Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 i Stereophile

THIS ISSUE: The accuracy vs musicality debate reappears in the context of a recent review. I recently experienced an alarming audiophile episode. John Atkinson wanted to send me BorderPatrol’s Digital to Analogue Converter SE, so that I could write the Follow-Up published in the November issue. But he wouldn’t tell me anything about Herb Reichert’s original review of the product, which had not yet been published.1 Instead, he said, cryptically, “If this is a ‘great’ DAC, I’ll have to hang up my measurements.” I took this to mean Herb liked it, but JA’s test rig did not. Sure, why not? Go ahead and send me the DAC, I thought. I’d love to hear what something covered in audio fur sounds like. One of the conversations I often have with audiophiles…

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. CALIFORNIA ■ Sunday, November 18, 2–5pm: The Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society will hold its monthly meeting at Weinhart Design, in Los Angeles (2337 Roscomare Road). Please join us for a very special event at the grand debut of Weinhart Design’s new Bowers & Wilkins Diamond cost-no-object theater and reference audio system! Our host, David Weinhart, will demonstrate what is possible in two-channel sound, multichannel sound, and…

I measured the AVM Ovation PA 8.2 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 “As We See It”1). Looking first at the line-level analog inputs on the Tone input module: With the AVM’s volume control set to its maximum of “99,5,” the maximum voltage gain at 1kHz measured 18.24dB from the solid-state balanced and unbalanced outputs, 18.2dB from the tubed balanced and unbalanced outputs, and 21.85dB from the headphone terminals. The line inputs preserved absolute polarity from all five outputs (ie, were non-inverting), and the unbalanced input impedance was a fairly low 6700 ohms from 20Hz to 20kHz, this doubling as expected for the balanced inputs. The headphone output impedance was 16 ohms at all audio frequencies. From the solid-state output module, the unbalanced impedance was a…

Description Class-AB1 stereo tubed integrated amplifier. Tube complement: two 6922 (input buffer/preamp), two 6SN7 (pre-driver/phase inverter), four KT150 (output operated in push-pull Ultralinear mode). Inputs: 4 pairs single-ended (RCA). Outputs: 1 pair line-level subwoofer (RCA), 2 pairs five-way speaker binding posts, 1⁄4" headphone jack. Power output: 100Wpc into 8 ohms (20dBW). Maximum gain: 34dB. Frequency response: 19Hz–23kHz, ±0.5dB. Input impedance: 100k ohms. Sensitivity: 450mV RMS. Dimensions 17.25" (440mm) W by 7.8" (200mm) H by 16" (405mm) D. Weight: 50.8 lb (23kg). Finish Matte-black powder coat (case), silver or black aluminum (faceplate, knobs). Serial number of unit reviewed 170296. Price $5995. Approximate number of dealers: 25; also sold direct. Warranty: If purchased at retail, the warranty is 4 years except tubes which are 90 days. Manufacturer Cary Audio, 6301 Chapel Hill…

German manufacturer Elac had a significant North American presence in the 1960s and ’70s, primarily with its Miracord automatic turntables. While it eventually disappeared from the US market, Elac never ceased to be a player in Europe, where it eventually shifted its primary focus from turntables to loudspeakers. When Elac decided to reenter the US market a few years ago, its success was hardly assured. Faced with hundreds of brand names and thousands of models fighting for attention, it hired veteran speaker guru Andrew Jones to improve the odds. In his previous work, first for KEF and then for TAD and Pioneer, Jones had built a solid reputation on designing well-received, cost-no-object speakers as well as high-value budget designs. The results have been startling. Beginning with the aptly named Debut…

Analog Source Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge. Digital Sources Roon Nucleus+ file server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; AQ Technologies Aqua Formula xHD, PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A converters; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter. Preamplification Channel D Seta L phono preamplifier. Power Amplifiers Audio Research Reference 160M, Lamm Industries M1.2 Reference (both monoblocks), Mytek Brooklyn Amp. Integrated Amplifier Ayre Acoustics EX-8. Loudspeakers KEF LS50, Rogers LS3/5a (1978), Tidal Audio Akira. Cables Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), DH Labs (1m, AES/EBU), Esperanto Audio (S/PDIF). Interconnect: AudioQuest Wild Blue. Speaker: AudioQuest K2. AC: AudioQuest Dragon Source & High Current, manufacturers’ own. Accessories Target TT-5 equipment racks; Ayre Acoustics Myrtle Blocks; ASC Tube Traps, RPG Abffusor panels; Shunyata Research Dark Field cable elevators;…

