Description: Dynamic headphones with Noiseguard active noise-canceling circuitry. Transducer principle: dynamic, Open-Aire Coupling to ear: supra-aural. Frequency range: 20Hz–18kHz. Impedance: 270 ohms. Distortion: <1%. Active attenuation: >10dB between 400Hz and 1kHz. Headphone caliper pressure: approximately 1.6N (5.6 oz). Connector: 3.5mm plug. Power supply: 2 AA cells. Operating time: 80 hours.
Dimensions: Weight (w/o cable): 110gm (3.9 oz). Cable: single-sided, 2m (6.5').
Price: $269 (1995); $149.95 (2006). Approximate number of dealers: 750.
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Sidebar: Specifications
What, I hear you asking, is an integrated drive? The MID is part of McCormack's much lauded "Micro" series (see my review of their Micro Line Drive in Vol.18 No.6), which are designed to offer the same dedication to quality as McCormack's full-size components, but at a lower price (and in a smaller package). The MID was initially the Micro Headphone Drive, sporting two ½" stereo phone-jacks on the front panel, a two-position input switch, and a volume control. The rear boasted two inputs and an output (controlled by the volume pot). It was designed to be a high-quality headphone amp and a…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: headphone amplifier/minimalist preamplifier/(very) low-wattage integrated amplifier. Outputs: two ¼" stereo phone jacks (front panel); 1 pair line-level RCA jacks (rear panel); 1 pair speaker binding posts (rear panel). Output power: 5Wpc (7dBW). Frequency response: DC–250kHz –3dB. Absolute polarity: non-inverting. Inputs: 2 line level via RCA jack. Input impedance: 20k ohms. Output impedance: 0.2 ohms, ½" stereo phone jacks; 100 ohms, line level RCA jacks; 0.2 ohms, speaker binding posts.
Dimensions: 9.5" W by 9" D by 3" H. Shipping weight: 8…
Sidebar 2: System
My primary source was the Audio Research CD1 CD player; Kimber Kable KCAG connected the source to the headphone amps. Everything rested upon DH Cones and was plugged into an API Power Wedge 112. I used several pairs of headsets for comparison, including the Grado SR80 and SR125, Sennheiser HD-580 and '580 Jubilee.
While I listened to a wide range of music during the audition period, I'm going to focus my comments on two songs: "Rasd al-dhil Bashraf Sammai," from this month's "Recording of the Month," by the Eduardo Paniagua group, and "Third Uncle," from Brian…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
All of McCormack's measurements were made from the rear panel binding posts. It didn't invert polarity. Its input impedance at 1kHz was 27.4k ohms at full volume (slightly higher at lower settings of the control). Its output impedance was below 0.04 ohms at low and mid frequencies, increasing to a maximum of 0.125 ohms at 20kHz. The output impedance at the line outputs was 99 ohms in the left channel, 101 ohms in the right.
S/N measured an outstanding 108.7dB (22Hz–22kHz, unweighted, ref. 1V). DC offset measured 0.4mV in the left channel, 0.5mV in the…
Sam Tellig wrote about the McCormack in February 1998 (Vol.21 No.2):
For $795 you can get the McCormack Micro Integrated Drive, one of the great bargains in high-end hi-fi, even if the name is a mouthful and doesn't tell you exactly what the unit does.
The MID is more than a headphone amp. It's also a superb active line-stage preamp (with two line-level inputs but no tape loop). As a line-stage preamp, the MID compares with some of the best solid-state line-stage preamps selling for $2000 or so.
But wait, there's more—a set of speaker jacks on the back, 5Wpc. With solid-…
For headphone listeners, this is truly a golden age—we have multiple choices at many different price levels. During the course of this review, I had as many as five headphone amplifiers (and, in several cases, multiple power supplies) set up for comparison. Yet many people don't understand why we might want a headphone amp in the first place.
Here's a reason: I live with an intelligent, dynamic, astoundingly tolerant woman, who doesn't seem to mind (much) that I've turned every room of our house into a mad scientist's maze of wires, boxes, and speakers. Yet, having gone that far, she…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: headphone amplifier with HeadRoom Audio Image Processor. Output power rating: 1500mW (8 ohm load). Frequency range: DC–100kHz. THD: 0.004%. S/N ratio: >100dB. Maximum input voltage: 3.7V. Maximum output voltage: 6.5V. Maximum voltage gain: 8.8dB. Power supply (Power Station One): ±12V, 800mA (external).
Dimensions: 5.5" W by 4" W by 1.5" H.
Serial number of unit tested: none.
Price: $259 (with Power Station One); Power Station Three adds $259 (1996); no longer available (2006). Approximate number of dealers: 150.
Manufacturer: Audio…
Sidebar 2: System
My primary source was the Audio Research CD1 CD player; Kimber Kable KCAG connected the source to the headphone amps. Everything rested upon DH Cones and was plugged into an API Power Wedge 112. I used several pairs of headsets for comparison, including the Grado SR80 and SR125, Sennheiser HD-580 and '580 Jubilee.
While I listened to a wide range of music during the audition period, I'm going to focus my comments on two songs: "Rasd al-dhil Bashraf Sammai," from this month's "Recording of the Month," by the Eduardo Paniagua group, and "Third Uncle," from Brian…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
All of the following measurements were made from the front-panel headphone output. The polarity of the Audio Alchemy v1.0 was noninverting. Its input impedance was 88.2k ohms, its output impedance 0.27 to 0.29 ohms, depending on frequency. S/N measured an excellent 105dB (22Hz–22kHz, unweighted, ref. 1V). DC offset measured 12.5mV in the left channel, 11.5mV in the right. The tracking of the Audio Alchemy's volume control was reasonably good, with a maximum left/right deviation of 0.5dB at half rotation and less. Maximum voltage gain was 8.9dB.
The Audio…