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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…
Sidebar 1 Specifications
Description: D/A processor with remote control of digital input and volume. Digital inputs (5): AES/EBU (XLR), S/PDIF (BNC, RCA, TosLink), USB. Sample rates handled: 32–96kHz (S/PDIF, AES/EBU), 32kHz–48kHz (USB). Analog outputs: RCA (1 pair), balanced XLR (1 pair). Maximum output levels: 4.5V RMS balanced, 2.25V RMS unbalanced. Output impedance: 200 ohms balanced, 500 ohms unbalanced. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.5dB (CD data). THD+N: <0.0005%, 1kHz at 0dBFS, balanced output. IMD (CCIF): 0.0005%, 19+20kHz. Output noise: 3µV RMS, A-weighted. Dynamic range…
Sidebar 2 Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe, Pioneer DV-578A universal players; Logitech (Slim Devices) Transporter & Squeezebox 3 WiFi network music players with Apple Mac mini running OSX for media storage; Mark Levinson No.30.6, Benchmark DAC1, Musical Fidelity X-DACV8 D/A processors.
Preamplifiers: Parasound Halo JC2, Ayre K-5xe.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H, Parasound Halo JC1 monoblocks; Boulder 860.
Loudspeakers: Sonus Faber Cremona Elipsa, AAD Reference Silver-1, Monitor Audio Gold Signature GS10.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Illuminations…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Bel Canto e.One DAC3's S/PDIF and AES/EBU inputs successfully locked on to datastreams with sample rates varying from 32kHz to 96kHz. Feeding my Macintosh laptop to the DAC3's USB input resulted in the Bel Canto appearing in the computer's Sounds menu as "USB Audio Codec." The DAC3 is specified as being able to handle sample rates up to only 48kHz via its USB input. It did so without problem, though there were very slight changes in output level apparent when I fed it a continuous tone via USB. (This didn't happen with the other inputs.)
The DAC3's…
Specialization seems to be an inevitable consequence of progress: As the products of man and God become more and more complex, they're called on to do fewer things in more focused ways.
So it goes in domestic audio, however much we pretend otherwise. We buy an amplifier, bring it home, and give it a job to do—which, in terms of associated equipment, room size, music selection, and listening style, is very different from the job it will be called on to do elsewhere. Thus, direct comparisons often provide strangely little insight, and products that are truly universal are few.…