Articles, Reviews and Measurements of Audio Products

The Genelec 1031A is a classic model, still frequently seen in professional studios.

Frequency Response


The speaker has a broad and subtle V-shaped sound character around the mid-range, dipping by about 1-2dB. In some cases, the high frequencies might feel slightly bright. The low-end limit is around 38.3Hz at -6dB, with a slope of -46dB/oct. Overall, it impresses with its very smooth frequency response.

Nearfield Measurements



Directivity



Compared to some of the best modern products, the 1031A's control of directivity around the crossover region is a bit lacking, yet it still boasts overall smooth directivity. Notably, around 15-16kHz, the speaker impressively compensates for the dip in the front with off-axis response. It's unclear if this is an intentional design aspect of...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the discontinued Neil Young PONO "high resolution" player. It is on kind loan from a member. Online prices today range from US $400 to $600 and more!

The player comes in an attractive wooden box with nice accessories such as a pouch to hold the triangular shape of this player. The LCD display is grainy. I did not like that it would time out to just a bland bar of what is playing instead of staying on "now playing" screen. To get that you need to press the "O" button again and then you see your controls to skip and such.

Music transfer was easy using USB connection.

In case you are not familiar with this player, Neil Young started to rant about poor quality of compressed music online and took out his music of the services of that era. And then partnered with Ayre to introduce this player and music service to go with. The key selling...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the SoundArtist clone of BBC LS3/5A 2-way speaker/monitor. It is on kind loan from a member. Sample is in Walnut and he paid $630 for it:

Fit and finish is quite good with no blemishes that I could see. Nice modern terminals are provided in the back:

I got a kick out of that "CE" mark. What exactly did they test?

For those of you who are not familiar with the "LS3/5A" these were monitor speakers designed by BBC in 1960s. Their reputation has spun multiple companies to keep producing them. Some are licensed. This Chinese version is not.

SoundArist LS3/5A Speaker Measurement
As usual we start with our anechoic frequency response measurements:
[ATTACH type="full" alt="SoundArtist LS3 5A BBC Speaker Monitor Clone Frequency...

This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of the JDS Labs Atom Amp 2 headphone amplifier. It was sent to me by the company and costs US $129.

The solid metal case makes an instant impression, erasing memories of the plastic case of the previous generation. A white LED surrounds the volume control giving it a nice touch. While 4.4 mm headphone output is provided, note that it is not "balanced" (differential). So it is for convenience, not more power. An input selector lets you choose between RCA and 3.5mm inputs:


Typical of other JDS products, it comes with the AC transformer which gets a bit warm.

JDS Atom Amp 2 Measurements
Let's feed the amp 2 volts and measure 2 volts out into 600 ohm load:
[ATTACH type="full" alt="JDS Labs Atmp Amp 2 Headphone...

This is a review, listening tests and detailed measurements of a vintage Rogers L3/5a monitor implementation licensed from BBC with the same name. It is on kind load from a member. New, it costs US $4895 a pair.

From the outside, there is nothing to distinguish this speaker from cheap bookshelves sold when it was manufactured. Back panel reveals no secrets either:


Owner kindly gave permission to leave the serial number on the picture for those of you who want to trace its lineage. Owner says it was manufactured between 1980 and 1987.

Searching for measurements, there are a few but are either old and crude, or have issues (e.g. stereophile measurements with incorrect bass response). So this test may be the first true measurement of this speaker.

Rogers LS3/5a Speaker Measurement
The grill...

Hello everyone. Someone suggested I do a video review of the AV123 / GR Research X-Voce center speaker so here it is:


I uploaded it last night and when I tried to make it visible today, youtube forced me to make it a "premier" which is made it into a live thing of sorts.

For above reason, you see the chat box/comments if you go to youtube: Video Link

This is a review, listening test and detailed measurements of the Fosi Audio SK-01 Headphone amp and preamplifier. It is was sent to me by the company and costs US $80.

You can quickly see what distinguishes the SK-01 from myriad of other headphone amps: inclusion of tone control and loudness! Such features were banished from hi-fi gear a few decades ago with the idea that an amplifier would be compromised with them. Never mind that you can and did have bypass switches.

The metal case is solid and rather heavy for its size due to inclusion of batteries. Power for charging is supplied through standard USB-C connector:

The Line out seems to just be connected to the headphone out but it is nice to have it in case you want to add tone...

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the AV123 hybrid open/closed baffle center speaker. It sold for $499 when the company was in business. GR Research seems to be selling the same speaker as a kit ($239 for pats, $250 for flat pack you assemble/finish).


No, I didn't just give the speaker a bath. The reason for the towel on top will become clear in the listening test section.

Speaker has unusual configuration. The outer woofers are in rather small sealed boxes. The center three drivers are open to the back, protected by a grill with some stuffing on top of the crossover located there:

[ATTACH type="full" alt="AV123 GR Research X-Voce hybrid center open baffle home theater speaker back view...

THE HI-FI SHOW IN AUSTRIA​

In Austria, hi-fi shows can look back on many years of tradition, which are now being continued by the FINEST AUDIO SHOW Vienna, organised by the makers behind the HIGH END show. The city of Vienna is located at the heart of Europe and can be easily accessed from its neighbouring countries. The event venue, the Austria Center Vienna, boasts a modern complex of buildings offering excellent conditions for excellent music demonstrations and high-quality technology presentations.

With the FINEST AUDIO SHOW, we are welcoming a new highlight to our portfolio of hi-fi shows designed to especially appeal to everyone who loves music and wants to listen to it in authentic quality within their own four walls. At our trade shows, leading exhibitors showcase everything that makes high-end music reproduction possible: be it intelligent streaming solutions, state-of-the-art turntables, traditional tube amplifiers, high-quality headphones or proven...

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Denon PMA-600NE integrated amplifier with Bluetooth support and DAC. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $499.

I like the look of the unit especially for the price. Somewhat dismayed though that the input selector is not lined up with the labels. Inclusion of tone and balance controls is a touch tough these days the latter being needed (see testing below). Back panel shows good capability including subwoofer out:

Yes, it harkens to the old days of captive AC cables so go ahead and cancel that order for $200 aftermarket cable. It even has IR control for automation.

Denon PMA-600NE DAC Measurements
Since there are pre-outs we can measure the performance of the internal DACs. I chose to use Source Direct to give it a chance to produce its best performance:



Shame we have high enough distortion that we...