Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2018 i Stereophile

The 2018 audio show season is about to start and it’s not just Stereophile’s coverage of high-end audio shows—which has taken a leap forward with the inclusion of Jana Dagdagan’s binaural videos1—that’s changing. The shows themselves are on the move. Take the free Montréal Audio Fest (March 23–25, Hotel Bonaventure Montréal, Quebec). Exhibitors are invited to present systems for under $5000 in addition to their preferred systems, and, in an attempt to attract visitors aged 18–35, are encouraged to play music from video-game soundtracks. In addition, musicians will perform live some of the most popular of these soundtracks. A major change comes to the Audio Expo North America (April 13–15), whose Chicago location shifts from the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont to the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel. While this may…

ATTENTION ALL AUDIO SOCIETIES: We have a page on the Stereophile website dedicated solely to you: www.stereophile.com/audiophile-societies. If you’d like to have your audio-society information posted on the site, e-mail Chris Vogel at info@XLinkAudio.com. Please note that it is inappropriate for a retailer to promote a new product line in “Calendar” unless this is associated with a seminar or similar event. CALIFORNIA ❚ Sunday, February 18, 2–5pm: The Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society will hold its monthly meeting at Scott Walker Audio, in Anaheim (1215 Tustin Avenue). Scott Walker and his team will host “The Best in High End Audio—from Affordable to Outrageous,” showcasing a wide range of speakers from MartinLogan; electronics from Constellation, Devialet, McIntosh, Rogue Audio, and VAC; MQA from Aurender, Berkeley Audio Design, and Mytek…

In her wild ride of a memoir, A Woman Like Me (2012), eclectic soul and R&B singer Bettye LaVette spoke of being hung over a 20th-floor balcony of a Manhattan skyscraper by her pimp boyfriend. She revealed that she’d slept with Ben E. King and Otis Redding, and had even spent a minute dabbling in prostitution. She had dropped acid with George Clinton. Finally, she had her moment of satisfaction when she delivered a knockout performance of the Who’s “Love, Reign O’er Me” at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors. In the audience, all agog, were Beyoncé, Barbra Streisand, and Aretha Franklin. An incorrigible talker and teller of unvarnished truths, LaVette, at 71, has earned the kind of respect among fans that comes only to scarred, lusty survivors. Speaking in her…

Description Remote-controlled, network-connected media player, tuner, streamer, D/A processor, integrated amplifier. Access to Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal, Bluetooth aptX HD, vTuner Internet radio, UPnP, WiFi. Onboard memory: 512MB RAM, 8GB eMMC flash, 50MB RAM (for audio input buffering). Compatible file types: WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, MP3, AAC, OGG (16/48), WMA (16/48), DSD64 & 128). Analog inputs: 2 RCA, 2 DIN. Digital inputs: 2 optical TosLink (24-bit/96kHz), 2 coax RCA (24/192); 1 BNC (24/192k), HDMI ARC, 2 RCA, 2 USB Type A (front/rear), SDcard. Analog outputs: 1 pair unbalanced (RCA), 1 DIN, 3.5mm headphone output, 2 pairs 4mm sockets for loudspeakers. Power output: 80Wpc into 8 ohm (19dBW), 155Wpc into 4 ohms (18.9dBW). Frequency response: –1.5dB at 20kHz from S/PDIF to speaker. Signal/noise: 96dBA ref. 80W (analog volume…

Description Solid-state line-level preamplifier. Inputs: 4 balanced (XLR), 2 single-ended (RCA). Outputs: 2 balanced (XLR), 1 single-ended (RCA), 1 tape out (XLR, line-level). Frequency range: DC–250kHz. Maximum input level: 8V RMS (single-ended inputs), 16V RMS (balanced inputs). Input impedance: 1M ohm (single-ended inputs), 2M ohm (balanced inputs). Dimensions 17.25" (440mm) W by 13.25" (340mm) H by 3.75" (100mm) D. Weight: 23 lbs (10.5kg). Finishes Silver, Black. Serial number of unit reviewed 24B0113C. Price $9950. Approximate number of dealers: 40. Warranty: 5 years. Manufacturer Ayre Acoustics, Inc., 2300-B Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: (303) 442-7300. Web: www.ayre.com.…

I got an e-mail last summer from my colleague Tyll Hertsens, editor of our InnerFidelity website. “Recently reviewed and really liked the new MrSpeakers Æon,” he wrote. “They’re a little rough-sounding as sealed headphones tend to be, but the tonal balance is superb. I got three in for review to make sure they’re consistent. After measurements I asked [MrSpeakers’] Dan Clark if I could forward them to you because I like them so much and thought you should hear them.… I really think you may enjoy them.” I’ve never been a fan of close-backed cans, although I used to use a pair of Sony MDR-7506es for monitoring on-location recording sessions, for the isolation they provided from ambient noise. I’d bought the Sonys in 1994 on a recommendation from the late…

