Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2023 i Stereophile

THIS ISSUE: Two concerts at the new Geffen Hall and a very rewarding book. Room acoustics writ large Since writing about Manhattan’s renovated Geffen Hall in this space in our January issue, I’ve attended two concerts there. I thought I’d report back. The first of the two performances—the hall’s “Grand Gala” concert, though they didn’t invite me to the fancy dinner afterward—included works by young Puerto Rico–born composer Angélica Negrón (You Are the Prelude) and Ludwig van Beethoven (Symphony No.9). The second included works by Stravinsky (Symphonies of Wind Instruments), Bartók (Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra, with Daniil Trifonov and Sergei Babayan), and Sibelius (Symphony No.7). I’m ready, tentatively, to call Geffen’s acoustical renovation a major success, if an idiosyncratic one. It is now a great (if slightly…

ATTENTION ALL AUDIO SOCIETIES: We have a page on the Stereophile website devoted to you: stereophile.com/audiophile-societies. If you’d like to have your audio-society information posted on the site, email Chris Vogel at vgl@cfl.rr.com. (Please note the new email address.) It is inappropriate for a retailer to promote a new product line in “Calendar” unless it is associated with a seminar or similar event. CALIFORNIA ▪ Sunday, January 22, 2–5pm: The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society will hold its monthly meeting at AudioQuest in Irvine (2621 White Rd.). Guests, visitors, and members are invited. Representatives from AudioQuest will provide “An Insider’s Look at AudioQuest Technologies.” A facility tour is also planned, and lunch will be served. Parking is free. You can get more information by visiting laocas.com or calling LAOCAS…

Description Two-way, reflex-loaded, standmounted loudspeaker. Drive units: 10" (254mm) paper-cone woofer with concentrically mounted 1.25" (32mm) soft-dome tweeter. Crossover frequency: 1.6kHz. Frequency range: 42Hz–30kHz. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Minimum impedance: 6.2 ohms. Sensitivity: 91dB/2.83V/m. Minimum recommended power: 30W. Maximum power handling: 200W. Supplied accessories: magnetically attached grilles, adhesive rubber feet. Dimensions 22.5" (571.5mm) H × 14.5" (368.3mm) W × 16" (406.4mm) D (without grille). Internal volume: 50l. Weight: 46.2lb (21kg) each. Finish Satin Walnut or Satin Black Ash real wood veneer, matte black baffle. Serial numbers of units reviewed 000-0013, 000-0014. “Designed and Engineered in USA, Made in China.” Price $3699/pair. Approximate number of US dealers: 75 plus 4 online retailers. Warranty: 5 years parts and labor. Manufacturer MoFi Electronics, 713 W. Ellsworth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48108-3322. Tel: (734) 369-3433.…

LOUDSPEAKER Almost five years after I submitted my review of Dynaudio’s Focus 200 XD class-D active bookshelf loudspeaker—my first product review for Stereophile—word of its imminent successor, the digital Focus 10 class-D active bookshelf loudspeaker ($5500/pair), and its two larger siblings arrived via Mike Manousselis, Dynaudio North America’s president, Americas. Then came the near-ubiquitous parts shortages and COVID-related slowdowns that have plagued high-end manufacturers worldwide. More than 18 months later, the new Focus line debuted at Munich High End 2022. I recall my excitement as I entered Dynaudio’s huge multiroom exhibit area, and my confusion when I heard sound that, while dramatically different from the discontinued Focus 200 XD, was not what I’d hoped for or expected. Months later, when a broken-in Focus 10 pair finally arrived here, I approached…

Active loudspeakers Dynaudio Focus 200 XD. Front end Linksys Mesh router as wireless child node; Roon Nucleus + music server; HDPlex 300 linear power supply. Cables Digital: Nordost Odin 1 and 2 (BNC), Wireworld Platinum Starlight Cat8 (Ethernet). AC: Nordost Odin 1 and 2, Valhalla 1; AudioQuest Dragon HC. Umbilical cord (HDPlex): Ghent Audio Canare. Accessories AudioQuest Niagara 1200 power conditioner; Nordost QK1 and QV2 AC enhancers; Stein Super Naturals and Q1 Quantum Organizer; iPhone 12 Pro.…

