Digital Sources: dCS Paganini SACD/CD transport & Scarlatti clock & Vivaldi DAC & Network Bridge network player; Mytek HiFi Manhattan II DAC; Intel NUC7i7BNH computer with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD running Roon; iPad Pro, external hard drives, USB sticks.
Power Amplifiers: Pass Laboratories XA200.8 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (FireWire, Ethernet), Wireworld Platinum Starlight Cat8 (Ethernet), Nordost Odin 1 & Odin 2 & Valhalla 2 (USB). Interconnect, Speaker, AC:…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Zesto's Téssara tube phono preamplifier takes pride of place on the July Stereophile's cover, to accompany Mikey Fremer's review inside. Add to that Jason Victor Serinus on the expensive Audionet Max monoblocks from Germany, John Atkinson on an affordable DAC from Arcam, Larry Greenhill on the awesome No.536 monoblock from the revitalized Mark Levinson company, Art Dudley on the Lamm L.21 preamplifier and the Serbian Soulines Kubrick DCX turntable, and Herb Reichert on turntables from Analogueworks and Palmer, and you'll see why we think this issue is rad! (JA's daughter says "Don't say that…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Apple 27" iMac, 2017 model with 3.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 16GB RAM; Apple 15" MacBook Pro, 2017 model with 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM; both running Roon 1.7 (build 667). Mytek Manhattan II D/A Converter; Arris SB8200 modem and Linksys MR8300 v 1.1 mesh router with HDPlex 200 linear power supply.
Loudspeakers/Amplification: Dragonfire Acoustics Mini Dragon DFA 2.1 desktop playback system with Mini Dragon Satellites (2), SB-8P subwoofer, MD-4 amplifier, and SHD. Dynaudio Focus 200XD wireless active…
Our July issue hits newsstands and mailboxes this weekend. Jason Victor Serinus kicks things off by asking whether CES will remain a major show for high-end audio, but occupying pride of place on the cover is Zu Audio's Soul Supreme speaker. A big paper-cone driver (with a whizzer cone) operated full-range—we all know that can't work, right. But Herb Reichert and John Atkinson found their preconceptions blown away by the sound.
Ken Micallef lives with the Italian Unison Research Unico Primo amplifier; Brian Damkroger rewires his system with Nordost Valhalla2 cables; John Atkinson ups his…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: dCS Paganini SACD/CD transport & Scarlatti clock & Rossini DAC; Intel NUC7i7BNH computer with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, running Roon; Linksys router with two TP-Link GB Ethernet media converters & multimode duplex fiber-optic cable; iPad Pro, external hard drives, USB sticks.
Preamplifier: Lamm Industries L2.1.
Power Amplifiers: Dan D'Agostino Master Systems Progression monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (Ethernet), Nordost Odin 1 & Odin 2 & Valhalla…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: dCS Paganini SACD/CD transport & Rossini, Vivaldi, & Mytek HiFi's Manhattan II DACs & Scarlatti clock; Oppo Digital UDP-205 universal BD player; Intel NUC7i7BNH computer with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, running Roon; Apple MacBook Pro computer with Intel i7, SSD, 8GB RAM; Apple iPad Pro; external hard drives, USB sticks.
Power Amplifiers: Pass Laboratories XA200.8 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (FireWire, Ethernet), Nordost Odin 1 & Odin 2 & Valhalla 2…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: dCS Paganini SACD/CD transport & Rossini DAC & Scarlatti clock & Vivaldi DAC & Network Bridge; Mytek HiFi Brooklyn DAC; Oppo Digital UDP-205 universal BD player; Intel NUC7i7BNH with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, running Roon; Apple MacBook Pro computer with Intel i7, SSD, 8GB RAM; iPad Pro, external hard drives, USB sticks.
Power Amplifiers: Pass Laboratories XA200.8 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (FireWire, Ethernet), Nordost Odin 1 & Odin 2 &…
The outrageous-looking—and outrageously expensive—Kalista CD player from French manufacturer Métronome graces the cover of our September issue, which will hit mailboxes, newsstands, and tablets this weekend. Read Art Dudley's review to find out what he heard.
And there's a lot more in this issue: Herb Reichert auditions a controversial DAC from BorderPatrol—16 bits, no oversampling, and a tube power supply—and takes a listen to the updated Schiit Yggdrasil DAC; Art Dudley reviews a tube amp from Luxman; Ken Micallef writes about a tiny but powerful class-D amplifier from Mytek; John…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: dCS Paganini SACD/CD transport & Scarlatti clock & Vivaldi DAC & Network Bridge; Linksys router with two TP-Link gigabit Ethernet media converters, multimode duplex fiber-optic cable; external hard drives, USB sticks, iPad Pro.
Preamplifier: Audio Research REF 6.
Power Amplifiers: Dan D'Agostino Master Systems Progression monoblocks, Pass Laboratories XA200.8 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond, Wireworld Platinum Starlight Cat8 (Ethernet); Nordost…
(All prices are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.)
In a near-repeat of my visit to the Gershman Acoustics room at 2019’s Toronto Audiofest, I got the chance to meet up with the Toronto-based company’s Ofra and Eli Gershman and also Krell COO Walter Schofield. This time I also got to meet Exasound president George Klissarov, to chat about audio and listen to good music from a system using a Krell 150Wpc (the first 90 watts in class-A) K300i integrated amplifier (US$7500, US$8500 with DAC; see Jason Victor Serinus's review, here.), Gershman Acoustics’s Grande Avant Garde…