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In the fall of 2005, while the People's Republic of China continued to hold political dissidents in prison without due process, the US government wiretapped its citizens with impunity, tensions rose on the border between Chad and Sudan, Israeli citizens annexed thousands of acres of land from poor Palestinian farmers, Saudi Arabia executed more petty thieves and adulterers in the name of Allah, Russia "lost" a few more tons of nuclear armaments, and the polar icecaps continued to recede as the levels of preventable greenhouse emissions climbed out of control, a small band of middle-aged men…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Dual-box CD player with upsampling transport and DAC. DAC tube complement: two 6112. Formats supported: CD, CD-R, CD-RW. Transport upsampling frequency: 96kHz. Transport output signal: dual-mono, balanced AES3. Transport output jacks: XLR connectors. DAC input jacks: XLR (dual-mono balanced S/PDIF), RCA (unbalanced S/PDIF), TosLink (optical). DAC input frequency: 32kHz–96kHz. DAC upsampling frequency: 192kHz. Total harmonic distortion: <0.001–<0.002% at 1kHz (see text).
Dimensions: 17.3" (444mm) W by 5.5" (140mm) H by 15.4" (395mm) D, each…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn LP12 turntable with Naim Armageddon power supply; Naim Aro tonearm; Miyabi 47, Brinkmann/EMT cartridges; Linn Linto, Artemis PH-1 phono preamplifiers.
Digital Sources: Naim CD5x/Flatcap 2X CD player; Sony SCD-777ES SACD player.
Preamplifiers: Audio Note M3 Phono, Lamm LL2.
Power Amplifiers: Lamm ML2.1 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL, Quad ESL-989, Audio Note AN-E Lexus Signature, Lowther PMM6a drivers in modified Medallion horns.
Cables: Interconnect: Audio Note AN-Vx & Sogon, Nordost Valhalla, Ayre. Speaker:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Musical Fidelity kW DM25 DAC had a maximum output level from its solid-state output jacks of 2.236V at 1kHz, 1dB above the CD standard of 2V RMS. The output from the tubed output jacks was 0.175dB lower, at 2.2V. Both outputs preserved absolute polarity (ie, were noninverting). Despite the different circuit topologies, both tube and solid-state outputs had the same usefully low output impedance of 47 ohms in the midrange and treble, rising slightly to a still low 56 ohms at 20Hz. Error correction of the kW DM25 TR was good rather than great by current…
In his June, 2006 "Listening" column, Art Dudley discussed the original Quad ESL loudspeaker, and started to describe the task of refurbishing a 47-year-old pair of them; this month, Art fries a pair of transformers and nearly ruins his new wall oven—but finishes the job nevertheless. Please remember that sharp tools, solder flux fumes, and the high voltages typically present inside an electrostatic loudspeaker can sicken or kill you if you don't proceed with caution, and neither Stereophile nor its parent company, Primedia, can be responsible for the suffering or loss that may befall…
When they arrived two days later, I installed them without modifications, and with only light touches of the soldering iron.
Puttin it back together
Now then: If you've been keeping up, and your enclosure is painted, your bass and treble panels rebuilt or recovered, and your transformer and HT units ready to go, you can start putting things back together. Begin by buying the smallest quantity of self-adhesive felt weather-stripping you can find, and replace the 1" strips of the stuff that used to be behind the upper-right-hand corner of the left-hand bass-panel frame, and the upper-…
Sidebar: When in Doubt, Call a Professional
Thank heaven there are people out there who understand Quads from the ground up, and who make it their business—literally—to keep these magnificent speakers in peak running order. If you're considering the plunge yourself, or if you already have a pair of ESLs and you need professional help, here are the folks you should know:
Wayne Picquet does business under the name Quads Unlimited, and his products and services include panel rebuilds, protection circuits, and rectifier blocks, as well as completely rebuilt loudspeakers—ranging all…
If you review hi-fi long enough, you get to the point where you've heard it all before. Actually, there are several versions of that point: One is where you've heard all the claims before, and the other is where you could have sworn you've actually heard this component before.
In the case of Conrad-Johnson's $7500 CT5 preamp, I got to both of those points, in a sense. The remote-controlled CT5 is essentially a simplified version of C-J's $13,500 ACT2, which was itself a single-chassis reimagining of the ART2 and its predecessor, the ART. Where the ACT2 created composite triodes…
Not really. I'm supposed to report on the differences I do hear, and with the CT5, for the most part, there weren't any. And that is news, especially at a little over half the price.
The only problem with feeling that you've heard it all before is that you begin to fear that you're repeating yourself. But even at the risk of doing that, I feel I should describe the sound of the ACT2—er, CT5. Essentially, it took me places—wherever a performance was recorded, to be specific. From the studio funk of the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street (CD, Virgin 47864) to the wide-open acoustic of…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Single-chassis, remote-controlled, tubed line preamplifier. Tube complement: two 6N30P dual triodes. Inputs: 5 single-ended (RCA), 2 processor loops. Outputs: 2 single-ended (RCA), 2 processor loops. Frequency range at unity gain: 2Hz–>100kHz. Polarity: inverts phase. Hum & noise: 100dB below 1V output. Output impedance: 800 ohms.
Dimensions: 19" (487mm) W by 5" (127mm) H by 15" (381mm) D. Weight: 31 lbs (14kg).
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 2850125.
Price: $7500. Approximate number of dealers: 60. Warranty: 3 years parts &…