Description Two-way, bass reflex, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: a single Uni-Q coincident driver array comprising a 1" (25mm) vented aluminum-dome tweeter and 6.5" (165mm) aluminum-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 2.5kHz with first-order slopes. Frequency response: 63Hz–28kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 3.7 ohms minimum. Dimensions 14.1" (358mm) H by 8.3" (210mm) W by 12.1" (306mm) D. Weight 16.75 lbs (7.6kg). Finishes White with silver drivers, black with black drivers. Serial numbers of units reviewed 391113, 391114. Price $649.99/pair; grilles add $39.98/pair. Approximate number of dealers: “Amazon, Best Buy Magnolia, KEFDirect, and participating local KEF dealers.” Warranty: 5 years. Manufacturer KEF, GP Acoustics (UK) Ltd., Ecceleston Road, Tovil, Maidstone, Kent ME15 6QP, England, UK. US distributor: GP Acoustics (US) Inc., 10 Timber Lane, Marlboro, NJ 07746. Tel: (732) 683-2356. Fax: (732)…

It seems to me that my review of Monitor Audio’s Silver 8 loudspeaker was published only a few months ago. Actually, it’s been three years.1 The Silver 8 so impressed me that I bought three of them, along with two Silver 2 bookshelf speakers, for my multichannel system in Connecticut—and still greet them as the newcomers to my system. So installing and reviewing their successors, the 300, from the sixth generation of Monitor’s Silver line, seemed very familiar. Description The Silver 8 and Silver 300 are quite similar three-way speakers. Their external dimensions differ by only fractions of an inch, their electrical specifications by similar degrees. The price is unchanged: $2000/pair. Both are products of the same design philosophy—slim, floorstanding cabinet, three-way, four-driver configuration—their differences representative of what Monitor has…

Digital Sources Oppo BDP-103 universal BD player, Mac mini server running Windows 7, JRiver Media Center Version 23, build 84, Roon 1.3. Preamplifier Marantz AV8802A. Power Amplifier Bryston 9BST. Loudspeakers Monitor Audio Silver 8 & Silver 2. Cables Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (HDMI). Interconnect: Kubala-Sosna Anticipation (RCA) & Fascination (XLR). Speaker: Kubala-Sosna Anticipation & Fascination. AC: Kubala-Sosna Emotion. Accessories Environmental Potentials EP2450 power conditioner, Emotiva CMX-2, Precision AC Line Restoration & Common Mode Filter System.…

Off-topic flotsam and jetsam Editor: Since you allow comments on the Stereophile website, could you possibly apply some editorial edicts and jurisdiction over the forum and article postings? I really appreciate the on-topic, relevant opinions and narratives, but the trolls and off-topic flotsam and jetsam ruin what could be a valuable resource and platform. When I see these discussions descend into the abyss, as they so often do, I am left depressed, disgusted, and disillusioned when I could/should feel informed, enlightened, and enriched.—Jim Lipsey desmo@bellsouth.net My experience in the 1990s on Usenet and other online forums convinced me that a light hand works best in my role as moderator of our website. But I do delete postings that are abusive, or nothing more than flames or trolls. —John Atkinson Show me…

Queen of Bebop: The Musical Lives of Sarah Vaughan By Elaine M. Hayes. 419 pp. Ecco/HarperCollins, 2017. Hardbound: $27.99. Available in eBook and digital audiobook formats. This is the second biography of Sarah Vaughan (1924–1990), whose towering vocal talents took her to the top rung of the jazz ladder, beside Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. The author, trained as a classical musician, puts far more emphasis on the singer’s recordings than Leslie Gourse did in Sassy, her 1993 Vaughan biography. Hayes’s grasp of music, and her definitions of the musical terms she uses, make this the better account. Hayes does, I think, overindulge in sociological speculation. She says, for example, that some of Vaughan’s pop records advanced civil rights by projecting a persona not yet associated with black singers. Yes, blacks…

Description Closed-back, circumaural headphones with planar-magnetic drive-units featuring V-Planar and TrueFlow technologies. Frequency response: “We don’t publish a spec because too many vendors shamelessly exaggerate the response of their headphones to inflate their numbers, making any comparison of specs irrelevant.” Impedance: 13 ohms. Sensitivity: 93dB/1mW. Supplied accessories: carrying case, foam-pad filters, detachable fabric-covered headphone cable with “Hirose-style” connectors at headphone end and 1⁄4" and 3.5mm dual-tip plug at other end. Dimensions Weight: 12oz (340gm). Cable: 78" (2m) L. Serial number of sample reviewed ACXA987. Price $799.99. Approximate number of dealers: 17, plus sold direct. Manufacturer MrSpeakers Headphone Products, 3366 Kurtz Street, San Diego, CA 92110. Tel: (619) 501-6313. Web: www.mrspeakers.com.…

