I should mention that I reacted to the single-ended triode phenomenon with great skepticism. My…
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Although I'll be spending most of my time at Stereophile reviewing affordable gear, I will from time to time examine so-called "trickle-down" designs from high-end designers who have made their mark in the upper-price echelons. More and more, such designers are taking what they've learned and applying it to less-expensive products in order to broaden their customer base. Cary Audio Design, for example, of single-ended triode fame, has entered the ring with the SLM-100 pentode monoblocks.
I've long been fascinated by Carl Marchisotto's speaker designs, first for Alón by Acarian Systems and currently for Accent Speaker Technology's Nola family of models. The Alón Circe has been my reference loudspeaker for over a decade, and it replaced my previous reference, the Alón V Mk.III. During my tenure at Stereophile I've also reviewed the Alón PW-1 woofer system (February 1997, Vol.20 No.2) and the Nola Mini speaker (January 2006, Vol.29 No.1), both now discontinued. In recent years, however, I hadn't paid much attention to Marchisotto's newer speakers, as he's focused on expensive…
Except on a few choral recordings, the MAC7200's DAC matched the Bryston BDA-3's dynamics, background quietness, and depiction of the soundstage. Both revealed subtle details in the bass drum head—muffled but solid—which underpinned the chorus and soloist, Jose Carreras, in the "Kyrie" of Ariel Ramirez's Misa Criolla, conducted by José Luis Ocejo (CD, Philips 420 955-2), and discriminated different vocal details in the chorus. In their rendering of Patricia Barber's Companion (Premonition/Blue Note/Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UDSACD 2023), the two DACs both depicted the rich, well-defined…
Sam Tellig wrote about the NAIT 2 in April 1990 (Vol.13 No.4):
You were expecting me to write about Krell, right?
I thought the Anarchistic thing would be to write about the Naim NAIT 2 instead—a 15Wpc integrated amp from Britain that sells in the US for what appears to be a ridiculous $795.
But is it really that ridiculous?
As usual, other audiophiles tried to tell me what to think. Or hear.
"Fifteen watts per channel for 800 bucks!" wailed my would-be Advisor, Wayne. "You could buy a B&K ST-140 amp and Pro 5 preamp for about the same price. 100Wpc…
Stereophile's Products of 1998
Product of the Year: Conrad-Johnson ART preamplifier (review)
Budget Component: Creek 4330R integrated amplifier
Joint Loudspeakers:
Audio Artistry Beethoven
Revel Ultima Gem (review)
Joint Amplification Components:
Conrad-Johnson ART preamplifier (review)
Mark Levinson No.33H monoblock power amplifier (review)
VTL MB-1250 Wotan monoblock power amplifier (review)
Joint Digital Sources:
Meridian 508.24 CD player
Z-Systems RDP-1 digital preamplifier/equalizer
Analog Source: Simon Yorke Designs Series 7 Analogue Disc…
Product of the Year: Conrad-Johnson ART preamplifier (review)
Budget Component: Creek 4330R integrated amplifier
Joint Loudspeakers:
Audio Artistry Beethoven
Revel Ultima Gem (review)
Joint Amplification Components:
Conrad-Johnson ART preamplifier (review)
Mark Levinson No.33H monoblock power amplifier (review)
VTL MB-1250 Wotan monoblock power amplifier (review)
Joint Digital Sources:
Meridian 508.24 CD player
Z-Systems RDP-1 digital preamplifier/equalizer
Analog Source: Simon Yorke Designs Series 7 Analogue Disc…
NAD has been out there on the leading edge of entry-level high-end sound long enough that some audiophiles reckon they invented the category. Sure, we should give serious props to the likes of Creek, Rotel, Musical Fidelity, Arcam, Denon, and Parasound, all of which have made significant contributions to the musical aspirations of budget-conscious pilgrims. But I continue to harbor warm feelings about my last extended visit with an NAD component: the inexpensive yet supremely musical L40 CD Receiver, which I reviewed in the June 2000 Stereophile.
The new C370 was designed to…
Sidebar: Previous Awards:
Stereophile's Products of 2005
Joint Products of the Year:
Ayre C-5xe universal disc player (review)
dartZeel NHB-108 Model One power amplifier (review)
Budget Product of the Year: B&W DM603 S3 loudspeaker (review)
Joint Loudspeakers:
Innersound Kaya (review)
Peak Consult Empress (review)
Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage (review)
Wilson Audio Specialties MAXX Series 2 (review)
Amplification Component: DarTZeel NHB-108 Model One power amplifier (review)
Joint Digital Source:
Ayre C-5xe universal disc player (…
Soundstaging, too, benefited. The No.532H enabled my Quad ESL-989 electrostatic speakers to project a broad, detailed, involving, three-dimensional soundstage with vivid dynamics that equaled, and in many cases bettered, the soundstage created by my ML-2 monoblocks. "Breathe," from the SACD remastering of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (SACD/CD, EMI 2435-82136-2), presented a wicked brew of throbbing helicopter blades, jackhammers, footsteps running across my listening room, dive bombers, and announcements made on the PA system of a railroad terminal—all on a wide soundstage, to create…
Late last year, when I first heard of the Music Hall Marimba, I was happily surprised: One of my favorite hi-fi manufacturers had finally introduced its first and (so far) only loudspeaker—and it was seriously affordable at $349/pair. I wanted to review the Marimbas right away, but grumpy old Sam Tellig beat me to them (see our December 2012 issue). My first chance to hear the Marimbas came last October, at the 2012 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, where they highlighted a refreshingly small and simple system comprising Music Hall's MMF-5.1SE turntable with Cruise Control 2.0 power supply, and a…
The Band: The Last Waltz 40th
Rhino RR 273925 (2 CDs). 1978/2016. Robbie Robertson, prod.; Ron Fraboni, John Simon, co-prods.; Terry Becker, Tim Kramer, Elliot Mazer, Wayne Neuendorf, Ed Anderson, Neil Brody, engs. ADD? TT: 2:09:11
Performance *****
Sonics ****
Rhino RR 273925 (2 CDs). 1978/2016. Robbie Robertson, prod.; Ron Fraboni, John Simon, co-prods.; Terry Becker, Tim Kramer, Elliot Mazer, Wayne Neuendorf, Ed Anderson, Neil Brody, engs. ADD? TT: 2:09:11
Performance *****
Sonics ****
To clear the air, if not the sinuses, let's dispose right now of the traveling-booger-matte controversy. If Robbie Robertson and the late Levon Helm are to be believed, in The Last Waltz, Neil Young performed "Helpless" with a very suspicious chunk of something hanging out of one nostril. When Young and his management…