THE REVIEWS
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THE MEZE POET - REVIEW
The Meze POET represents the second headphone of three Meze headphones being reviewed, in succession. It is the first open-back, planar, magnetic headphone in this trio of reviews. The first was the STRADA ($799), a dynamic, close-backed headphone, at about mid-tier pricing, which compared very favorably with other headphones, many of which were several times its price! The final review will be the Empyrean II.
REGA P10 - FOLLOWUP
This is an update of the Rega P10, which was initially reviewed by Andre Marc, a Senior Editor at audiokeyreviews.com. My update and comparison comes as both the Rega P8 and the Rega P10 were in-house… Suffice to say, in every conceivable way, the Rega P10 outperforms the P8, period. There is no wait-and-see moment and no extended observation necessary to immediately understand this truth.
REGA’S P8 TURNTABLE - REVIEW
In my research for a new turntable, I asked Andre Marc, a Senior Editor for AKRMedia (audiokeyreviews.com), for his opinion regarding a new turntable and he immediately suggested the Rega P8 or the P10, should I want to spend the additional monies. He mentioned their ease of setup and operation, as well as their low maintenance, care, and their required ‘feeding’. Being new again to vinyl these were very attractive points.
SILVERSMITH FIDELIUM SPEAKER CABLE - REVIEW
Silversmith Audio Group, based out of the great state of Wyoming, is slightly different from your average high-end audio manufacturer. They essentially have just two products: the very unique Fidelium speaker cables, and a high-end Digital-to-Analog Converter marketed under Dodson Audio.
THE MEZE STRADA - REVIEW
First, the STRADA unlike Meze’s planar headphones will need, at least, 50 hours and nearly 100 hours to sound their best. The initial listening session, prior to their burn-in, was very concerning. I initially thought I had happened upon a bad Meze headphone. Well, no I hadn’t. It is, however, crucial for a good, thorough burn-in before listening for pleasure and certainly before reviewing them.
AURORASOUND HFSA-01 INTEGRATED - REVIEW
The Aurorasound HFSA-01 ($4,290) is a compact, light weight, multi-functional integrated, which incorporates a Moving Magnet Phono Section and a 6.33mm Headphone amplifier. The HFSA-01 provides 14-watts via four EL84 tubes and it paired beautifully with the DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96. I’m told it also works well with marginally efficient speakers (90dB+).
ROTEL DX-3 - REVIEW
If a “personal” system is what you seek and $1.5k is around your target budget, then I’d recommend you try to audition the embellishment–free DX-3. It combines excellent value with a crowd and audiophile–pleasing voice that keeps the listener engaged in their songs. Rotel’s mantra is designing “…no–frills audio components that emphasized musical accuracy, superb build quality, and affordability.” I can’t agree more!