I measured the ATC CDA2 Mk2 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 “As We See It”1). Looking first at its performance as a CD player, the CDA2 Mk2 had the best error correction I have ever encountered, playing every track on the Pierre Verany Digital Test CD without glitches. This included the track with a single 4mm gap per revolution in the data spiral, and the track with repeated 3mm gaps! (The Compact Disc standard, the so-called “Red Book,” requires only that a player cope with gaps of up to 0.2mm.) As the output RCA jacks had been broken, I used crocodile clips attached to the inside of the jacks for the measurements. The balanced output impedance was 20.5 ohms at 20Hz and 1kHz, rising to…

THIS ISSUE: VPI, Ortofon, MoFi Distribution, and Cary respond to our reviews of their products. VPI Avenger Reference Editor: VPI’s isolation approach was to focus our efforts on isolating the ’table from energies that directly affect the performance of the ’table. The Reference feet supplied with the Avenger Reference were developed/tuned to reduce the effects of the direct coupling of fed-back energy/frequencies that have the most effect on playback. This approach is more effective and relevant than attempting to isolate the ’table from actions you would never encounter during normal music playback. A lot of engineering and R&D were applied to the Magnetic Drive Assembly, to eliminate any interactions between the platter magnets and the tonearms and cartridges. Any effect there might have been would show up in the output…

A tip of the hat Editor: Surely every journalist aspires to that one great “When I Paint My Masterpiece” article. Art Dudley achieves precisely that in his outstanding piece in his October 2018 “Listening” column (“Are We Experienced?,” p.33). Never have the wares of his writing craft been on display in such bold relief. Never has he populated an article with characters as genuine and as genuinely fascinating. Never have the descriptions of audio gear been wrought in a more captivating way. Every element coalesces with resounding grace and wisdom. I tip my hat to you, sir. —Richard Cass coachcass@gmail.com My audio soul Editor: I’ve been a subscriber for 20 years now and reading Stereophile since summer 1996, when I was a teen and bought my first “serious” gear. The…

Since fake news is on everyone’s minds these days—I would say it’s been in the news a lot, but that kind of reasoning is too circular even for me—it’s worth keeping in mind that there’s also such a thing as fake praise. You see it every day, whether it’s a fake Google review—an alarming number of businesses seem unaware that real people don’t actually say things like “the team at New Hartford Chevrolet really listened to all of my needs”—or fake trophies handed out to all 20 co-captains of your child’s soccer team. Then there are fake awards. Let’s say you’re a hi-fi enthusiast with strong opinions on what does and does not constitute goodness in an audio product, so you’ve started your own website on the subject. Good for…

The digital ground seems to shift weekly. While firmware and software updates over the Internet somewhat slow the constant upheaval, when you do buy something, you just know that as soon as you plunk down your cash, something new will come along. So, especially with preamplifiers, why not produce a design based on modules that the user can swap in and out, to custom-configure the preamp to that user’s current needs while leaving room for later expansion? Why pay for six inputs’ worth of stuff when at present you need only two? Upgrades? New features? No problem—swap out a module. Or, if a circuit in one module malfunctions, you can send only that module back for repairs, not the whole thing. It makes sense, yet in certain purist quarters there’s…

Analog Sources Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn turntable & Castellon stand; VPI Avenger Reference turntable & Fatboy tonearms (dual-pivot & gimbaled); Klaudio KD-ARMMP12, Kuzma 4Point, Swedish Analog Technologies CF1-09 tonearms. Cartridges: Grado Labs Epoch (mono); Ikeda 9Gss; Lyra Atlas, Atlas SL, Atlas SL (mono), Etna, Etna SL; Miyajima Labs Infinity (mono); Ortofon MC Century Anna A95; Tedeska DST-01. Digital Sources dCS Rossini CD player–DAC, Lynx Hilo A/D–D/A converter, Meridian Sooloos music server, Pure Vinyl & Vinyl Studio software. Preamplification Ypsilon MC-10L & MC-16L step-up transformers; Angstrom and Doshi, CH Precision P1 & X1 power supply, Ypsilon VPS-100 phono preamplifiers; darTZeel Audio NHB-18NS Mk.2 preamplifier. Power Amplifiers darTZeel Audio NHB-458 (monoblocks). Loudspeakers Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx. Cables Interconnect: The Chord Company Sarum T (S/PDIF), Luminous Audio Technology Silver Reference, Stealth Sakra &…