Description Two-channel SET integrated amplifier with phono stage. Output: 8Wpc into 4 ohms (9dBW) or 8 ohms (6dBW). Input impedance: 100k ohms, line level; 47k ohms, phono. Input sensitivity: 240mV for full output. Channel balance: ±0.3dB. Tube complement: 5U4G plus two each 300B, 5687, ECC82, ECC88, and ECC83. Moving magnet phono stage loading, 47k ohms, 47pF (fixed); gain, 37.3dB; input sensitivity, 10.8mV at full output; channel balance, <0.25dB; noise <1mV. Max. power consumption: 200W. Dimensions 18.1" (460mm) W × 8.7" (220mm) H × 20.9" (530mm) D. Weight: 65lb (29.5kg). Finish Fascia, anodized aluminum or black acrylic. Serial number of unit reviewed 3MP3-024. Manufactured in the UK. Price $19,300. Approximate number of US dealers: 11. Warranty: Two years, parts and labor. Manufacturer Audio Note Ltd., Viscount House, Units C, D &…

Dave Alvin is a fighter. In the 1980s, when Dave and his older brother, Phil Alvin, shared studio and stage as co-founders of Los Angeles punkabilly band The Blasters, they frequently fought each other. They also fought musically, tussling over every note as the four-man band wrangled many great tunes. In that respect, their working relationship may have been similar to the sibling push-pull output of Ray and Dave Davies in the Kinks and Liam and Noel Gallagher in Oasis. Consider “American Music,” “Marie Marie,” and “Border Radio,” all from the band’s 1981 sophomore album The Blasters, as examples of how internal conflict can lead to successful collaboration. In the years following Dave’s departure from the Blasters, in 1986, the brothers often sparred anew as they drifted through the transom of…

TAKE HEED! Unless marked otherwise, all letters to the magazine and its writers are assumed to be for possible publication. Please include your name and physical address. We reserve the right to edit for length and content. European jazz festivals Thank you for Thomas Conrad’s European jazz festival journal, “On the Road Again.”1 I enjoyed learning about jazz festivals I had not heard of and the reports on the musicians from around the world. While in Prague pre-COVID, we spent a couple of great evenings in jazz clubs. And we’ve attended US jazz festivals. Now we’re motivated to try out some festivals in Europe, hopefully avoiding Mr. Conrad’s experience of contracting COVID. And thank you for Stereophile’s increased quantity and quality of reviews and articles on jazz. Bruce Goldstein Berkeley Springs,…

D/A PROCESSOR If you’re reasonably handy, you can probably build your own digital-to-analog converter. It won’t cost much, and if you’re careful, and knowledgeable enough to understand and follow some rather technical instructions, or if you have patience enough to follow advice from a few different online discussion forums—and the judgment to distinguish the good advice from the bad—then the DAC you make may end up sounding very good. So it’s no surprise that you can buy very good Chinese-made DACs that measure very well, very cheaply. Those Chinese DACs are probably designed by first-rate engineers, and while extracting maximum technical performance from a good DAC chip requires care and attention, it isn’t rocket science.1 What, then, is the point in paying tens of thousands of dollars for a D/A…

Digital sources CH Precision D1.5 transport/player (used as transport), X1 power supply, and T1 clock. Roon Nucleus+; Synology DS918+ 4-bay Network Attached Storage device with 16TB; Melco S100 Ethernet Dataswitch. Preamplification Pass Labs XP-25 phono preamplifier, Pass Labs XP-32 line preamplifier. Power amplifiers Pass Labs XA60.8 monoblocks, Burmester 218 stereo amplifiers bridged for mono. Loudspeakers Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx V, Estelon XB Diamond Mk.2. Cables Digital: AudioQuest Carbon & Cinnamon & Coffee (all USB); Nordost Valhalla 2 (Ethernet). Interconnect: Burmester (XLR), Nordost Valhalla 2, AudioQuest. Speaker: AudioQuest Thunderbird ZERO. Power: Burmester, Nordost Valhalla 2, AudioQuest Tornado High-Current C13, NRG-X3, and Monsoon C13. Accessories PS Audio Power Plant P10 power conditioner, Butcher Block Acoustics RigidRack, IsoAcoustics, and Magico footers.…

