Cisco Music's great new LP reissue of Jascha Heifetz and Gregor Piatigorsky's recording of Brahms' Double Concerto…
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I noticed from the start that the Rega's spatial performance was stunning—especially for a product from a company known for being at least mildly dismissive of such concerns, but stunning in absolute terms as well. I heard imaging effects throughout XTC's Skylarking (Geffen GHS 24117) that had completely escaped me in the past—for example, how the rhythmic pattern played on the hi-hat in "Summer's Cauldron" is panned back and forth from left to right, in time with the beat!
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Low-output moving-coil phono cartridge. Stylus profile: Vital (hyperelliptical). Output: 0.5mV (recorded velocity not referenced). Recommended load: 100 ohms (active). Weight: 5.9gm (7.1gm with three Rega mounting bolts). Recommended downforce: 1.75gm.
Serial Number of Unit Reviewed: 0018.
Price: $1695. Approximate number of dealers: 110.
Manufacturer: Rega Research Ltd., 119 Park Street, Westcliff on Sea, Essex SS0 7PD, England, UK. Tel: (44) (0)1702-333071. Web: www.rega.co.uk. US distributor: The Sound Organisation, 1009 Oakmead Dr.,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn LP12 turntable with Naim Armageddon power supply, Naim Aro tonearm; Linn LP12 turntable with Funk Firm Vector kit, Naim Aro tonearm; Rega Planar 3 turntable with Rega RB300 tonearm; Rega Planar 9 turntable with Rega RB1000 tonearm; Linn Akiva, Brinkmann EMT Titanium, Lyra Helikon Mono cartridges; Tamura TKS-83 moving-coil step-up transformer.
Digital Source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player, shipped au naturel.
Preamplification: EAR 834P, Linn Linto phono preamplifiers; Lamm LL2 preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Lamm ML2.1…
Let me take you by the hand, and together we'll jump off an audio cliff. I promise a soft landing, though there might be some turbulence on the way down.
When I reviewed the mbl 101E Radialstrahler loudspeakers two years ago, MBL's Jeremy Bryan asked me if I had the required double runs of speaker cables. When I told him I didn't, he said he'd bring some, but instead of cables he brought a cable manufacturer, Tara Labs' Matthew Bond. A surprise visit by a cable manufacturer is about as welcome to me as a case of head lice. Even a scheduled visit makes me itch.
Here at…
A web of polyethylene filaments woven in a "large-windowed" braid is wrapped around the Teflon tube and acts as a spacer to separate the conductors from a shield of braided copper wire. Unlike in most other interconnects, the Zero's shield is allowed to "float." That is, neither end of the shield is attached to ground. Instead, both ends of the shield terminate in thin wires, to which are attached tiny pins (see later).
Fitted to either end of the Zero and soldered in place are complex RCA plugs, machined to mil-spec tolerances and fitted with O-rings and a clamping mechanism capable of…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
The Zero: Air-dielectric, evacuated interconnect with Rectangular Solid-Core conductors (available in analog, digital S/PDIF and AES/EBU forms) and Floating Ground System. Capacitance: 3.4pF/foot. Inductance: 0.018µH/foot.
Price: $14,900/pair in lengths of 1m, 2m, or 3m. Other lengths, prices vary. Approximate number of dealers: 8. Warranty: 5 years, nontransferable. Under separate warranty program, the cable is guaranteed to maintain its vacuum condition. The original purchaser may at his option send the cable to TARA Labs for a free diagnostic service,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn, TW-Acustic Raven, Kuzma Reference turntables; Graham Phantom, Continuum Cobra, Kuzma Air Line tonearms; Lyra Titan (stereo & mono), Blue Angel Pink Ivory, Transfiguration Orpheus, Lyra Skala cartridges.
Digital Source: Alesis Masterlink BPT-modified hard-disk recorder, Musical Fidelity kW DM25 CD transport/DAC.
Preamplification: Manley Steelhead, ASR Basis Exclusive phono preamplifiers; Musical Fidelity kWP preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity kW monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson…
People love it when audio reviewers reach for that highest of all compliments: "I enjoyed the thing so much, I decided to keep it" (footnote 1). Manufacturers love it for obvious reasons. Readers love it because nuance is out of style at the moment, and the ambiguities implied by less decisive conclusions can be frustrating to adults who read with their mouths open. Publishers love it because strong, declarative statements have been scientifically proven, in double-blind reading tests, to attract subscribers.
But things aren't always that simple—as I learned early in 1998, when…
Which brings us to the present day, and to Funk Firm's brand new Vector Link. Like the Pink Link, the new modification kit uses a DC motor, in this case a decidedly expensive European jobbie with an ironless rotor. But the old-style Pink Link power supply and its chunky battery have been done away with, in favor of a new electronics design called the KR-Shunt control. As Khoubesserian explains, the new motor is so steady and noiseless that it eliminates the need for a relatively complex charging/isolating system.
The metal top has also been replaced—by a very sleek-looking plate made of…
Everybody loves a bargain. No—make that: Most people love a bargain. Some just want the best, and they don't care about the cost. Some even distrust and reject out of hand any product that's not expensive enough. If you're one of these people, you might as well stop reading this review right now—the PrimaLuna ProLogue Three and ProLogue Seven are not for you. $1395 for a tube preamp? $2695 for a pair of 70Wpc tube monoblocks equipped with four KT88 tubes each? Must be based on old designs in the public domain using cheap parts carelessly assembled...
But in fact—and putting…