Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2022 i Stereophile

Hi-Fi 101 I first heard about the project in an email, one of the dozens I receive each day and barely glance at. It said that the editor of a German hi-fi publication was crossing the ocean to talk about hi-fi audio to students and their parents at a junior/senior high school in Westchester County, New York, just 45 minutes or so by car from my Manhattan apartment. Interesting. And odd. I moved on to the next email. I might have ignored it completely if not for Keith Pray, Stereophile’s general manager. Keith lives in Westchester County, not far from the school in question, and has kids in a neighboring school. I forwarded the email. Keith loved the idea. I was too busy to get involved in any meaningful way,…

I used DRA Labs’ MLSSA system, a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone, and an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the Triangle Antal 40th’s behavior in the farfield. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 microphone for the nearfield responses. This mike has a ¼ "-diameter tip, so it will not obstruct the radiation from the driver diaphragms or port. The Antal 40th’s anechoic sensitivity is specified as a high 92dB/W/m. My B-weighted estimate was 3dB lower, at 89dB(B)/2.83V/m, though this is still higher than average. Triangle specifies the Antal 40th’s impedance as 8 ohms, with a minimum magnitude of 3 ohms. Using Dayton Audio’s DATS V2 system, I measured an impedance magnitude (fig.1, solid trace) that reached a minimum value of 2.5 ohms at 132Hz. Compounding the need for current from the partnering…

I measured the dCS Rossini Apex with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system,1 repeating some measurements with the higher-performance APx500. I performed the testing with the serial data and USB inputs then repeated some of them with JVS’s preferred Network input, using Roon. The AES3 and coaxial S/PDIF inputs accepted data sampled at all rates up to 192kHz. TosLink was restricted to 96kHz data. I didn’t test the Rossini’s dual-AES3 input, but as with earlier dCS processors, it will accept data sampled at rates up to 384kHz. Apple’s AudioMIDI utility revealed that the dCS Rossini Apex accepted 16- and 24-bit integer data via USB sampled at all rates from 44.1kHz to 384kHz. Apple’s USB Prober app identified the Rossini Apex as “dCS Rossini DAC USB class 2” from “Data Conversion Systems…

I measured the Bel Canto e1X DAC with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system.1 Looking first at the digital inputs, the AES3 and coaxial S/PDIF inputs accepted data sampled at all rates up to 192kHz; TosLink was restricted to 96kHz data. Apple’s AudioMIDI utility revealed that the e1X accepted 24-bit integer data via USB sampled at all rates from 44.1kHz to 192kHz. (The print manual says 384kHz.) Apple’s USB Prober app identified the Bel Canto as “Bel Canto Hi-Res 2” from “Bel Canto” and the USB port operated in the optimal isochronous asynchronous mode. The Bel Canto’s analog outputs preserved absolute polarity (ie, were non-inverting) from all the digital inputs. The maximum output from the e1X’s balanced analog outputs, with full-scale 1kHz data and the volume control set to its maximum…

Analog sources Linn Audio Sondek LP12 turntable with SME M2-9 tonearm and AudioTechnica AT-VM95E cartridge; Dr.Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable with Thomas Schick 10.5” tonearm, My Sonic Lab Ultra Eminent Ex moving coil cartridge. Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum MC cartridge with Koetsu SUT. Denon DL-103 with Auditorium 23 SUT. Denon DL-103, Ortofon 2M Black, Grado Prestige 78E mono phono cartridges. Preamplifier HoloAudio Serene line-level preamplifier; Tavish Design Adagio, Kitsuné LCR-1 MK5 phono preamplifiers. Power amplifiers Parasound Halo A 21+. Loudspeakers Falcon Acoustics “Gold Badge” LS3/5a. Cables Interconnect: Auditorium 23, AudioQuest Thunderbird, Black Cat Coppertone, Cardas Clear Beyond. Speaker: Cardas Clear Beyond. AC: AudioQuest Tornado, manufacturer’s own. Accessories AudioQuest Niagara 1000 power conditioner; Harmonic Resolution Systems M3X-1719-AMG GR LF isolation platform (under A 21+ amplifier); Kuzma Platis 65 isolation platform (under Feickert…

Analog sources Thorens TD 124 turntable with Jelco TS 350 S 9" Tonearm and Ortofon SPU Classic moving coil cartridge; Kuzma Stabi R and 4Point tonearm with Luxman LMC-5 MC cartridge. Digital sources HoloAudio May DAC augmented with Sonore opticalRendu, Roon Nucleus+, Small Green Computer power supply, TRENDnet switch, streaming Roon/Tidal/Qobuz via Apple iPad Mini. Preamplification JE Sugden Masterclass LA-4, Shindo Allegro; Luxman EQ-500, Tavish Audio Design Adagio, Sutherland Little Loco phono preamplifiers. Power amplifiers Pass Labs XA-25, Shindo Haut Brion. Loudspeakers DeVore Fidelity O/96. Cables Interconnect: Analysis Plus Silver Apex, Shindo (RCA). Speaker Analysis Plus Silver Apex. Accessories IsoTek V5 Aquarius and V5 Titan line conditioners (in for review), Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU and Audiodesksysteme Gläss Vinyl Cleaner Pro record cleaning machines, Salamander five-tier rack (2); IKEA Aptitlig bamboo chopping…

