Recommended Components, 2013

Our first list of recommended components.

Alon Wolf with one Magico Q7 Loudspeaker (Right)
Contender for Class A Recommended

Class A

We haven't seen better, but we would like. It's the striving for perfection, incarnate. Class A components stand for and represent the ideal in audio and product manufacture.

Devialet Amplifiers (240/500, $17,500/each) - stunning, streaming and showing essence.Can be used individually, or use up to eight (8) together in a custom system. Complex and elegant.

Focal Grand Utopia III Loudspeaker ($180,000+/pair) - forget another Ferarri in your stable, if we may be sold bold, and try High Fidelity (EM). Genuine loudspeaker. Solid.

Stax 009 Headphones ($5400+) - requires a companion amplifier, specialized. The best solution. ($2000-$10,000/amp).

Also good are other loudspeakers and amplifiers. The Magico Q7 and the MBL 101 Extreme come to mind. We recommend only those solutions that we believe provide a complete experience at the first class level at Hi Fi Art.

Magico S5 (Cutaway) Loudspeaker
Mid-Level, Class B-
Recommened TBD

Class B

Literally knocking on audio's door. A class B system is rather tempting to get, even if there are better sounding products. As a luxury, class B stands for both manufacturing tradition and audio's striving for the exceptional. A compromise. The price is right, and the product, excellent.


Class B-

Audeze LCD-3 Headphones ($1999) - for roughly the price of another Maybach Eyewear or so, you will get yourself near-audiophile performance in a headphone with stunning looks and quality.

Partner a MacBook Air, and a Dragonfly or Fireflies by WOO Audio.

Sennheiser HD 800 Headphones / Sennheiser HDVD 800 DAC / amplifier balanced system. ($4000+ system) - also very good sound. Fantastic imaging.

Class C+

Stax SR-007 Headphones / Stax SRM-007t Amplifier, Headphones ($5150/system).

Delicate, detailed lovely sound. Lacks volume and realistic dynamic replay, however. Enveloping micro-detail and air stimulate fully.

Class C

A class C component will be acceptable and better than the vast majority of products. We wouldn't recommend it if we did not think it was special, and had a definite purpose and value. Incomplete, however.

Revel Studio 2 Loudspeaker ($16,000 / pair) - add 1000W of "Class D" amplification, and you will get a pop quality monitor. Low, controlled bass and genuine full-range impact with Anthem's Statement M1 ($7000 / pair).

Class D+

Audioquest Dragonfly Headphone Amplifier ($250)

Class D

You'll want more than a class D component or system, but you won't need it - musical enjoyment and genuine usability combine to make up this configuration.

Apple iPad with Retina Display, Apple iPod touch, Apple iPhone 5 ($499-$929) - Standard.

Totem Element Earth Loudspeaker ($7999/pair) - the Rolex Submariner model of audio? Delightful.

Class E

First on our list, the Class E shows promise and provides exceptional value for tentative adopters. The prices are generally lower than is the rule, and the corresponding value is rather high, all-round.

The sound quality may be thus bettered..

AKG K550 Headphones ($299) - ergonomics par excellence. Affordable backup or all-rounder.

B&O Beoplay A9 ($2700) - Get something of that B&O elegance. Unseen, the sound of the Beoplay A9 was twice mistaken for it's B&O Beolab A5 loudspeaker ($22,500/pair) sibling. Good bang!
Sonus Faber Venere.


Class G - Advisory

Beolit 12 by B&O (Bang and Olufson)

We propose a class G price level for components that would offer good value at less than $2000.00 USD. This is less Hi Fi oriented today, yet still more than only fun. TBD.

B&O Beolit 12 ($799) - lucky lunchbox elegance in monophonic boom-box para-metrics.

Sennheiser IE 800 ($999) - borderline audiophile sound (major detail and replay).

Partner with iPhone 5.

2013/08/11 JP
www.hifiart.ca