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…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
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…
It seemed logical to begin by comparing the ProLogue Three preamp with the CAT SL-1 Ultimate, keeping the Audiopax amps in the system. In evaluating preamps and power amps, I always do some matched-level comparisons, which in this case was complicated by the fact that the CAT preamp has a switched-resistor volume control with fairly large steps. What I did was to set the CAT's volume at a moderate level, measure the voltage at the amplifier speaker terminals when playing the 1000Hz tone on Stereophile's original Test CD (Stereophile STPH-002-2), and set the ProLogue Three's continuously…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Prologue Three: Tube line-stage preamplifier. Tube complement: two 5AR4, two 12AX7, two 12AU7. Maximum gain: 12dB. Frequency response: 4Hz–110kHz, ±3dB. THD: <0.2% at 775mV RMS output. Signal/noise: >93dB(A) ref. 775mV. Input impedance: 110k ohms. Output impedance: 2800 ohms. Power consumption: 46W.
Weight: 23.5 lbs (10.7kg).
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 05060314.
Price: $1395.
Prologue Seven: Tube monoblock power amplifier. Tube complement: four KT88, two 12AX7, two 12AU7. Power output: 70W (18.45dBW). Frequency response: 20Hz–85kHz, ±…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: PS Audio Lambda II CD transport, Perpetual Technologies/ModWright P-1A/P-3A digital processors, Monolithic Sound P3 power supply.
Preamplifier: Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Ultimate.
Power Amplifier: Audiopax Model Eighty Eight Mk.II monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Avantgarde Acoustic Uno 3.0, Silverline Audio Prelude, Fujitsu Eclipse TD-712z.
Cables: Digital: Mystic Reference I2S, Illuminati Orchid AES/EBU. Interconnect: Nordost Quattro Fils & Valhalla, AudioQuest Sky, PS Audio xStream Statement. Speaker: Nordost Valhalla.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Prologue Three's maximum gain was to specification at 12.2dB, and the preamplifier preserved absolute polarity; ie, it was noninverting. The input impedance was usefully high, at around 100k ohms in the bass and midrange. It dropped, slightly but inconsequentially, to 77k ohms at 20kHz. The output impedance was also to specification in the midrange and treble at 2.7k ohms, which is higher than usual, but rose to a high figure of 11.5k ohms at 20Hz. This preamplifier really does need to be used with an amplifier having an input of 50k ohms or more if the bass…
As I write this, I am recuperating from four days of frenzy at the 1986 Winter CES in Las Vegas, Nevada. I am also pondering why I was so unexcited by most of what I saw and heard of the high-end exhibits; high-end audio may have reached a developmental plateau of sorts.
In my CES report elsewhere in this issue, I comment at length on what appears to be a lack of direction in audio—a lack of consensus about where we're going and how best to get there. While we all seem to strive for the same thing—the recreation of live music in the home—we view that ultimate goal from many different,…
Some reviews seem ill-fated from the get-go: samples break; systems go wrong; test equipment gives anomalous measurements; and at times the reviewer starts to doubt his or her ears when it seems impossible to get the component being reviewed to sound anywhere as good as reported by other writers. Such was the case with this review of the Celestion 3000. When Celestion's Barry Fox visited Santa Fe three days before Christmas 1989 with early samples of the speaker, we were dismayed to find that the ribbon of one of the pair was crinkled and immobile, apparently due to the extruded-aluminum…