Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2016 i Stereophile

THERE ARE AS MANY OPINIONS AS THERE ARE EXPERTS THIS ISSUE: Do we really want accuracy from our systems, or musical enjoyment? I was in a strange mood last January when I posted this on Facebook: “Do speaker designers strive for accuracy, or for a ‘sound’ they think potential buyers want?” I doubted that any designer with two working ears would even attempt to design speakers that merely measured well—there must be at least some subjectivity in their process. I also assumed that few designers would go on record about where they stand on the accuracy question, so I was thrilled when Elac Americas’ speaker designer, Andrew Jones, responded: Accuracy in terms of closest approach to the original performance is not practical nor even possible. There is no way to…

ATTENTION ALL AUDIO SOCIETIES: We have a page on the Stereophile website dedicated solely to you: www.stereophile.com/audiophilesocieties. 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. ARIZONA ❚Wednesday, April 27, 7–9pm: The Arizona Audio Video Club will hold its monthly meeting at Trinity Lutheran Church, 9424 N. Seventh Street, Phoenix 85021. This event is a bit unusual for the club, in that one member will, by request, provide his system for the meeting. Come hear various source components drive a Hegel Music Systems 160 integrated (rave reviews) fronting a pair of DIY SB Acoustics (Madisound)…

I first encountered the work of Dave Wilson in the late 1970s. He was then a recording engineer responsible for some great-sounding records, including pianist Mark P. Wetch’s Ragtime Razzmatazz (LP, Wilson Audio W-808), which quickly became one of my favorite system-demo records. Then Wilson turned his attention to designing loudspeakers. His first model was the Wilson Audio Modular Monitor, reviewed for Stereophile by its then -publisher, Larry Archibald, in August 1983, who described it as “the most enjoyable speaker system I’ve listened to, and significantly valuable as a diagnostic tool.”1 At $35,000/pair ($83,577 in today’s dollars), the WAMM may have been the most expensive speaker then on the market. The next speaker from Dave Wilson was the Wilson Audio Tiny Tot (WATT), later joined by its bass module, the…

TAKE HEED! Unless marked otherwise, all letters to the magazine and its writers are assumed to be for possible publication. In the spirit of vigorous debate implied by the First Amendment, and unless we are requested not to, we publish correspondents’ e-mail addresses. Whither the Soundstage? Editor: In the February 2016 issue of Stereophile Art Dudley stated, in his review of the Master & Dynamic MD40 headphones (p.31): “Were the MH40s accurate in their reproduction of the soundstage? Beats me. Since there’s really no such thing as a ‘soundstage’ . . .” Is Art declaring that headphones in general are not capable of rendering the phenomenon of an audio “soundstage”? Or is he declaring either that the phenomenon of an audio “soundstage” simply does not exist in any type of…

THIS ISSUE: A reexamination of the songwriter’s biography, a quarter century after the songwriter’s death. LONELY AVENUE: THE UNLIKELY LIFE & TIMES OF DOC POMUS BY ALEX HALBERSTADT. DA CAPO PRESS, 2007. PAPERBACK, 272 PP., $16. AVAILABLE AS EBOOK. Many people, after seeing him repeatedly at Manhattan’s Forrest Hotel in the early 1960s, might have described the lyricist and songwriter Doc Pomus as the narrator of a Damon Runyon short story depicts himself: as someone “who is just around.” Pomus lived for years in lackluster hotels like the Forrest, which Runyon himself had once called home, and his cronies could be just as colorful as Runyon’s creations, including the gamblers—for a time, Pomus gambled for a living. Alex Halberstadt has provided us with a vivid, multidimensional, flesh-and-blood portrait of Pomus…

I used DRA Labs’ MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Wilson Sabrina’s frequency response in the farfield; for the nearfield frequency responses, I used an Earthworks QTC-40, which has a 1⁄4" capsule and thus presents no significant obstacle to the sound. For logistical reasons, I measured a different sample (serial no.0485) from those auditioned by Robert Deutsch (0375 and 0376). For the measurements, I hoisted this surprisingly heavy speaker onto my Outline speaker turntable—oh, my achin’ back—and to avoid the possibility of damaging the cabinet’s finish, I did not remove its protective film. As RD found the Sabrina’s sound to be “just a bit less open” with the grilles, and so did all of his critical listening with the grilles removed, I performed almost all…

