In the real world, magazine reviews have all of the outcomes I've outlined, with an apparently unpredictable and arbitrary correlation with supposed product quality. In addition, if reviewers knew and told all, then all that audiophiles would need to satisfy their buying needs would be magazine reviews and a…
search
In an ideal world, the only possible outcomes would be 1 and 4. Reviewers and your store's buyers would have opinions and philosophies so closely aligned that magazines would only give positive reviews to products that dealers had already determined would make their customers happy.
So why should there be conflicts?
First, let me examine the rave review given a product that has no profile in the marketplace. Stereophile tries to avoid this situation by only reviewing products that are available from five or more retail outlets. Though many manufacturers regard this policy as unduly stringent, it does ensure that products we review are at least partway real. Magazines have the responsibility not to frustrate their audience by recommending products that don't exist (footnote 2).
Second, how about the negative review the magazine gives to a product that, until…
Conceptually, the preamplifier is the bottleneck in an audio system. All sources pass through it, and it influences every sound you hear. A system comprising great speakers and gutsy amplification will sound uninspired if that's the character of the preamplifier. Conversely, a great preamplifier will allow through so much information, so much of the music, that the listener can forgive the shortcomings of lesser speakers and amplifiers.
Since I reviewed it in November 1997 (Stereophile, Vol.20 No.11), the Mark Levinson No.380S has been my preferred preamplifier. The '380S cost $…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel, solid-state line preamplifier with remote control, optional phono stage, 3 pairs balanced inputs on XLRs, 4 pairs single-ended inputs on RCAs, 1 pair balanced main outputs on XLRs, 1 pair single-ended main outputs on RCAs, 2 pairs record outputs on RCAs, communication connections on 8-pin modular RJ-45 jacks, IR input and trigger output on 3.5mm phone jacks, and RS-232 on 6-pin RJ-11 jack. Maximum voltage gain: 0, 6, 12, or 18dB, individually selectable for each line input. Volume-control range: 80.0dB. Gain resolution: 0.1dB steps…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv phono cartridge, Linn Linto phono preamp.
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe universal player; Technics DVD-A10 DVD-Audio player; Mark Levinson No.31.5 CD transport; Mark Levinson No.30.6, Benchmark DAC 1 D/A processors; Olive Symphony music server; Alesis Masterlink hard-disk recorder.
Preamplification: Mark Levinson No.380S preamplifier, NHT Passive Volume Control.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H monoblocks, Musical Fidelity kW750.
Loudspeakers:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
In full balanced mode, the Mark Levinson No.326S had a maximum voltage gain of 0.1dB, 6.1dB, 12.2dB, or 18.1dB, depending on how the input gain was set. The unbalanced figures were half this. The input impedance was 100k ohms at low and midrange frequencies for both balanced and unbalanced inputs, dropping slightly but inconsequentially at 20kHz to 86k ohms balanced and 67k ohms unbalanced. The unbalanced output impedance was a usefully low 29 ohms across the audioband, the balanced value only a little higher at 38 ohms.
The No.326S's frequency response…
It's a beautiful drive, considering you're on a freeway. You take I-25 north out of Albuquerque, Sandia Peak to your right and the Jemez Caldera and Mount Taylor dimly visible in the distance to your left. As you broach La Bajada hill south of Santa Fe, the Sangre de Cristo range—the "Blood of Christ Mountains" described by Paul Simon in "Hearts & Bones"—appears before your windshield. You take the Old Pecos Trail exit to the City Different, but before you reach town you bear to the left, then take another left opposite St. Vincent Hospital. There, in a cul-de-sac, you peer up at the…
We've all got our pet peeves, and one of mine is stiff, unwieldy audio cables that simply refuse to bend to my will—or to bend at all. Instructions like "carefully bend to final configuration, ensuring that no bend is sharper than a 36" radius" make my blood boil. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Audience's willowy Au24 cable and wonderfully flexible powerChord positively warmed my heart when I encountered them at the 2002 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The Au24 interconnects and loudspeaker cables, Audience's top models, both use the same basic wire. It consists of an…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Interconnect and loudspeaker cables, removable IEC AC cord. Interconnects available in single-ended (RCA) and balanced (XLR) configurations. Loudspeaker cables available in single- and biwired configurations.
Prices: Interconnects, unbalanced: $417/1m pair, $300/additional meter. Interconnects, balanced: $776/1m pair, $600/additional meter. Loudspeaker cables, single-wire: $1115/3m pair, $300/additional meter. Loudspeaker cables, biwire: $2430/3m pair, $700/additional meter. powerChord: $379/6' length. Approximate number of dealers: 25. Warranty:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: VPI TNT Mk.V-HR turntable and tonearm, Grado Signature Reference cartridge.
Digital source: Simaudio Moon Eclipse CD player.
Preamplifier: VAC Renaissance Signature Mk.II.
Power amplifiers: VTL Ichiban monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Magnepan MG3.6/R.
Cables: Interconnect: Nirvana S-X Ltd., Nordost Valhalla. Speaker: Nirvana SL, Nordost. AC: Synergistic Research AC Reference Master Couplers.
Accessories: Merrill equipment stand; Bright Star Big Rock, Little Rock, and Air Mass isolation devices; Nordost ECO3 and Disksolution CD…