search

Listening #58 Page 2

So then, in alphabetical order:

Audio Note AN-S8 ($8675): The AN-S8 is built into the same paint-on-copper chassis as the other transformers in the current Audio Note UK line, which range from the AN-S1 ($700) to this demi-flagship. (Believe it or not, an AN-S9, price to be determined, is being developed.) Whereas some Audio Note step-up transformers allow the user to switch between different primaries, the AN-S8 does not, and is offered instead in three single-primary versions: 1, 16, and 64 ohms. My review sample was the middle one.

The AN-S8 is wound with Audio Note's…

Listening #58 Page 3

The Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 sounded bigger, and the Audio Note AN-S8 sounder clearer, more present, more colorful. The Shindo Masseto's built-in trannie had a shade more texture and a more natural sense of flow, and the Auditorium 23 Standard had more character and drama. Yet the K&K never sounded deficient in any of those ways: It just sounded musical—to such a degree that, whenever I used it to play the records I love, I was able to forget about sound altogether and simply lose myself in the music.

The K&K's bass was strong enough for my tastes, and nicely detailed. It played…

Listening #58 Contacts

Sidebar: CONTACTS

Audio Note Ltd. , 25 Montefiore Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 1RD, England, UK. Tel: (44) (0)1273-220-511. Fax: (44) (0)1273-731-498. Web: www.audionote.co.uk. US distributor: Audio Federation Inc., P.O. Box 19950, Boulder, CO 80304. Tel: (303) 546-6503. Web: www.audiofederation.com.
Auditorium 23, Gabelsbergerstrass 23, D-60389 Frankfurt, Germany. Tel: (49) (0)69-4652202. Web: www.auditorium23.de. US distributor: Tone Imports LLC. Tel: (646) 425-7800. Web: www.toneimports.com.
K&K Audio, 1004 Olive Chapel Road, Apex, NC 27502. Tel./Fax: (919) 387-0911. Web…

Listening #58 Ortofon, EAR, Koetsu, September 2008

Art Dudley auditioned Ortofon, EAR, & Koetsu transformers in September 2008 (Vol.31 No.9):

Three moving-coil step-up transformers have arrived since my last attempt at a comprehensive survey of same, in the October 2007 issue: the EAR MC4 ($1995, footnote 1), the Ortofon Verto ($849, footnote 2), and the more plainly named Koetsu ($3500, footnote 3). I've also found time to change the configuration of the hardwired, multitap K&K step-up transformer ($275 kit, $335 assembled) from high-gain to low-gain mode—so I now have a better idea how that model stacks up against such "…

Listening #58 Auditorium 23 Hommage, August 2009

Art Dudley returned to the Auditorium 23 Hommage in August 2009 (Vol.32 No.8):

This whole thing started up again when I tried to improve the phono-input section of my main system—not to enhance its performance (although you might expect that to happen), but to provide a fairer, more flexible context for evaluating new cartridges.

The technical reason: Taken in isolation, even the small collection of phono cartridges that I own—Miyabi 47, Rega Elys, Grace F9E, Denon DL-103, and EMT OFD 25—represent a pretty wide range of resistive-loading requirements. The low-impedance Miyabi 47…

Marantz SA8001 SACD player

Most people are familiar, at least in outline, with the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea." In the story, the Queen decides that it's time for her son to marry, and the Prince—apparently a very fussy young man—decides that he can marry only a true princess, as measured by her sensitivity to small discomforts. It's like being an audiophile, but with peas.

One night, a young woman comes to the door claiming to be just such a princess. The skeptical Queen devises a test: She puts a tiny pea in the girl's bed frame, covers it with 20 of her finest…

Marantz SA8001 SACD player Page 2

My recent introspection and the trouble I had detecting sonic differences among the digital front-ends I had on hand motivated me to put together a set of criteria for the evaluation of digital players—one that's consistent with my outlook on life. The list is in no particular order; all of these criteria (except for the last, which I don't mention until the end of the review) should be met by any respectable digital player. Here's the list, with my verdict on the SA8001 for each point.

1. A player should play every disc put in it, assuming it supports the format.

…

Marantz SA8001 SACD player Page 3

So let's move on to the next-to-last item in my list of desirable digital attributes, and talk about the sound of the SA8001.

5. A player should deliver much of the sonic experience the format is capable of, and more expensive players should deliver more. It ought to be pleasant to listen to; the pleasanter, the better.

As I've already said, with "Red Book" CDs, the sonic differences among the digital sources I had on hand—the SA8001, my Marantz SA-15S1, and my Benchmark DAC-1—proved exceedingly subtle. In A/B comparisons, I detected a small advantage, spatially, of the SA-15S1…

Marantz SA8001 SACD player Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Single-box, fixed-output, two-channel SACD player with remote control. Formats played: SACD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW. D/A conversion: 24 bits/192kHz. Analog outputs: 1 pair RCA (unbalanced), one ¼" headphone out (with level adjustment). Digital outputs: coaxial S/PDIF, TosLink S/PDIF. Analog output levels: 2.3V RMS, SACD and CD. Frequency responses: 2Hz–50kHz (SACD), 2Hz–20kHz (CD). Dynamic ranges: 112dB (SACD), 100dB (CD). THD: 0.001% (SACD), 0.002% (CD). Channel separation: not provided. Jitter: not provided. Power consumption: 20W.
Dimensions: 17 5/…

Marantz SA8001 SACD player Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital Sources: Marantz SA-15S1 SACD player, Benchmark DAC-1 D/A converter.
Preamplification: Balanced Audio Technology VK-52SE preamplifier; Whest 2.0, Rega Fono (MM) phono stages.
Integrated Amplifier: Arcam A75 Plus.
Loudspeakers: Vandersteen 2Ce Signature, Mackie HR824 active nearfield studio monitors (on cheap but rigid metal stands).
Cables: Interconnect: Chord Chameleon Silver Plus & Chorus, Monster Cable M550i, Mogami XLR balanced. Speaker: Chord Odyssey 2 & 4, Monster Cable M1.2. AC: PS Audio Statement Plus.
Accessories:…