Recensioner

The RS Labs RS-A1 Tonearm
by Ian White, July 2001, Enjoythemusic.com
"The RS-A1 proved itself to be bolder, faster, cleaner,
larger, and more detailed sounding than either the SME V
or Wilson-Benesch ACT .5 and at a significantly lower price."

The Miyabi / 47-Labs MC Cartridge
by Rufus Smith, September 2001, Enjoythemusic.com
"It took the performance of my analog system up to a whole new level."

Everything You Know Is Wrong, or
I Was Fooled by Mainstream Audio Gurus
by Steven R. Rochlin, September 1999, Enjoythemusic.com
"When your soul is moved by such a great device as the Gaincard, you
lose all your own preconceived notions of a review and just allow the
words to flow onto the page. Maybe it is better this way. Less
thinking, more feeling... more music. Could life be any better?"

muRata's Amazing ES103 Super Tweeter
by Dick Olsher, October 2004, Enjoythemusic.com
"You must, I am sure, be wondering at this point about the utility of
pushing the response of a tweeter into the auditory range of dogs and
bats... Ironically, as I have aged and my own auditory system's
high-frequency extension has diminished, my appreciation of a super
tweeter's role in a speaker system has in fact increased... Once the
listener stops focusing on hearing a high-frequency effect, the true
nature of the Super-Tweeters is clearly evident. Music has the shimmer
of life, and everything sounds more intensely 'real'. In that sense,
the Super-Tweeters do not 'add' high frequencies. Whether the music
being reproduced is an aria or a symphony, the musical presence
is more substantial and compelling."

Ocellia Kedros (pdf)
Det nya nakna ljudet
av Mats Meyer-Lie, HiFi&Musik
"Högtalarbygge är en konst och konstigare än så här blir det inte.
En excentrisk koncentriker som ställer det mesta på sin spets... säg inte
att jag varnat dig, för blir du fast finns det ingen återvändo."

The Ocellia Celia Silver
by The French online sound and hi-fi magazine
"So what do they sound like? In a word: breathtaking. Your ears
search in vain for acoustic references by which to analyze the
sound. But all you can hear is music. Pure musicality. The timbres
are so natural it's difficult to find anything to comment on."

Ocellia Tilia
Acoustique et lutherie
by Alexandre Geoffroy, Haute Fidélité
"The Ocellia Tilias belong to that category of phenomena encountered
only rarely in the world of hi-fi criticism. They made us want to give
up this job and move on to more serious things, like listening to
music. Now we are waiting impatiently for retirement age (still another
thirty years to go) so we can devote ourselves entirely to this
passion, and with one certainty: that in thirty years the Ocellia
Tilias will still be perfectly up to date, and they will only have cost
us a thousand Francs a year! something to think about!"

Pass Labs X600 Mono Amplifiers
Power and Then Some
by Gregory Petan, Stereotimes
"Lightning quick, grain free and as transparent, or more so,
than anything I have heard, as well as musically satisfying,
the X600 is a truly great amplifier. At the very least, find
yourself a dedicated Pass dealer who has put forth the time and
effort to get the best out of Nelson Pass' great creation.
It could well be the last pair of amplifiers you will ever buy."

Pass Labs X2.5 Preamplifier
by Joe Lamano, Stereotimes
"It has a wonderful ability to define space within the soundstage
and render it with the subtlest details at any volume level,
without imposing restriction on detail or dynamic power."

Pass Labs X150 Stereo Amplifier
by Joe Lamano, Stereotimes
"Besides the holographic musical reproduction, the falling rain
in the background was crystal clear as if it were falling literally
outside my own window. But the X150 doesn't only require good
recordings. I was pleasantly surprised to notice that it is very
forgiving and open to all music genres. Old and new recordings
played with consistent characteristics. Obviously better recordings
will allow this amplifier to demonstrate its capabilities, but (and
I hate to use the cliché) this is one of those amplifiers that
allows you to hear things you have not heard before."

Pass Labs X350.5 Stereo Amplifier (pdf)
Test & Technik Super Stereo Endverstärker
by Stereoplay
"Der derzeit beste Stereo-Endverstärker."

Pass Labs XA160
by Michael Fremer, Stereophile
"The XA160 delivered a seductive combination of richness, solidity,
purity, and cohesiveness that I'd not heard before. It was possible
to relax into every genre of music at all times and not feel slighted.
I've experienced other, very different, mostly brighter and airier
presentations that also satisfied, but none has offered the
remarkable image weight and density offered by a pair XA160s...
The Pass Labs XA160 is an amplifier that's easy to love, easy to
listen to, and just as easy to recommend — if your equipment and
listening conditions qualify, and if you can afford it."

Boston Audio Design TuneBlocks
by Rick Becker, enjoythemusic.com
"Although it is not an inexpensive footer, it compares favorably with
the best I've heard in this category, while costing significantly less.
Its value, compared to the cost of upgrading a component, is
outstanding, and it should breathe renewed interest into this
underappreciated category. At a time when the cost of components
is rocketing skyward once again, the TuneBlocks allow you to keep
pace by improving the components you already own. They are not
only Fanfare for the Common Man, but high rollers, as well."

Boston Audio Design Mat 1 turntable mat
by Victor Chavira, Positive Feedback
"I found it to be a significant improvement..."

Croft Integrated
Minimalist master Croft breaks with tradition with a Valve/MOSFET hybrid
by Ken Kessler, HiFi News & Stereo Review, January 2004
"Showing no mercy, I dropped the Croft in place without paying any
concern to price or-as above-impedance. The source was the deliriously
expensive SME 30 turntable with SME Series V arm and Koetsu Urishi
cartridge, feeding the EAT 324 phono stage; while for CD I used the
Marantz CD-12/DA-12. In addition to the Wilson's, I also had a go at
the hungry Sonus Faber Guarneri and 100-ohm LS3/5A speakers. Wiring
throughout was from Transparent. Here's the crunch: the system ranged
in total cost between £35.000 and £50.000.
Croft charges £1250 for this GC-i integrated amplifier...
and it did not embarrass itself.
The amplifier has been taking on bigger, beefier competitors and
slaughtering them, a real David versus Goliath scenario."

Croft Twinstar Amplifier & Charisma II Preamplifier
by www.innerear.on.ca, #3 2003
"Imaging, focus, detail, rhythm and time/space elements combined
with attributes of superb design make the Charisma II a high-end
contender quite compatible with amplifiers of different makes.
Croft’s Twinstar amps perform beyond expectations and far above
the run of the mill amplifiers currently available."

Croft Series VC amplifier and Vitale SC preamplifier
CROFT Pre-Amp and Power Amp or sound paradise
by Fernando Andrette, AudioVideo Italy March 2002
"The power of seduction of this system was so great that I had no
desire to try out any other combinations. I call it Sound Paradise."