Digital sources 16” MacBook Pro M1 Max running Roon 1.8 as remote. Roon ROCK (Lenovo ThinkCentre). Naim Uniti Atom, controlled with iPad Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Bluesound Node 2i streamer, WiiM Mini streamer. Benchmark DAC3 B, RME ADI-2 DAC FS, Auralic Vega. Preamplifiers Benchmark HPA4, Topping Pre90. Power amplifiers Krell FPB 200c (recapped 2020), PrimaLuna EVO 400 integrated, Schiit Ragnarok, McIntosh HPA-100, Peachtree Nova 1500, NAD C 700. Loudspeakers Tekton Moab, MartinLogan Odyssey, Monitor Audio Bronze 100, LSA Signature 50. Subwoofers: Hsu VTF-2 MK5, Canton 12.3. Headphones Audeze LCD-4, HiFiMan HE1000se, Focal Clear. Cables AudioQuest, Amazon, Blue Jeans, Monoprice, Tara Labs. Accessories Core Power Technologies Equi=Core 1800 MkII and Deep-Core 1800 power conditioners on a dedicated 20-amp circuit. Townshend Seismic Isolation Podiums for speakers and power amplifiers. Listening…

The reintroduction of Candid Records As an aspiring teenage illustrator, I was fascinated by the work of outlaw cartoonist Robert Crumb. His beautifully drawn images offered escape from the redneck southern city where I grew up. I was especially enchanted by Crumb’s caricatures of blues and jazz musicians, which were assembled in his “Heroes of the Blues” and “Early Jazz Greats” trading-card collections. Crumb is an avid record collector. I envision him as a purist and completist who would’ve jumped at the original releases of short-lived label Candid Records, which was founded in New York City in 1960 with Nat Hentoff in charge of A&R. Today, original Candid LPs may not be as rare as Crumb’s first-edition art for “Fritz the Cat,” which sold at auction in 2017 for $717,000,…

Get rid of the ego, keep the fun and the music Attracting new customers is essential for brick-and-mortar dealerships’ long-term survival. Over the last several years, many b&m dealerships have continued to expand into home automation and custom installation. Home theater is also undergoing a resurgence. These services can support—and complement—two-channel audio-equipment sales. Such was the case at Pittsburgh’s new dealership, Stereo Stereo, which I wrote about in September’s Re-Tales column. The recently opened CasaHiFi in Miami’s affluent Coconut Grove area is another example. Both stores have diversified their offerings to these other market segments. And both aim to deliver memorable experiences—something customers can’t get when they buy online—and to make the at-home hi-fi experience accessible to a wider range of people. In a prior Re-Tales,1 I wrote about Focal-Naim’s…

Every product listed here has been reviewed in Stereophile. Everything on the list, regardless of rating, is genuinely recommendable. Within each category, products are listed by class; within each class, they’re in alphabetical order, followed by their price, a review synopsis, and a note indicating the issues in which the review, and any subsequent follow-up reports, appeared. “Vol.45 No.6” indicates our June 2022 issue, for example. “WWW” means the review is also posted online. Stereophile’s Recommended Components list is concerned mainly with products available in the US through hi-fi retail outlets. Companies that sell only through dealers must have well-established dealer networks. Products sold online also qualify, but companies that sell only online must demonstrate the capacity for satisfactory customer support, preferably here in the US. A no-risk at-home audition…

Analog sources Rega P5 turntable with RB700 tonearm and Audio MusiKraft Denon DL-103 cartridge. Digital sources Simaudio Moon 260D CD transport, Cambridge Audio EVO 150 all-in-one player (used as DAC). Preamplification Sonic Frontiers SFP-1 Signature phono preamp. Integrated amplifier Grandinote Shinai. Loudspeakers Focal Aria K2 936. Cables Digital: BIS Audio Maestro (RCA S/PDIF). Interconnect: Moon Audio Silver Dragon (RCA). Speaker: Audience Studio One. Power: Shunyata Research Black Mamba CX, LessLoss DFPC. Accessories Shunyata Research Venom PS8 power conditioner; a component rack and wood plinth stand (under turntable) whose brand names are lost to time.…