As the Mk.II Model Seven loudspeaker differs only in detail from the original Model Seven, I refer you to the measurements sidebar that accompanied Michael Fremer’s review1 for the overall picture. I performed only a few measurements on the updated version. Fig.1 shows its electrical impedance and phase, taken with the two pairs of binding posts in parallel. This is generally similar to that of the Mk.1, and, like that speaker, drops to a low value at the top of the audioband, particularly with the rear tweeter turned on. The minimum magnitude is 2.55 ohms at 17kHz, but between 80Hz and 12kHz the impedance remains within more reasonable limits of from 4 to 7 ohms, with a generally low phase angle. The peak at 62Hz indicates the tuning frequency of…

I measured the Luxman EQ-500 phono preamplifier using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com, and the January 2008 “As We See It” at www.stereophile.com/content/measurements-maps-precision). As always with phono stages, I experimented with the grounding between the Luxman and the Audio Precision system to get the lowest level of noise. The output level was the same from the Luxman’s balanced and unbalanced output jacks. With the EQ-500 set to MM (moving-magnet), the voltage gain at 1kHz was 36.4dB with the gain set to “36,” 38.4dB with it set to “38,” and 40.5dB with it set to “40.” (A 1mV input signal was indicated as –20dB on the front-panel level meters with them set to Low, –10dB with them set to High.) With the phono inputs set to MC (moving-coil), the…

I performed a full set of measurements on Schiit Audio’s Ragnarok using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 “As We See It,” www.stereophile.com/content/measurements-mapsprecision). Looking first at the smallsignal measurements taken from the loudspeaker outputs (see later), the amplifier’s maximum voltage gain into 8 ohms was 26.17dB with the gain set to “26,” 15.1dB with it set to “14,” and 3.7dB with it set to “0.” These gains were identical for both balanced and single-ended input signals, and the amplifier preserved absolute polarity (ie, was non-inverting) for all inputs and outputs. The unbalanced input impedance was close to 10k ohms at all audio frequencies, twice that value for the balanced inputs. The gain, measured at the unbalanced headphone jack on the front panel, was 21.4, 10.7, and –0.5dB…

I measured the PS Audio NuWave DSD with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 “As We See It,” http://tinyurl.com/4ffpve4), feeding its S/PDIF input data from the SYS2722 and its USB input data sourced from a battery-powered Mac-Book Pro running Pure Music 2.0. The S/PDIF input accepted data sampled at all rates from 44.1 to 192kHz. Apple’s USB Prober utility identified the NuWave as “PS Audio USB Audio 2.0" and confirmed that it operates in the optimal isochronous asynchronous mode. Mac’s AudioMIDI utility stated that the NuWave’s USB input would accept 24-bit integer data at all sample rates from 44.1 to 352.8kHz, though PS Audio lists sample rates up to 192kHz in its specifications. The NuWave DSD’s maximum output level at 1kHz with both DSD64 and…

HANDEL Messiah Julia Doyle, soprano; Lawrence Zazzo, countertenor; Steve Davislim, tenor; Neal Davies, bass-baritone; Bavarian Radio Chorus, B’Rock Belgian Baroque Orchestra Ghent; Peter Dijkstra BR Klassik 900510 (2 CDs). 2015. Bernhard Albrecht, prod.; Peter Urban, eng. DDD. TT: 2:15:58 PERFORMANCE SONICS It’s hard to believe that anyone actually needs (read: doesn’t already own) a recording of Messiah. More than 100 are available, ranging from gigantic (Sir Thomas Beecham, 200 participants) to teensy (Harry Christophers, could fit in your living room). But this new recording, with some 50 players and singers, is of such high quality and performed with such distinction and vitality that it bypasses easy labels like Historically Informed or Romantic and goes straight for Terrific. It is, in fact, historically informed, with period instruments of the nonscratchy variety,…

STAN GETZ Moments in Time Stan Getz, tenor saxophone; Joanne Brackeen, piano; Clint Houston, bass; Billy Hart, drums Resonance HCD-2020 (CD). 2016. Zev Feldman, Todd Barkan, prods.; Milton Jeffries, Fran Gala, George Klabin, engs. ADD? TT: 64:36 PERFORMANCE SONICS Although uncommonly popular during his lifetime, Stan Getz has been underrated by jazz cognoscenti, perhaps because of that very popularity. A possible corrective may be the release of this superlative quartet recording from a 1976 gig at the Keystone Korner club in San Francisco. Though drawn from diverse sources, the subtle, harmonically challenging, mostly laid-back performances on Moments in Time display uncanny similarities, and reflect Getz’s sophisticated tastes. The remarkable rhythm section provides buoyant accompaniment, with pianist Joanne Brackeen soloing superbly. But it’s Getz who stands out, transcending the mere blend…

