Kevin Main, president of Torus Power, joined me for lunch in Las Vegas during the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, to tell…
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Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary defines tot as "1: a small child: TODDLER; 2: a small drink or allowance of liquor: SHOT." Torus Power used it to name their compact line of toroidal power conditioners. Although small in size, weight, and price, the TOT AVR includes the Automatic Voltage Regulation referred to in its name, as well as noise filtering and smart Ethernet control, and is available with series-mode surge suppression (SMSS) circuit protection.
Because the ND5 XS 2 is described as being Roon-ready, I was at first a bit peeved that this functionality, too, isn't even hinted at in the Quick Start Guide or the full owner's manual. Not knowing what else to do, I booted up the MacBook Air on which I keep Roon and most of my music files, launched Roon, went first to Settings, and then to Audio . . . and there on the screen before me, under the newly appeared heading Networked, were the words "Naim Audio ND5 XS 2" and a software button labeled Enable. Apparently, my Roon installation and Naim's network player had found each other! I…
The call I received from Music Hall's Leland Leard surprised me: "Hey, Bob, I think you'd be the perfect guy to review our new Ikura turntable!"
Hmm. It had been four years since I'd reviewed a record player: Pro-Ject's Debut III, in the February 2010 issue. And with the surging popularity of vinyl—hell, Rough Trade NYC's enormous new record store, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, even sells turntables—the thought of a plug-and-play turntable-tonearm-cartridge combination for $1200 intrigued me. Sure, Leland—send it on.
Design
The Ikura features a two-plinth design…
Because some internal crossovers produce audible effects, I checked to hear if the Rhythm2's internal electronic crossover was altering the sound of the high-pass signal driving the Salon2s. Try as I might, I couldn't hear the Rhythm2's crossover. Whether I ran the Salon2s full range and used the Rhythm2 for reinforcement, or passed the audio signal through the sub's crossover, the tonal characteristics of my system didn't change. I heard no discontinuities between the speakers and the subwoofer even with solo-piano recordings. The light, lyrical quality of Keith Jarrett's playing in "True…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Both the Arcam Alpha 10 integrated amplifier and 10P power amplifier are discussed in this section. The power amplifier in the 10P is virtually identical to that in the 10; the few minor differences found on the test bench are noted here.
Both amplifiers shut down about 30 minutes into their one-hour, 1/3-power preconditioning test, after running relatively hot but not alarmingly so. The protection circuits of both appear to be very sensitive; I ran into delays a number of times at the test bench when the amplifiers shut down. Each amp's heatsinks seem…
The last few years at our annual Home Entertainment Show, many readers have come up to me and asked: "How do you select which speakers to review?" In my case, most candidates are either new products that have impressed me when demonstrated at our HE Shows, or new products from manufacturers whose designs have impressed me in the past. Occasionally, editor John Atkinson gets wind of a speaker and asks if I'd like to review it. But once in a while, a manufacturer reads a rave review of a competing product that makes his or her blood boil.
That's what happened with Usher Audio…
Home Entertainment 2006 in L.A. The weather is fine. The restaurants are cool. The company is très neat. I can't wait to schmooze with manufacturers, writers, dealers, and meet, for the first time, writers of letters to the editor of Stereophile. Play some jazz with John Atkinson and Immedia's Allen Perkins—one smokin' drummer since he's been studying with Peter Erskine (Joni Mitchell, Weather Report, Diana Krall). Of course, my prime objective at the Show is to seek out the best-sounding affordable loudspeakers, to keep my review hopper full for the next year.
This time, the choice is…
MICHAEL FREMER
THE BAND: The Band
Capitol STAO-132 (LP). 1969. The Band, John Simon, prods.; Joe Zagarino, Tony May, engs.; Robert Ludwig, mastering. AAA. TT: 44:01
THE BAND: The Band
Capitol STAO-132 (LP). 1969. The Band, John Simon, prods.; Joe Zagarino, Tony May, engs.; Robert Ludwig, mastering. AAA. TT: 44:01
Holed up in Sammy Davis, Jr.'s, Hollywood Hills pool house, the Canadian-American aggregate known as The Band produced and recorded one of the great albums of the 1960s—one that somehow managed to capture the feel of Civil War America with the authority of a Matthew Brady daguerreotype. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Up On Cripple Creek" may be better known, but the album's quiet masterpieces are "…
Further sonic improvements were brought about through use of the Purist Audio Designs System Enhancer CD and the Gryphon Exorcist. I experimented with the various speaker cables I had on hand, and found the Dunlavy D-8 to provide the best overall match. Both the Purist Colossus II and TARA RSC interconnects worked well in the system, the Purist cable sounding a bit more mellow.
The CAT SL-1 Signature preamp was Stereophile's 1993 "Product of the Year," and I had no reason to believe that combining it with the KSA-100S would be in any way problematic, but I wanted to check out how the…
Jeff Joseph always causes a stir at Stereophile's annual Home Entertainment Shows. No matter which speakers he exhibits, he invariably gets wonderful sound in his room. He's fooled more than one Stereophile writer who thought he was listening to Joseph's flagship Pearls when, behind a curtain, it was actually two of his in-wall models that were playing. And his competitors seem to envy his hi-fi show sound more each year.
My experience with Joseph Audio speakers had been limited to show demonstrations, as their prices have always far exceeded my self-imposed ceiling for "…