Digital sources dCS Rossini DAC 2.0, Clock and Transport; EMM Labs DV2 Integrated DAC; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS, Uptone Audio EtherRegen with AfterDark Giesemann Emperor Double Crown Master Clock, Small Green Computer Sonore Deluxe opticalModule, Linksys mesh router and Arris modem, all powered by HDPlex 300 linear power supplies; Roon Nucleus+ music server and Nordost QNET Ethernet Switch, both powered by Nordost QSource linear power supply; Apple 2017 iPad Pro and 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with 2.8GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM. Preamplifier Dan D’Agostino Momentum HD. Power amplifiers Dan D’Agostino Progression M550 monoblocks. Loudspeakers Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2 with Acoustic Diode supports. Cables Digital: Nordost Odin 1, Odin 2, and Valhalla 2 (USB and Ethernet); Frey 2 (USB adapter); Wireworld Platinum Starlight Cat8 (Ethernet), OM1 62.5/125 multimode duplex…

Digital sources Roon Nucleus+ file server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; MBL N31 CD player/DAC; Netgear Nighthawk router. Power amplifiers Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks. Loudspeakers Audiovector QR 7. Headphones Audeze LCD-X. Cables Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), AudioQuest Coffee (USB), DH Labs (1m, AES3). Interconnect: AudioQuest Wild Blue (balanced). Headphones: Nordost Heimdall. Speaker: AudioQuest Robin Hood. AC: AudioQuest Dragon Source & High Current, manufacturers’ own. Accessories Target TT-5 equipment racks, Ayre Acoustics Myrtle Blocks; ASC Tube Traps, RPG Abffusor panels; Audio-Quest Niagara 5000 Low-Z Power/Noise-Dissipation System (amplifiers) and AudioQuest Niagara 1000 Low-Z Power/Noise-Dissipation System (source components). AudioQuest Fog Lifters cable supports. AC power comes from two dedicated 20A circuits, each just 6' from breaker box. Room 20' (left side), 25' (right side) × 16' × 8'.…

LOUDSPEAKER Founded in 1926 by Guy R. Fountain in London as the Tulsemere Manufacturing Company, Tannoy—a portmanteau1 of “tantalum” and “alloy,” after a tantalum-lead alloy used in rectifiers—took on its current commercial identity in 1928. Through the war years and beyond, the company specialized in public-address (PA) systems. Indeed, today, “tannoy” is a widely recognized generic term for a PA system in the UK; there’s an entry for “tannoy” in the Oxford English Dictionary. Tannoy was 20 years old when the company introduced, in 1947, its Dual Concentric drive unit, the basis of much of the company’s subsequent commercial success, at home and in studios. By the ’70s, Tannoy was one of the world’s bestknown manufacturers of studio monitors. In the 1990s, Tannoy expanded its reach into commercial and home…

The music problem I remember the exact moment I became an audiophile. It was 1954. I was 12 years old. My father’s friend, Mitch Rose, wanted to buy a “hi-fi set,” which was what they called them in those days. Mitch asked my father to go with him to help pick one out. My father asked if I wanted to go along for the ride. I did, and we went to Emmons Audio in Studio City, California, for what turned out to be one of the formative moments of my life. When we got there, Dick Emmons, the proprietor, showed us around, asked Mitch some questions about his musical preferences and budget, and then started his demo, including a recording of someone—probably George Wright or E. Power Biggs—performing on a…

I used DRA Labs’ MLSSA system, a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone, and an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the Tannoy Stirling Prestige Gold Reference’s frequency response in the farfield. I used an Earthworks QTC40 mike for the nearfield responses and Dayton Audio’s DATS V2 system to measure the impedance magnitude and electrical phase angle. The Stirling’s anechoic sensitivity is specified as a high 91dB/2.83V/m. My B-weighted estimate was even higher, at 93.8dB(B)/2.83V/m. Tannoy specifies the Stirling’s impedance as 8 ohms, with a minimum magnitude of 5 ohms. My impedance measurement (fig.1, solid trace) varied between 5 ohms and 8 ohms over most of the audioband, with a minimum value of 3.8 ohms in the top audio octave. The peak at 2.4kHz in the magnitude trace is due to the crossover…

I performed the measurements of the LSA VT-70 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system.1 Although potentiometers on the top panel allow the bias currents for the output tubes to be adjusted, I understand that these currents are set by the manufacturer before the amplifier leaves the factory. Nevertheless, before I started the testing, I checked the tube bias with the front-panel meters after a 30-minute warm-up; with no signal and the volume control set to its minimum, the bias was very close to an indicated “100” for each tube. The LSA VT-70 preserved absolute polarity, ie, was noninverting, from both of its output transformer taps, from the headphone output, and from the preamplifier output. The maximum voltage gain at 1kHz from the loudspeaker outputs into 8 ohms was 37.4dB from…