Articles, Reviews and Measurements of Audio Products

This speaker is from Buchardt, a manufacturer based in Denmark. Someone purchased their 10th anniversary model and sent it to me for measurement.

In Korea, there's no official distributor for this product, so to acquire it, one would have to contact the Danish headquarters for a direct purchase… With its quite unique and attractive design, let's now take a look at the data of this speaker!

Frequency Response



The frequency response of this speaker is quite flat. There is a shallow dip of about an octave wide around 1-2kHz, which could be perceived as part of the speaker's unique tonal character. However, what concerns me a bit already is the low-frequency bandwidth.

This speaker uses a 6.5-inch woofer in a sealed design.

It's likely possible to extend the bandwidth(Bass) to such an extent with just a single woofer unit without the aid of a passive radiator or port...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Marantz Cinema 40 9.4 channel AV Receiver (AVR). It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $3,500.

As is typical in this class, you get a very large box. At least the look is unique and to my liking. The port hole display while limiting fits in the style.

Back panel as usual has hundreds of connections:


While I liked the remote on Marantz AV 10 I reviewed recently, in this instance had rather sticking and hard to use 4-way arrow buttons. I updated the unit to latest firmware and performed a factory reset for testing.

Marantz Cinema 40 DAC Measurements
I set the pre-outs to be only that (not driving speakers) and tested the left front and right front channels using HDMI input:

Usually I don't see a...

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the 7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM. It was kindly donated to me by a member and costs US $24.99.

The cable is soft and longer than typical which I like. They take fair amount of effort to push it but then they make a reassuring soft click. The tips look cheap and are quite soft. You may need aftermarket ones. I tested and listened using the default red ones you see in the review picture.

Compared to 7Hz Zero IEM that I reviewed recently, these supposed to have a bit more bass and less treble. Let's measure to find out if that is the case.

7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM Measurements
Let's start with our standard measurement on GRAS 45CA measurement fixture. I was pleased that they fit instantly and generated the predicted results:

At...

So I keep running into companies who send me products with best intentions but miss key aspects that cause me to not recommend. And example is a very nice dongle I recently received that had balanced output but was limited to just 2 volts out. If you don't know, I like to see minimum of 4 volts out from such a port as otherwise, you can find unbalanced dongles at lower cost that do that.

Another example is channel balance issue with had with an AIYIMA amp where there was almost 1 dB differential.

Yet another is expected SINAD for an amplifier. Yes, we don't rate amps on that one number but if SINAD is say, 60 dB, the rest are going to follow.

In many cases decision makers are not knowledgeable in these companies so proudly show me the gear, only then realizing they could have built something better, but didn't.

Note that my focus here is for electronics only. And I am thinking about the fewest key criteria that passes the "acceptable" mark from me, and by implication, from...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Henry Engineering The Matchbox HD unbalanced to/from balanced active converter. It was kindly drop shipped to me by a member and costs US $250.

While stamped steel, the box is heavy and sturdy which fits the purpose. Trims are provided to adjust levels and internally there is a high-gain mode. Nice to see power supply built-in although the cord is darn thick and heavy for little power this box needs:


For testing I focused on RCA to XLR since many want to hook up amplifiers with unbalanced out to an amplifier with only balanced input.

EDIT: added the reverse conversion measurements as well.

The Matchbox HD Performance Measurement
I hooked up RCA out at 0.83 volts to get...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the NEOHIPO ET30 VU meter and 2 in, 2 out speaker selector. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $160 but is on sale for 20% less on Amazon.

Let me tell you: you are not a hifi nerd if your heart did not melt as mine did the moment I saw the gorgeous, large VU meters!!! What's more, they are lit via very uniform lighting RGB LEDs. Above is set to yellow-green but you can change them to almost any color with the middle knob. Each color was stunning in how intense and beautiful the shades were.

The good story doesn't end there. There is acceleration with damped return. You set the range for the VU meters with the left knob. The right knob programs how fast they act, from very slow on far left to quite nimble (for their size).

The case is made out of solid metal giving the unit a nice feel and...

This is a complementary review of Sound Devices MixPre-3 II digital audio recorder and mixer.



@amirm has done a first review (you may find it here), but it appears he measured the device in "Basic" mode only.
This mode has some strong limitations.
One of those being that the limiters (there are several layers of them) are always active.

I will now have a look at the Advanced mode.

I rented the device for the week-end (45€) to measure it.

Ergonomy

One thing you may not realize immediately when looking at a photo of the device is how tiny it actually is.
Look at it on top of the RME UCX II.
The UCX II is half 19" rack width.

The device itself feels solid and quite heavy for its size.
A rubber-like coating prevents it to slip from any surface...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Weiss DAC205. It was kindly sent to me and appears to be recently discontinued. Original price (I think) was around $2,600.

While the case looks pretty basic, it is fine with me. Sure, for that kind of money, you would want it to have an OLED display with every feature imaginable but you are not going to get that. Nor will you be able to connect using USB as the only inputs are Toslink and Coax. Back side shows the typical connections:

Again, for this price I expect to see built-in power supply but an external switcher is provided.

The two switches provide different levels of output although none are compliant with our standard as you see below in measurements.

Weiss DAC205 XLR Measurements
The closest I could get to 4 volt was 2.4 volts:


This is quite competent performance although very shy of state of the art...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Marantz Cinema 70s home theater Audio/Video Receiver (AVR). It was kindly drop shipped by a member and costs US $1,200.

The 70s sports the new industrial design of Marantz AV products which I very much like. It looks even more attractive in this slim package. The display is not very informative but I can see it fitting the style now better than it ever did. Back panel shows a simpler layout which again, I prefer:


Many of us want a compact setup to go with our flat panel TVs or alternatively serve as our main music and TV/video sound and this is all we need really.

I updated the 70s to latest firmware which took about 10 minutes but otherwise was effortless...

Measurement Conditions Explanation And Chart Interpretation Of Cuckoo Studio Review​

Welcome to Cuckoo Studio Review. I'm Anzol，this is a program dedicated to reviewing audio products from the perspective of a mixing engineer.
We've received the STAX SR-5 from Sandaimao. I'd like to thank him for his support of the channel.Let's take a look at how these headphones perform.



The STAX SR-5 was released in 1975, nearly half a century ago. Those familiar with the brand might know that the SR-1 was their inaugural model in 1960, and while the subsequent SR-2 and SR-3 had detail changes, They retained the vintage "big scissor" headband design. The most significant change in the SR-5, based on the SR-3, is here: the...