search

Wes Phillips enthused over Ray Samuels Audio's Emmeline The Hornet portable headphone amplifier ($350) in our early-June eNewsletter, as did Sam Tellig in "Sam's Space" in September, and again in this issue. I thought it worthwhile, therefore, to complement those positive impressions with some measurements. (I remembered to fully charge the Hornet's internal 9V battery before starting the testing.)

The Hornet's maximum voltage gains, with its volume control set to its maximum, were 5.6dB, 12.7dB, and 20.8dB with the rear-panel switch set to its Low, Medium…

There is an apparent contradiction at the heart of the jazz aesthetic. On the one hand, the jazz art form demands constant innovation. The worst putdown a jazz musician can hear is not that he or she can't play, but that she or he sounds like someone else. On the…

That I used the word evaluate and avoided measure sums up the controversy: Are we better served by measuring audio performance by objective physical standards, or by judging audio performance by subjective personal reactions?

At first blush, the objectivists would seem to have the better argument. The proposition that a component that "measures better" therefore "is better" seems hard to argue with.

But what I would like to explore are two…

The Evolution bodywork, first seen in the W-8, is a major aesthetic step up for Simaudio, and it's even more appealing in the P-8, which adds a remarkably legible and useful display, a large volume-control knob, and other effective controls. As with the…

Even more impressive, to me, was the precision of the volume control. While setting up to do some acoustic measurements with the Goldline TEF-25 analyzer, I set up…

Description: Solid-state, two-channel, two-chassis preamplifier. Inputs: 3 pairs balanced (XLR), 4 pairs single-ended (RCA). Outputs: 2 pairs balanced (XLR), 2 pairs unbalanced (RCA, fixed and variable). Tape input/output loops: 1 pair unbalanced (RCA). Input impedance: 11k ohms. Output impedance: 50 ohms. Voltage gain: 9dB. Frequency response: 5Hz–100kHz, +0/–0.1dB. IM distortion: unmeasurable. THD: <0.002%, 20Hz–20kHz. Signal/noise ratio: 130dB, 20Hz–20kHz, ref. full output. Maximum output: 12V balanced, 6V unbalanced.
Dimensions: Preamplifier: 18.75" (…

Digital Sources: Sony XA-777ES SACD/CD player, Bel Canto PL-1A universal player.
Preamplifier: Bel Canto Pre6.
Power Amplifiers: Bel Canto eVo6 & Ref1000, Classé CA-3200, Simaudio Moon Evolution W-8.
Loudspeakers: B&W 802D, Revel Ultima Studio, JL Audio Fathom f113 subwoofer.
Cables: Digital: Stereovox HDVX. Interconnect: Crystal Cable Cinemax multichannel, AudioQuest Cheetah/DBS balanced. Speaker: AudioQuest Mont Blanc/DBS biwire. AC: JPS Aluminata.
Accessories: APC S-15, Environmental Potentials EP-2450 power conditioners.—Kalman…

As set up for Kal's auditioning, the Moon P-8's maximum voltage gain was lower than the specified 9dB, at 5.33dB for both balanced–balanced and unbalanced–unbalanced operation, though this won't be a factor in practical use. The preamplifier preserved absolute polarity—ie, it was noninverting in both conditions—the XLR jacks being wired with pin 2 hot, the AES-recommended practice. The input impedance was to specification at low and midrange frequencies, at 11k ohms single-ended and 22k ohms balanced, though this dropped to a rather low 4.3k and 9.7k ohms,…

Back in March, I reviewed the Moon Evolution P-7 preamplifier ($6900) from Canadian manufacturer Simaudio. As you can read in the reprint of that review in our free online archives, I very much enjoyed my time with the P-7: "Beautifully made, beautiful looking, and beautiful sounding, the Moon Evolution P-7 justifiably deserves a Class A recommendation in Stereophile's 'Recommended Components.'" I also wrote that I would soon turn my attention to Simaudio's Moon Evolution P-8 dual-chassis preamplifier, but…

Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xeMP universal player; Meridian 808i.2 CD player; dCS Puccini SACD player; Benchmark DAC 1 D/A converter; Logitech (Slim Devices) Transporter WiFi music player with Apple Mac mini for media storage; dCS 972 D/D converter.
Preamplifiers: Simaudio Moon Evolution P-7, Parasound Halo JC 2, Mark Levinson No.380S.
Power Amplifiers: Simaudio Moon Evolution W-7, Musical Fidelity 750K Supercharger monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima Salon2, PSB Imagine B, Spendor SA-1, Acoustic Energy AE1 Mk.3 Special Edition.
Cables:…