I measured the Cary SLI-100 amplifier using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 “As We See It”1). Before doing so, I installed all the tubes, following the guide in the excellent manual, and checked the bias current for the KT150 output tubes. Each channel measured close to the recommended 75mA. I ran a 1kHz tone through the amplifier at 1Wpc into 8 ohms, then rechecked the bias before starting the testing. I checked the bias currents several times while performing the measurements, but neither channel had drifted by more than a few milliamps. I took complete sets of measurements from both the 4 and 8 ohm output-transformer taps. The SLI-100 is specified as having an input sensitivity of 450mV for full power; ie, a voltage gain of…

Description Three-way, ported, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" tweeter, 5.25" midrange, three 6.5" woofers, three 8" passive radiators. Crossover frequencies: 200Hz, 2kHz. Bass function: Interport Coupled-Cavity (bandpass). Frequency range: 39Hz–35kHz. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Power handling: 160W peak (50–160W recommended). Dimensions 52.34" (1329.4mm) H with outrigger plate & spikes by 9.6" (243.7mm) W by 15.67" (397.9mm) D with grille. Weight: 101 lb (45.8kg). Finishes Gloss Black, Gloss White, Rosewood. Serial numbers of units reviewed 32104E000011, 32104E000012. Price $5000/pair. Approximate number of dealers: >100. Warranty: 3 years, 3 Years parts and labor. Manufacturer Elac Americas, 11145 Knott Avenue, Suites E & F, Cypress, CA 90630. Tel: (888) 541-0996, (714) 252-8843. Web: www.elac.com.…

Description Two-way, reflex (slot-loaded), stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) textile-dome tweeter, 6.5" (150mm) woofer with woven-Kevlar cone. Crossover frequency: 2.3kHz. Frequency response: 48Hz–20kHz, ±3dB. Bass extension: 40Hz,–6dB. Impedance: “8 ohms compatible.” Sensitivity: 88dB/2.83V/m. Peak SPL: 96dB. Recommended amplifier power: 25–125W. Dimensions 14" (355mm) H by 8.7" (221mm) W by 12.7" (322mm) D with terminals. Enclosure volume: 0.47 cubic feet (13.3 liters). Weight: 19.8 lb (9kg). Finishes White, Blackwood, Walnut Pearl, Rosewood Quilted. Serial numbers of units reviewed WH098416BFH0002 (both). “Designed and engineered in the United Kingdom, Made in PRC.” Price $599/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 25. Manufacturer Wharfedale, IAG UK, IAG House, 13/14 Glebe Road, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE29 7DL, England, UK. Web: www.wharfedale.co.uk Tel: (44) 01480-452561. US distributor: MoFi Distribution, 1811 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Chicago, IL 60660. Tel: (312)…

Will we one day miss the “clarity, convenience, and low-end extension” of the CD? In the early 1990s, the Compact Disc was all the rage, and vinyl records were being executed en masse. Thirty years later, and oh, how our tables have turned. Mint first pressings of tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley’s 1957 album Hank Mobley (Blue Note BLP 1568), which once could be had for $40, now bring upward of $8000. Each. Vinyl continues to enjoy a global resurgence of popularity, while CD sales have plummeted to all-time lows. What happened? Apparently, yesterday’s pops and ticks are today’s “warmth,” Record Store Day exclusives, and skyrocketing vinyl values. All things old … If, in audio as in life, history repeats itself, will we one day miss the “clarity, convenience, and low-end…