Description Three-way, bass-reflex tower loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) C-CAM gold-dome tweeter, 4" RST midrange driver, two 6" RST woofers. Crossover frequencies: 570Hz, 3.5kHz. Frequency response: 32Hz–35kHz, –6dB. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 3.5 ohms minimum at 146Hz. Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m. Maximum SPL/pair: 116.0dBA. Power handling: 200W. Recommended amplification: 80–200W RMS. Dimensions (including outrigger plates, feet, spikes) 40.7" (1034mm) H by 9.9" (252mm) W by 14.5" (367mm) D. Weight: 44.1 lbs (20kg). Finishes Black Oak, Rosenut, Walnut, White Satin; Gloss Black, add $200/pair. Serial numbers of units reviewed 700186A/B. Price $2000/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 62. Manufacturer Monitor Audio, Ltd., 24 Brook Road, Rayleigh, Essex SS6 7XJ, England, UK. Web: www.monitoraudiousa.com. US distributor: Kevro International, 902 McKay Road, Suite 4, Pickering, Ontario L1W 3X8, Canada. Tel: (800) 667-6065, (905) 428-2800. Web: www.kevro.com.…

Stereophile writers have reviewed three versions of Sonus Faber’s stand-mounted, two-way loudspeaker, the Guarneri: Martin Colloms on the original Guarneri Homage, in 1994;1 Michael Fremer on the Memento edition, in 2007;2 and Art Dudley on the Evolution, in 2012.3 The Guarneri has always been an expensive speaker—$9400/pair with matching stands in 1995, $15,000 with stands in 2007, $20,000/pair plus $2000 for the stands in 2012—but its prices have been related to its build quality and appearance, both of which have always been superb. Now we have the Guarneri Tradition, for $15,900/pair, including stands. Sonus Faber launched their series of Homage Tradition loudspeakers at an event in February 2017, at the World of McIntosh Townhouse in Manhattan’s NoHo neighborhood. After a presentation of the technology embodied in the new speakers, we…

Analog Source Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge. Digital Sources Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; MBL Noble Line N31 CD player–DAC; NAD Masters Series M50.2 digital music player; PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A converter with Bridge II (v.0.2.15) & RedCloud firmware; Mac mini running Roon 1.3, Vinyl Studio; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter. Preamplification NHT Balanced Passive Volume Control; Channel D Seta L phono preamplifier. Integrated Amplifier NAD M32. Power Amplifiers Lamm M1.2 Reference, Pass Laboratories XA60.8 (both monoblocks). Loudspeakers GoldenEar Technology Triton Reference, TAD Micro Evolution One. Cables Digital: AudioQuest Coffee (USB) & Vodka (Ethernet), DH Labs (AES/EBU), Esperanto (S/PDIF). Interconnect (balanced): AudioQuest Wild Blue, Canare. Speaker: AudioQuest K2. AC: AudioQuest Dragon, manufacturers’ own. Accessories Target TT-5 equipment racks;…

Columbia/Legacy 88985454652 (8 CDs, 1 DVD). 2017. Jeff Rosen, Steve Berkowitz, Gregg Geller, prods.; Steve Addabbo, Chris Shaw, Mark Wilder, engs. ADD. TT: 8:11:02 Bob Dylan’s “Christian” period of 1979–1981, covering the studio albums Slow Train Coming, Saved, and Shot of Love, remains the most perplexing stage of his career. Those albums, which contain some great songs, were unjustly panned at the time, but outraged fans on tour stops were justified in revolting against an all-gospel program from a born-again bard who came uncomfortably close to the standard Dylan parody of a humorless Grandpa Jones. For most listeners, the shows that were completely devoid of any older material were a bridge too far. Bob Dylan is a litmus test for American culture, and the fundamentalist stance he adopted was directly…

GoldenEar Technology Triton Reference Editor: Everyone at GoldenEar is thrilled that John Atkinson so enjoyed his time with the Triton References (January 2018 issue). This was especially meaningful as he had spent much time over the last year listening to many hyper-expensive, top-of-the-line speakers from hallowed names like Magico, Rockport, Vandersteen, Vivid, and Wilson, the least expensive of which sells for over four times the cost of the T Refs. As JA observed, the T Refs are significantly more efficient than most other speakers that he has had in his room for a long time. It was a challenge to engineer an extremely natural-sounding, uncolored speaker of this efficiency level, where, normally, only speakers of relatively high coloration live. This was a specific design goal, as we wanted the References…