THIS ISSUE: Naim’s classic Nait 2 integrated amplifier is being given a new lease on life. Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. —ROBERT FROST Perhaps it was different for other audio hobbyists in other parts of the world, but to this American, the Naim Audio of the late 1970s and early ’80s seemed a bit prickly. It wasn’t just their road-less-traveled-by attitude toward amplifier design—scorning class-A output architecture, preferring DIN connectors to RCA jacks, routing preamp output signals and power-supply voltages through the same cable—but also the British company’s perspectives on selling and setting up and even listening to hi-fi gear that seemed combative: Shopping for amplifiers based on output power is foolish. Using short speaker cables and long interconnects is…

Well, hold on this song has a little introduction to it It ain’t supposed to be sad though you might feel it that way It’s a song about desperation Every now and then we do get desperate This is a song about L O V E and if you abuse it you’re gon’ lose it And if you lose it you’re gon’ ’buse and if you ’buse it You ain’t gon’ be able to choose it ’Cuz you ain’t gon’ have it further on down the line Things ain’t gon’ be so fine, you’re gon’ to be sitting there On your little machine tryin’ to look and keep it clean And you’re goin’ to be playin’ bingo all night all alone And that’s why you’re sittin’ there by the telephone…

Digital Source PS Audio PerfectWave Memory CD transport & DirectStream DAC. Analog Source Acoustic Signature WOW XXL turntable & TA-1000 tonearm, Soundsmith MIMC cartridge. Preamplifier Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Renaissance Black Path Edition. Power Amplifiers McIntosh Laboratories MC275LE (stereo), Theta Digital Prometheus (monoblocks). Loudspeakers Avantgarde Uno Nano. Cables Interconnect, Speaker, AC: Nordost Valhalla 2. Accessories PS Audio PerfectWave P5 Power Plant power supply; Nordost QB8 AC power-outlet strip & Sort Kone TC feet; Furutech RD-2 CD demagnetizer; Arcici Suspense Rack; Audiodesksysteme Gläss Vinyl Cleaner.…

I performed a full suite of measurements on one of the Vandersteen M7-HPA amplifiers (serial no.107), using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 “As We See It,” www.stereophile.com/content/measurements-maps-precision). I preconditioned the amplifier by running it at one-third the specified power, 100W, into 8 ohms for 60 minutes. At the end of that time, its heatsinks were warm, at 112.4°F (44.7°C). The percentage of THD+noise at this power level was 0.07%. A note on the measurements: the M7-HPA’s hair-trigger protection caused it to shut down several times during the measurements, mostly when I was asking it to drive high powers into low impedances without ramping up the input signal. For example, if I hit the amplifier with a sinewave signal equivalent to a continuous output of…

Analog Sources Garrard 301 turntable; EMT 997 tonearm; EMT OFD 15 & TSD 15, Shindo Laboratory SPU pickup heads; Miyajima Premium BE Mono II cartridge. Digital Sources Halide Designs DAC HD USB D/A converter; Apple iMac G5 computer running Audirvana Plus 1.5.12; Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player. Preamplification Hommage T2 step-up transformer, Shindo Laboratory Masseto preamplifier. Power Amplifiers Shindo Laboratory Corton-Charlemagne (monoblocks) & Haut-Brion (stereo). Loudspeakers Altec Valencia, DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96. Cables USB: Wireworld Revelation 2.0. Interconnect: Audio Note AN-Vx, Shindo Laboratory Silver. Speaker: Auditorium 23. AC: manufacturers’ stock cords. Accessories Box Furniture Company D3S rack (source & amplification components), Audiodesksysteme Gläss Vinyl Cleaner.…

Analog Sources Technics SL1200Mk.2 turntable; Abis SA-1.2 tonearm; Dynavector 20X2L, Jasmine Turtle cartridges. Digital Sources Integra DPPS-7.2 DVD-A player; Halide DAC HD, Schiit Audio Bifrost DACs. Phono Stages Dynavector P75, Parasound JC Halo 3+, Schiit Audio Mani. Headphone Amplifiers Audeze Deckard, Schiit Audio Asgard, Simaudio Moon Neo 230HAD. Integrated Amplifiers Line Magnetic LM-518 IA, Rogue Audio Sphinx, Simaudio Moon Neo 340i. Loudspeakers Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a, KEF LS50, Magnepan .7, Technics SB-C700. Headphones AKG K812, Audeze EL-8, AudioQuest NightHawks, JH Audio Roxanne, MrSpeakers Ether, Sony MDR-7520. Cables Speaker: AudioQuest GO-4, Auditorium 23. Interconnect: AudioQuest Cinnamon, Auditorium 23, Kimber Kable Silver Streak. Digital: Kimber Kable D60 Data Flex Studio (coaxial). Accessories Sound Anchor stands, Dr. Feickert Analogue cartridge protractor & Adjust+ software.…