Description Two-way stand-mount active wireless streaming loudspeaker with class-D amplification, DAC, and Bluetooth remote control. Inputs, Primary speaker: 2 RCA analog, 1 Ethernet, 1 TosLink. 1 RCA digital (client, for interspeaker link). Outputs, Primary speaker: 1 RCA (for interspeaker S/PDIF link), 1 Sub RCA analog, 1 12V Trigger. Wireless interspeaker connection: WiSA (up to 24/96). Network: Wi-Fi, Ethernet. D/A conversion: 24/48 or 24/96 wireless; 24/192 when wired to client speaker. Frequency response: 43Hz–22kHz (±3dB @85dB), 22Hz–36kHz (–6dB dynamic). Amplifier power: 280W woofer, 110W tweeter. Standby power consumption: <0.5W). Maximum power consumption: 280W. Dimensions 71/8 " (180mm) W × 123/8 " (315mm) H × 101/4 " (261mm) D. Grille adds5/8 " (15mm) to D. Weight: 16.5lb (7.5kg). Finishes Black or white high gloss, blonde or walnut wood. Magnetic “smart” grille with…

Analog sources Music Hall Stealth turntable with Ortofon 2M Black and Goldring Eroica HX MM phono cartridges. Digital sources Roon Nucleus+ music server; Denafrips Terminator Plus and HoloAudio Spring3, Rotel DT-6000 DAC Transport; dCS Bartók DAC/Streamer. Preamplification HoloAudio Serene, Lab 12 Pre 1 line preamplifiers. SunValley SV-EQ1616D phono equalizer. Power amplifier Rogue Sphinx V3. Integrated amplifiers Pass Labs INT-25. Loudspeakers Falcon Acoustics LS3/5a Gold Badge, GoldenEar BRX, Klipsch RP600M II Cables Digital: AudioQuest Cinnamon USB. Interconnect: Siltech Explorer Series 90i, Siltech Classic Legend 880i, Cardas Clear Beyond. Speaker: Siltech Explorer Series 90L, Siltech Classic Legend Series 880L. AC: AudioQuest Tornado, manufacturer’s own. Accessories AudioQuest Niagara 1000 power conditioner; Harmonic Resolution Systems isolation platform (under Parasound A 21+ amplifier), Platis 65 Passive Isolation Platform (under Dr. Feickert turntable), Audiophile Systems platform…

Description Upsampling D/A processor with volume control, remote control for basic functions, Android-only app for settings and operation. Conversion type: Linearized R-2R using four PCM1704 chips per channel, operating at 24 bits, 705.6kHz & 768kHz, DSD via DoP or direct conversion up to DSD128. Bypassable volume control operates in 0.5dB steps. Adjustable channel balance, switchable mono (summing) and absolute phase selection. Standard inputs: AES3, S/PDIF, TosLink, CH-Link HD (proprietary). Optional inputs: Asynchronous USB, Ethernet, analog (XLR and RCA). Class-A output stage with zero global negative feedback. Output levels (FS, RMS): 255V (single-ended/BNC or RCA) or 5.1V (balanced/XLR). S/N ratio: >120dB. THD + N: <0.001% FS below 22kHz, B-weighted. Optional clock-sync board. 800 × 480 pixel, 24-bit RGB AMOLED display. Dimensions 17.3" (440mm) L × 6.3" (133mm) H × 17.3"…

