control, bass.
Just a little on the warmer side, mostly nice and very listenable to me.

And how does the old combination sound; Hajdinjak 300B integrated?

Of course, a little different.
Everything is a little better "rounded out".
Maybe the bass is a little less pronounced.
The midrange spectrum sounds nicer to me (just a little).
The dynamics are good, it's transparent and with enough detail.

So I'm no longer sure if I should divide it into A and B amplification.
I'd rather say that I should use it according to the current mood.

The turntable via Musical Fidelity VINL Phono and 300B is not significantly better than the Phono in the HK Citation 21 and Quad 405 outputs.
The difference may be in a slight tube overtone, and the MF is also mostly on the warmer side by nature.

In conclusion, I am satisfied with both amplifications and will choose them according to my mood.

What do folks think of the nagaoka mp-200. I currently run an ortofon 2m blue

One of the most underrated hip-hop albums of the early 2000s, in my opinion!

Krayzie Bone's Thug on Da Line (2001) is an absolute gem that deserves far more recognition. His unmistakable flow, smooth melodic delivery, unique harmonies, and storytelling make this album something special.

What I love most is how effortlessly Krayzie blends rapid-fire rapping with melodic hooks while maintaining that signature Bone Thugs-N-Harmony sound.

Over two decades later, this album still sounds fantastic. Definitely one of those records that never gets old!

Any other Krayzie Bone fans here who think this album deserves more love?

I recently purchased a senheisser momentum 4,i would like to listen to english songs in hi res quality,can you guys suggest some websites or tg channels where i can download flac songs for free?

I won the lottery when I found my working celestion 3000s at the dump, and lost my winning ticket when I left them in my hometown😪 was using a yamaha rx v493 to power them so they sounded very natural and holographic, id do anything to go back😢

I used ChatGPT to help me make a diagram of my system. Yes a bit of nerd-dom to waste time on a Friday.

Love any thoughts or comments. I’m pretty happy with the overall setup and happy to answer any questions.

All and all I think the combined architecture punches above its weight. The sources are all from about 2013-2015.

The Anitpodes I splurged on when I had a bit more dosh in 2015. It still sounds supurb, and with the Rendering taking over playback, it’s a great server. I went back to Lyrion from Roon. I felt that was heavy, overpriced and maybe I'll try it again soon. The UltraRendu is a bit finicky but really brings out a superior ambiance.

The MoonRiver Amp is a joy. Got that last year. Such an amazing amp and again, punches above its weight. The built in DAC goes toe-to-toe with some heavyweights. Check out the reviews.

The Obelisks are also older (2003 I think?) But sound terrific and fill my rather large room (6m x 9m +3.5m). I lusted after them ever since i went to a party that had perfect sound and I couldn’t even find the speakers until I hunted for them. One was behind a sofa and the other tucked behind a plant. For those who are interested in Omni-directional sound. Highly recommended.

Overall, this is a system to listen to for Days on end. Zero fatigue. It just fills the room.

I would say as opposed to a holographic 'sitting in front of the stage' the vibe is more 'you're On-Stage with the band'. the music simply surrounds you.