Forget about better or worse: the Monaco's direct-drive system sounded different from belt drive. Was that…
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But after I'd spent some time with the Monaco, its somewhat cool, aloof personality and less-than-generous harmonic and textural presentation became evident. Its dry, tight sound will immediately appeal to some listeners, especially those used to a 'table with uncertain speed control or one that retains and reflects energy back through the system to produce a sloppy, boring warmth. For them, the Monaco's clarity, rhythmic organization, and jet-black backdrops will be breathtaking.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Direct-drive, suspensionless turntable with DSP-controlled, brushless, 12-pole, DC motor. Speeds: 331/3rpm, 45rpm, each variable by up to ±1%, in 0.2% increments. Speed accuracy: better than 0.002% peak deviation from average speed, or a calculated 0.0014% RMS based on three-sigma statistical protocol. Wow & flutter: <0.002%. Rumble: not specified.
Dimensions: Turntable side-by-side with power supply, 24" (615mm) W by 8" (205mm) H (including feet) by 15.5" (400mm) D. Turntable alone is approximately 13" in diameter, plus the tonearm mount…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn turntable & Cobra tonearm; Merrill MS-21 turntable; Graham Phantom B-44, Triplanar tonearms; Lyra Titan, Air Tight PC-1, Koetsu Vermillion cartridges.
Digital Sources: Musical Fidelity kW DM25 DAC & CD transport, Musical Fidelity kW SACD player; Esoteric SA-60 universal player; BPT-modified Alesis Masterlink hard-disk recorder.
Preamplification: Manley Steelhead, Einstein Turntable's Choice phono preamplifiers; darTZeel NHB-18NS preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity kW monoblocks.…
A friend once described my audio ethos as "records, tubes, big amplifiers, and really big speakers"—I always picked warmth and musicality over antiseptic neutrality, even if the former came with a few extra colors in the tonal palette. Had I listed my criteria for an audio component, transparency wouldn't have been near the top, and might not have been listed at all.
But a little over three years ago, my pursuit of audio nirvana veered sharply off its previous trajectory. Placette Audio's unassuming little Remote Volume Control changed all. The experience was eye-opening and jaw…
The effects of the Placette's focus and clarity were easy to trace to individual performers—if I tried to do so—or to minute details in the recording environment. Small and low-level details were sometimes more obvious with other preamps, however, which could give simply recorded live performances more energy and life. I noted that, with Townes Van Zandt's performance of his "Pancho and Lefty" on the benefit concert recording Steve Earle/Townes Van Zandt/Guy Clark Together at the Bluebird Café (CD, American Originals SDPCD161), the Sutherland DLS infused the sound with an immediacy that…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Remote-controlled, unity-gain, line-stage preamplifier. Inputs: 5 unbalanced (RCA), 1 tape loop. Outputs: 2 unbalanced (RCA), headphone (½" phone jack). Input impedance: 18k ohms. Output impedance: 10 ohms. Volume attenuation: 2 ranges separated by 15dB, each 126 discrete steps.
Dimensions: 19" (483mm) W by 5" (127mm) H by 16.25" (413mm) D. Shipping weight: 33 lbs (15kg).
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: SN 0540.
Price: $6995. Approximate number of dealers: factory-direct only. Warranty: lifetime, parts & labor; 30-day refund policy;…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI HR-X turntable & tonearm; Lyra Titan, Grado Statement Reference cartridges.
Digital Sources: Simaudio Andromeda, Primare CD31 CD players.
Preamplification: Sutherland PhD phono stage; Halcro dm10, Sonic Euphoria PLC, Sutherland Direct Line Stage, VTL TL-7.5 preamplifiers.
Power Amplifiers: VTL Ichiban, Halcro dm58 & dm88, Mark Levinson No.20.6 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Sophia 1 & 2.
Cables: Interconnect: Stereovox SEI 600II. Speaker: Stereovox LSP-600C. Nordost Valhalla and Audience…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
As specified, the Placette Active Linestage (ALS) offers a maximum gain of unity; ie, the maximum signal level is the same as that of the source components driving it. Owners should make sure, therefore, that their source components offer a sufficiently high signal level to fully drive their amplifiers. The 15dB attenuation switch on the Placette's remote control actually reduced the gain by 15.6dB, which is close enough to the specification. The ALS preserved absolute polarity.
The input impedance was close to specification at 18.5k ohms at all…
"You've got to hear it!"
I had e-mailed Cantus producer Erick Lichte last March to discuss the progress I was making assembling the performances for the choir's new CD Cantus, which is scheduled for release this fall. But instead of talking about nuances of performance and splices and mixes, Erick was raving about the new Bel Canto DAC3 he'd borrowed from a local dealer to audition at home.
"I was floored! It was so involving. I was also so impressed with what they are going after with this product. . . . This kind of device, like my Benchmark DAC1, is not only the Swiss…
The DAC3 uses a single PCM1792, though it should be noted that the chip can also be used in dual-differential mode (one per channel) to give 3dB lower noise and thus greater resolution. The DAC's four current outputs (left hot/cold and right hot/cold) are each transformed into a voltage signal by what appears to be a combination of a high-precision Caddock resistor (footnote 1) and a Linear Technology high-speed op-amp; this stage in turn feeds the output stage, which is based on high-quality Burr-Brown OPA1632 differential-output op-amps.
Sound
I mainly used the e.One DAC3 taking…