Description: Four-way, bi-amplified, moving-coil–driver loudspeaker, with electronic crossover. One 15" JBL subwoofer, two 6", long-throw, fiber/plastic-laminate woofers, one 1" textile-dome tweeter, one ribbon super-tweeter. Crossover frequencies: 150Hz, 3kHz, 9kHz. Crossover slopes (from bottom up): 18dB/octave, 18dB/octave, 12dB/octave. Sensitivity: 90dB/1W/1m. Recommended amplifier power: up to 500W, depending on room size (two stereo amps required). Maximum output: unspecified, but "110–120dB" is mentioned—which gives you an idea of what to expect.…
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When, at the beginning of this century, the market profile of the high-end Mark Levinson brand took a dip due to the parent company's reorganization, one of the companies that took advantage of the opportunity was Classé Audio. Founded in 1980 by engineer Dave Reich (now with Theta Digital) and run by engineer-entrepreneur Mike Viglas since the mid-1980s, the Canadian electronics manufacturer's Omega line of high-end amplifiers and preamps had universally impressed Stereophile's scribes, and its Omega SACD player (reviewed by Jonathan Scull in November 2001) was the first such product to…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Single-box, two-channel, slot-loading CD/DVD player with remote and touchscreen control, single-ended and balanced analog outputs, three digital outputs (AES3 on XLR and S/PDIF on RCA and TosLink), DC trigger inputs, bidirectional RS-232 and IR repeater ports, and two video outputs (composite and S-video). Formats supported: CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, DualDisc, MP3, WMA, AAC, Video-CD, S-VCD. Maximum output voltage: 4V balanced, 2V unbalanced. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.1dB. THD+noise: 0.001% (no level given). Signal/noise: 110dB…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe universal player; Mark Levinson No.30.6, Benchmark DAC 1 D/A processors; Alesis Masterlink hard-disk recorder.
Preamplifier: Mark Levinson No.326S.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima Studio, Snell LCR7 XL.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Illuminations Orchid AES/EBU, AudioQuest SVD-4 S/PDIF. Interconnect: AudioQuest Cheetah, Madrigal CZ Gel-1, Ayre Signature Series, Crystalconnect (balanced). Speaker: AudioQuest Kilimanjaro. AC: PS Audio Lab, Shunyata Anaconda Helix Alpha,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Classé cdp-202's balanced jacks put out a maximum of 3.8V from both CD and DVD, the single-ended RCA jacks 1.915V, the latter 0.4dB below the CD standard's 2V RMS level. The source impedance was a low 100 ohms from the unbalanced jacks, 596 ohms from the balanced jacks. The signal polarity was noninverting from both the single-ended and the balanced outputs, suggesting that the XLRs are wired with pin 2 hot, the AES-recommended practice.
Monitoring the cdp-202's digital output with RME's DIGIcheck program running on my PC, there were no flagged errors…
There are a thousand different ways to make a loudspeaker. A hundred to make an amplifier. And at least a million to make a piece of wire. But here's the deal with a moving-coil phono cartridge: stylus, cantilever, rubber grommet, tensioning wire, coils, magnet, output pins, and maybe a body. Done.
,. That's one reason I love cartridges so well: The physical and technical differences among various makes and models don't seem remarkable, yet the sonic and musical results of those differences certainly are. Even those audio mavens who think of themselves (howsoever wrongly) as…
From within that space, a wealth of realistic sonic detail emerged—something I also like well. I've written before about my fondness for Leonard Cohen's New Skin for the Old Ceremony (Columbia C 33167), and how that 1974 album really came to life for me when I acquired my first moving-coil phono cartridge. The Brinkmann EMT extracted still more realism—Cohen's nylon-string guitar sounded even righter than before, with no trace of brightness. The acoustic and electric basses on the record sounded fine, too, with similar gains in texture and believable color.
On John Barbirolli…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Low-output moving-coil cartridge. Stylus profile: van den Hul. Nominal Output: 0.21mV. Compliance: 15cu. Crosstalk: >25dB (1kHz). Vertical tracking angle: 23°. Recommended load: 600 ohms (active). Recommended downforce: 1.8–2.0gm.
Weight: 11gm.
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 1205.
Price: $2850. Approximate number of dealers: 14.
Manufacturers: EMT Studiotechnik GmbH, Industriestrasse 25, 77972 Mahlberg, Germany. Tel: (49) 7825-877811. Web: www.emt-studiotechnik.de. Brinkmann Audio, Im Himmelreich 13, 88147 Achberg, Germany. Tel: (49)…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn LP12 turntable, Naim Armageddon power supply, Naim Aro tonearm; Linn Akiva, Miyabi 47, Supex 900 Super cartridges; Linn Linto, Artemis PH-1 phono preamplifiers; Tamura TKS-83 moving-coil step-up transformer.
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.
Cables: Interconnect: Audio Note AN-Vx & Sogon, Nordost Valhalla, Ayre. Speaker: Audio Note AN-SPe, Nordost…
Oh mama, was I ever excited when I heard rumors of the existence of AKG's K 701! If you're among the audiophiles who sneer at those of us who like headphones, you're probably rolling your eyes and thinking I must lack a rich inner life.
But hold on there, Skippy—some of us use those cans in our prosumer studios, in recording sessions, and even in barn-burning late-night critical listening sessions where we employ ancillary equipment that would beggar your jaded high-end sensibilities. We're not talking about the three-buck, upchuck disposable 'phones your friendly flight attendant flogs…