Analog Sources Kuzma Stabi S turntable & Stogi S tonearm, Thorens TD 124 turntable & Jelco TS-350S tonearm; Denon DL-103, Ortofon Quintet Bronze cartridges. Digital Sources Apple MacBook computer running Audirvana Plus; Halide DAC HD, PS Audio NuWave DACs; LG BD550 BD player; Western Digital T2 Mirror Drives (2). Preamplification Auditorium 23 A23 moving-coil step-up transformer, Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, Shindo Laboratory Allegro preamplifier, Schiit Audio Valhalla 2 headphone amplifier. Power Amplifiers Mytek Brooklyn Amp, Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion. Integrated Amplifier Heed Audio Elixir. Loudspeakers DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93, Elac Debut B6, Quad S-2. Headphones Master & Dynamic MH40. Cables Digital: Mytek (USB). Interconnect: AudioQuest Water, Auditorium 23, JPS Labs Superconductor, Shindo Laboratory, TriodeWire Labs American. Speaker: AudioQuest Castle Rock, Auditorium 23, Tellurium Q Black. AC: manufacturers’ own. Accessories IsoTek EVO3 Aquarius…

GOOD AND BAD, I DEFINE THESE TERMS QUITE CLEAR…—BOB DYLAN THIS ISSUE: A superb reissue of a superb performance. The stars lined up. According to biographer Charles Reid, the British conductor Sir John Barbirolli “burned with Elgarian zeal,” attributable in part to Barbirolli’s participation, as a young cellist in the London Symphony Orchestra of 1919, in the premiere performance of Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto. That performance, conducted by the composer and with Felix Salmond as soloist, was a disaster—Elgar’s rehearsal time had been cut short by a lack of cooperation from another conductor on the bill, a slight the composer never forgave—yet from then on, the 19-year-old Barbirolli regarded Elgar’s music with reverence. Forty-three years later, another teenaged cellist, Jacqueline du Pré, made her concerto debut playing the Elgar under…

THIS ISSUE: Auditions of moving-coil photo cartridges from Koetsu, Ortofon, and EMT. Although my house is now home to a borrowed pair of DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93 loudspeakers—a loan I gratefully accepted early this year, when my 1966 Altec Flamencos proved a bit too large for my new listening room—it’s a matter of pride that I own almost everything else in my playback system, cables included. So it’s with no small discomfort that I acknowledge having nearly $30,000 worth of borrowed phono cartridges scattered around my living and dining rooms. (The former is where I listen to them, and the latter—the sunniest room in the house—is where I install them.) Being responsible for other people’s things is nerve-racking enough; when those things are so fragile that the simple act of…

Description Modular solid-state and/or tubed preamplifier with slots for 9 input modules slots, 3 output modules, class-A headphone output. Available modules: MM/MC phono preamplifier, asynchronous DAC with inputs (1 USB Type B, 2 coaxial S/PDIF RCA, 1 optical TosLink), supporting PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz, DSD64 & DSD128 (2.8MHz, 5.6MHz); FM, Line in (with or without tone & contour configurability), Line out, Bluetooth. Tube complement: 2 AVM 803 T dual triodes. Frequency ranges: 20Hz–100kHz (solidstate), 20Hz–30kHz (tubed). Input impedance, line: 3.4k ohms (RCA), 13.6k ohms (XLR). Input sensitivity, 1V output: 20–450mV (adjustable). Signal/noise: >100dB (solid-state), >90dB (tubed). THD: <0.001% (solidstate), <0.01% (tubed). Phono module: Gain, MM: 43–52dB, input impedance 47k ohms/47–420pF. Gain, MC: 63–72dB, input impedance 63–72dB. Signal/noise, MM (5mV/1kHz): 79 or 84dB (A). Signal/noise, MC (0.5mV/1kHz): 70 or 76 dB…

Analog Sources Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable with Jelco KT-850L tonearm, AMG Giro G9 turntable & 9W Turbo tonearm, Linn Sondek LP12 Hercules turntable with SME M2-9 tonearm; AMG Teatro, EMT TSD 75, Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue, Hana SL, Koetsu Rosewood Standard & Signature Platinum, My Sonic Lab Ultra Eminent Ex cartridges. Digital Sources Mac mini computer running Audirvana+ 3.2; JVC X-Z1010 CD player (transport only); HoloAudio Spring “Kitsuné Tuned Edition” Level 3, Mytek Brooklyn, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil Analog 2 DACs. Preamplification Auditorium 23, Bob’s Devices CineMag 1131, Dynavector SUP-200, EMIA, My Sonic Lab Stage 1030 MC step-up transformers; Lounge Audio LCR Mk.III, Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+ & LCPS power supply, Parasound Halo JC 3+, Tavish Design Adagio RIAA phono preamplifiers; PrimaLuna DiaLogue, Rogue Audio RH-7 line-level preamplifiers. Power Amplifiers…