Digital Sources Benchmark DAC 1, PS Audio DirectStream DAC; Apogee Groove, Meridian Explorer & Explorer2 USB DACs; Ayre Acoustics CX-7eMP CD player. Analog Sources Thorens TD-124 turntable reconditioned by Schopper AG; Oswalds Mill Audio slate plinth; Ortofon RMG-212 tonearm (rebuilt); Schick 12" tonearm; Ortofon 90th Anniversary SPU cartridge; Sony XDR-F1HD AM/FM/HD tuner. Preamplification Auditorium 23 step-up transformer. Integrated Amplifier Leben CS-600. Loudspeakers DeVore Fidelity The Nine. Cables USB: AudioQuest Cinnamon & Carbon & Coffee, Comprehensive Connectivity Company. Interconnect: Auditorium 23, The Chord Company (UK), Q Cables. Speaker: Auditorium 23. AC: Belden 14-gauge shielded, stock cords. Accessories PS Audio P10 Power Plant power conditioner, Chilton’s Durham media console in cherrywood.…

EDITOR’S PICK RECORDING OF THOF THE MONTH EMITT RHODES Rainbow Ends Omnivore OVLP-163 (LP). 2016. Chris Price, prod., eng.; Pierre de Reeder, Kyle Frederickson, engs.; Nathan Flom, Emitt Rhodes, Emeen Zarookian, add’l. engs. ADA? TT: 37:01 PERFORMANCE SONICS “Emitt eventually found himself without a label, and his career came to a halt,” reads the biography on EmittRhodesMusic.net. “He had had enough. He was 24.” Go on, admit it: Everyone loves a disappearing act—the plight of the unjustly snakebit, the ghostly casualties of a business that markets creativity but doesn’t respect it. Hawthorne, California native Emitt Rhodes, onetime drummer for mid-’60s SoCal garage band (and later Nuggets staple) Palace Guard, and later the cofounder and leading force of L.A. psychedelic pop band Merry-Go-Round, went solo in 1969. Unfortunately, in a sadly…

BRETT HARRIS Up in the Air Hit the Deck HTDR001 (CD). 2016. Brett Harris, prod.; Jeff Crawford, prod., eng. ADD? TT: 38:38 PERFORMANCE SONICS While the Triangle area of North Carolina may be known primarily for its college-basketball rivalries, indierock devotees have also had plenty of “what’s in the water there?” moments, from the emergence of pop maestros the dB’s and Let’s Active in the 1980s, to the alt-country ascendance (Whiskeytown et al) in the ’90s, to the ongoing brilliance of Merge Records’ artist stable. Count among this sonic society of Tarheels Durham’s Brett Harris, a savvy composer and consummate craftsman in his own right. For starters, Harris’s second album, Up in the Air, sounds gorgeous, with the kind of George-Martin-and-Beatles depth and presence—not to mention nuance, particularly in the…

THIS ISSUE: AcroLink, LKV Research, AV Options, Schiit Audio, PS Audio, and Shindo respond to our reviews of their products. AcroLink & The Lotus Group Editor: We just received the March issue of Stereophile. Not sure how you came to list the Cable Company as the US distributor of the AcroLink 7N-DA2090 Speciale interconnect (“Analog Corner,” p.26), but that’s incorrect. We, the Lotus Group, are the exclusive importer and distributor of AcroLink products in the US. Would appreciate a correction. Neil Levy, The Lotus Group www.lotusgroupusa.com My apologies for this error, Neil.—John Atkinson LKV Veros One Editor: We at LKV Research were pleased to read Michael Fremer’s analysis of our Veros One. His descriptions are spot on: “deep,” “stable” soundstage; “rock solid” images; “‘black’” backgrounds; “transparent, three-dimensional,” and “utterly natural”…

“Let’s go burn ole Nashville down Burn it to the ground Let’s go burn ole Nashville down Save the country sound Burn burn soulless swine Crossover igit pukes Burn burn lyin’ cheaters Country don’t have flutes.” —JELLO BIAFRA Poor Nashville. All those music snobs, and what Ronnie Van Zant once called “Mr. Yankee Slicker” types, looking down their noses at the bland Caucasian pop music pouring out of Music City’s major labels, as the money rolls in and countrymusic fans continue to buy physical product in dependable numbers. If the opening of RS Country (rollingstone.com/country) wasn’t sign enough, socalled country music is, today, the only limb (outside teen pop and hip hop singles) with a profitable future on the once-healthy music-business tree. What’s most interesting is that the continued success…