Analog source Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge, Channel D Seta L phono preamplifier. Digital sources Roon Nucleus+ file server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; MBL N31 CD player/DAC; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 A/D converter; NetGear Nighthawk router. Power amplifiers Parasound Halo JC 1+ and Schiit Tyr monoblocks, Benchmark AHB2. Loudspeakers KEF LS50, Mission 770. Cables Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), AudioQuest Coffee (USB), DH Labs (1m, AES3). Interconnect: AudioQuest Wild Blue (balanced). Speaker: AudioQuest Robin Hood. AC: AudioQuest Dragon Source & High Current, manufacturers’ own. Accessories 24" Celestion loudspeaker stands; 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). HDPlex linear power supply for Roon…

Description Solid state stereo integrated amplifier with DAC. Analog inputs: 1 pair balanced (XLR), 4 pair unbalanced (RCA). Digital inputs: 1 aptX/AAC wireless Bluetooth; 3 RCA, 3 coaxial, 3 TosLink S/PDIF; 1 Ethernet, 1 asynchronous PC-USB up to 32/384; 2 trigger ports. Outputs: 4 pairs of 3-way speaker binding posts: 2 for Speaker A and 2 for Speaker B; mono subwoofer and preamplifier out; 12V trigger; USB Power Port; RS232 connector for custom integration;1/8 " (3mm) unbalanced headphone output on the front panel. Output power: 200Wpc (RMS) into 8 ohms (23dBW), 350Wpc (maximum at 1% THD) into 4 ohms (22.4dBW). Dimensions 17" (432mm) W × 5.7" (145mm) H × 16" (406mm) D. Weight 44.5lb (18.8kg). Finish Black or Silver. Serial number of unit reviewed 265-2181025. Designed in Japan, built in…

Analog sources Thorens TD 124 turntable/Jelco MS350S tone-arm/EMT TSD 15N MC cart. 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. Preamplifiers Shindo Allegro, Audio Note S9SUT. Power amplifier Shindo Haut Brion. Loudspeakers DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96. Cables Interconnects: Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA), Analysis Plus Silver Apex (RCA), Shindo (RCA). Speaker: Analysis Plus Silver Apex Speaker (bananas). AC: Triode Wire Labs Obsession NCF. Accessories Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU Record Cleaning Machine; Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl Cleaner Pro; Hunt Mark 6 Carbon Fiber Record Cleaning Brush; IsoTek EVO3 Aquarius line conditioner; Salamander five-tier rack (2); IKEA Aptitlig bamboo chopping boards (under turntable, preamp, power amps); mahogany blocks (2" × 2" × 0.5") under cutting boards.…

THIS ISSUE: The early music of Lee “Scratch” Perry, courtesy of Trojan Records. Madman skank “Whip dem, whip dem,” sings Junior Byles on “Beat Down Babylon,” to the accompaniment of whip cracks that recall the ones on Frankie Laine’s “Mule Train.” Produced by Mitch Miller some 20 years before Lee “Scratch” Perry produced Byles’s reggae hit, “Mule Train” helped establish “the primacy of the producer—even more than the artist, the accompaniment, or the material,” according to author Will Friedwald, who adds that “Miller also conceived of the idea of the pop record ‘sound’ per se: not so much an arrangement or a tune, but an aural texture (usually replete with extramusical gimmicks) that could be created in the studio.” Doubtless unaware of Miller’s contributions, Perry played a similarly pivotal role…

THIS ISSUE: Despite rising costs and inflation, and economic slowdown, some dealers are opening new stores and expanding their reach. Carving out space in the real world In last month’s Re-Tales column, I discussed the impact the current economy is having on the hi-fi industry. Some hi-fi companies said sales have “normalized” after widespread, dramatic increases during the COVID years—which is to say, sales are down relative to their peak but still strong. Others have noticed customers biding time before making expensive purchases or opting to buy less-expensive equipment than originally planned. Yet, even in this risky economic climate, a few people are taking the risk and opening new brick-and-mortar retail stores. All the dealers I spoke to sell some equipment online. Some brands can only be sold through real-world…