I used DRA Labs’ MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Elac Adante AF-61’s frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. (I didn’t use the grilles.) My estimate of the Adante AF-61’s voltage sensitivity was 86.1dB/2.83V/m, slightly below the specified 87dB/2.83V/m. The specified nominal impedance is 6 ohms. Fig.1 shows that the impedance magnitude remains above 6 ohms for much of the audioband, with minimum values of 4.75 ohms at 92Hz, 5.25 ohms at 240Hz, and 5.1 ohms at 9.1k ohms. However, there is a current-hungry combination of 5.3 ohms magnitude and electrical phase angle of–43° at 75Hz (fig.1). This speaker would work best with an amplifier that is comfortable driving 4 ohm loads. The traces in fig.1 are free…

I used DRA Labs’ MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the right-hand sample of the Wharfedale Diamond 11.2’s frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield and spatially averaged room responses. My estimate of the Diamond 11.2’s voltage sensitivity was 89dB(B)/2.83V/m, or 1dB higher than the specified 88dB. The Diamond 11.2’s impedance is specified as “8 ohms compatible.” However, the magnitude drops below 6 ohms in the midrange and the high treble. The minimum magnitude is 3.7 ohms at 215Hz (fig.1, solid trace), and there is a current-hungry combination of 5 ohms and–43° electrical phase angle at 129Hz. The Diamond 11.2 will work best with amplifiers that are comfortable with 4 ohm loads. There is a small discontinuity in the impedance traces…

Description One-box CD player with volume control and analog and digital inputs. CD player: Distortion: 1kHz, <0.0015% (–96dB); 10kHz, <0.003% (–90dB). Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.2dB. Preamplifier: Frequency response: <2Hz–280kHz,–3dB. Distortion: 1kHz, <0.0008%/102dB. Input sensitivity for 2V output: Aux inputs, 600mV; 3.5mm inputs, 400mV. Maximum output level: RCA, 9.2V RMS; XLR 18.4V RMS. Overload capacity: 13dB. Input impedance: 14k ohms. Output impedance: 10 ohms. Signal/noise: wideband, >96dB; DIN, >108dB; IEC “A,” >112dB. Absolute phase, phono & XLR: 0°. Output: XLR, CMRR (100Hz–10kHz): >60dB. Digital inputs: Distortion: <0.001% at all supported sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384kHz. DSD frequency response: <10Hz–50kHz, –1dB. Supported DSD rates: Windows, DSD64, DSD128, DSD256; MacOS, DSD64, DSD128. Dimensions 17.5" (445mm) W by 3.5" (90mm) H by 13" (330mm) D. Weight: 15.4 lb (7kg).…

THIS ISSUE: Second listens to an English minimonitor and an Italian DAC. HARBETH P3ESR 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION LOUDSPEAKER I promise not to tell you that the 40th Anniversary Edition Harbeth P3ESR loudspeaker1 sounds like a bigger speaker than it actually is.2 It does not. Likewise, I won’t suggest that it offers a large portion of what Harbeth’s bigger, more expensive models do—I’ll leave that to the happy owners on the Harbeth User Group.3 But can I tell you it’s good value for the money? The current, non-anniversary version of the P3ESR costs $2195/pair, while the souped-up, tarted-up 40th Anniversary Edition goes for $2890/pair—prices I think are chickenfeed, considering all the timeless virtues and musical satisfactions I have discovered in both versions. The word detailed cannot be applied to real life,…

EDITOR’S PICK RECORDING OF THE MONTH WOLFGANG MUTHSPIEL Where the River Goes Wolfgang Muthspiel, electric & acoustic guitars; Ambrose Akinmusire, trumpet; Brad Mehldau, piano; Larry Grenadier, bass; Eric Harland, drums ECM 2610 (CD). 2018. Manfred Eicher, prod.; Gérard de Haro, Nicolas Baillard, engs. DDD. TT: 48:15 Wolfgang Muthspiel of Austria has been active and respected on the European scene for 30 years. But like so many of the best European jazz musicians, he began to get famous only when he began recording for ECM: His Travel Guide (2013) and Driftwood (2014) were endorsed by critics and embraced by guitar junkies. Muthspiel’s true breakthrough came with his third ECM recording, Rising Grace (2016). It took everyone, even his fans, by surprise in presenting not an all-star band but a superstar band.…