Five years ago, I reviewed the Alumine loudspeaker from Stenheim, a Swiss company founded by four former employees of Goldmund SA. I noted the Alumine’s surprisingly “high sensitivity and easy drivability,” praised its performance for being “clean but neither sterile nor colorless,” and admired, in my geeky way, the coated cellulose-fiber cone of its 5" midbass driver, which is made in Chartrettes, France—just southeast of Paris—by a company called PHL.1 One year later, almost to the week, I bought my first vintage Altec loudspeakers: a pair of 1967 Valencias, in which a multicell-horn–loaded compression driver is mated to a pulp woofer, the latter a low-compliance thing with a surround of impregnated fabric. The Altecs were revelatory, owing mostly to their even higher sensitivity and even easier drivability, and consequently—or so…

Audiophiles are oblivious to the low-end music-reproduction medium that’s currently staging a comeback: the cassette tape.1 I’ve adopted the cassette craze in my own small way. I glory in the trusted mixtape, which I play in the stereo cassette deck of my 1990s Toyota. An automobile is a dearly cherished possession in New York City; when I cruise the outer boroughs on Sunday, I want tunes galore. So I retrieved my 1996 Aiwa cassette deck, and, attic-bound as it had been for 20 years, it was in need of repair. Via Yelp, I came across Hi-Tech Electronics, a small repair-everything-electronic shop at the east end of Canal Street, in New York’s Chinatown, and a mother lode of classic audio gear and audiophile nostalgia. Hi-Tech brims to the rafters with electronics…

Analog Sources Garrard 301, Thorens TD 124 turntables; Audio-Creative GrooveMaster II, EMT 997 tonearms; EMT TSD 15, Ortofon SPU #1S pickup heads. Digital Sources AudioQuest DragonFly, Halide Design DAC HD USB DACs; Apple iMac computer (late 2015) running OS 10.12.1 & Roon v.1.3, build 269; Sony SCD-777 SACD/CD player. Preamplification Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 & T2 step-up transformers; EMIA Phono transformer (copper); Sentec EQ11 phono preamplifier; Shindo Laboratory Monbrison (2017) preamplifier. Power Amplifiers Fi 421A, Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion. Loudspeakers Altec Flamenco, Stenheim Alumine Five. Cables USB: AudioQuest Carbon. Interconnect: Audio Note AN-Vx, Luna Red, Shindo Laboratory. Speaker: Auditorium 23. AC: manufacturers’ stock cords. Accessories Box Furniture Company D3S rack (source & amplification components), Audiodesksysteme Gläss Vinyl Cleaner Pro, AV Options power strip.…

Analog Sources AMG Giro G9, MoFi Electronics UltraDeck turntables & tonearms; EMT TSD 75, Koetsu Rosewood Standard, Miyajima Saboten, MoFi Electronics MasterTracker cartridges. Digital Sources Mytek HiFi Manhattan II, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DACs; Integra DPS-7.2 DVD player (used as CD transport). Preamplification Auditorium 23 (for EMT TSD 75), Bob’s Devices CineMag 1131, Dynavector SUP-200, Lounge Audio Copla JFET-MC step-up transformers; Lounge Audio LCR Mk.III RIAA, Parasound Halo JC 3+, Tavish Design Adagio phono preamplifiers; PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium, Rogue Audio RH-5 line-level preamplifiers. Power Amplifiers Bel Canto Design REF600M (monoblocks), Pass Laboratories XA25, PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium. Integrated Amplifiers Rogue Audio Sphinx, Schiit Audio Ragnarok. Loudspeakers Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a, KEF LS50, Rogers LS3/5a, Stirling Broadcast LS3/5a V2. Cables Digital: Kimber Kable D60 Data Flex Studio (coaxial). Interconnect: AudioQuest Mackenzie & Big Sur,…

Description Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.1" (28mm) damped-apex silk-dome tweeter, 5.9” (150mm) sandwich-cone mid/bass driver. Crossover frequency: 2.5kHz. Frequency range: 40Hz–35kHz. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Recommended amplification: 30–250Wpc. Long-term maximum input voltage (IEC 268-5): 20V RMS. Dimensions 14.85" (377mm) H by 9.4" W (239mm) W by 14.75" (375mm) D. Weight: 35.2 lbs (16kg). Dedicated stand: 29.85" (758mm) H by 12.25" (300mm) W by 15.35" (390mm) D. Weight: 35.2 lbs (16kg). Finishes Wengè (wenge wood veneer with maple inlays, brushed aluminum in titanium finish, brown leather); Red (stained walnut veneer with black inlays, brushed black aluminum, black leather). Serial number of units reviewed 52 (both). Price $15,900/pair, including dedicated carbon-fiber stands. Approximate number of dealers: 20. Manufacturer Sonus Faber, Via A. Meucci, 10 36057 Arcugnano (VI), Italy. Web:…