I could be wrong about the target audience for the…
search
It's hard to know what to call the SHA-Gold. It is a superb headphone amplifier—maybe even the target all future headphone amps need to shoot at—but it's also a full-function preamplifier. At two grand, it's not exactly a unit you'd add to your current system just to get a headphone connection...Wait a minute! What am I saying? I'm sure that there are folks out there who would add this to their existing reference systems as casually as I'd buy the Audio Alchemy headphone amplifier—but they'd be missing out on a great line stage.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: vacuum-tube line/headphone amplifier. Tube complement: two 6DJ8s. Inputs: six line; one tape-loop. Outputs: one single-ended, amplified; one single-ended, passive; one balanced XLR. Maximum voltage gain: 18dB, single-ended; 24dB, balanced. Absolute polarity: non-inverting. Frequency response: 15Hz–200kHz –1dB. Input impedance: 52k ohms. Output impedance: 15 ohms, line; 0.5 ohm, Ç" stereo phone jack.
Dimensions: 19" W by 17" D by 3.5" H. Shipping weight: 21 lbs.
Serial number of unit tested: 51207233SHAG.
Price: $1995 (1996); no longer…
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
The Melos's measurements presented here were taken from the front-panel headphone jack unless otherwise stated—since the SHA-Gold was reviewed primarily as a headphone amp. Selected measurements, however, were also made from the back-panel preamp outputs.
The Melos was non-inverting, both from its headphone jack and its main outputs. (Using its balanced output, pin 2 was wired to be positive, pin 3 negative.) Its input impedance was 82k ohms. Its output impedance was 0.53 ohms at the headphone jack, 21 ohms from output 2.
The S/N ratio measured…
For many years I have used three sets of headphones, all from Grado Laboratories: the Reference RS-1 ($695), the SR-125 ($125), and the SR-60 ($60). I've always favored Grado headphones because the minimal-resonance design philosophy that I feel is responsible for the uncolored midrange of their moving-iron cartridges extends throughout their headphone range as well. Recently, however, I've achieved a new perspective regarding the SR-125 'phones that I felt would be of interest to Stereophile readers.
I've recently constructed a system, based on my Dell Windows PC, for recording…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Dynamic open-air headphones. Frequency range: 20Hz–20kHz. Sensitivity: 98dB SPL for 1mV input. Nominal impedance: 32 ohms.
Serial number of unit reviewed: None.
Price: $150/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 500.
Manufacturer: Grado Laboratories, 4612 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11220. Tel: (718) 435-5340. Fax: (718) 633-6941. Web: www.GradoLabs.com.
The Ortofon MC-2000 may just have been the most impractical cartridge to be unleashed upon the audio community for some years. With a high compliance (20cu) that made it ill-suited for most tonearms, it also had a preposterously low signal output of 50 microvolts, which gave new meaning to the terms hum and noise. Few MC preamps had enough gain to deliver adequate driving voltage to a system, and none of those that did had low enough noise to be usable with the 2000. If the problem wasn't hum, it was hiss; if hiss was acceptably low, there would be too much hum. At least Ortofon had the sense…
Installation of the MC-3000 was reasonably simple, the only caveat being that one should use the special nonmagnetic screwdriver supplied with the cartridge. Like the 2000, the 3000 has a strong magnetic field surrounding the base of the fragile cantilever, which attracts all ferrous objects with truly impressive intensity. And don't just play it safe with the screwdriver and then trash the cartridge with your tracking-force gauge. The suspension member on many of these (including the popular Shure Bros. one) have enough ferrous content to attract the cartridge, too. If you aren't sure your…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Low-output, moving-coil phono cartidge. Output voltage: 100µV (1kHz, 5 cm/s). Channel separation: 25dB at 1kHz, 15dB at 15kHz. Channel balance: within 1dB at 1kHz. Frequency range: 5Hz–90kHz. Frequency response: 5Hz–50kHz, +4, -1dB. Tracking ability: Better than 80µm at 315Hz. Lateral and vertical dynamic compliance: 18. Recommended tracking force: 2.2gm. Force range: 2–2.5gm. Tip radii: 5x100µm. Equivalent tip mass: 0.25mg. Cartridge weight: 9.5gm.
Price: $1500 (1988), no longer available (2006). T-3000 step-up transformer: $1250 (1988), no…
Sidebar 2: System Details
Equipment used for my tests included a SOTA Sapphire turntable fitted with the SME Series V tonearm and the Well-Tempered Arm (the Versa Dynamics is temporarily down; see "Follow-up" in this issue), a Stax Quattro CD player, a Revox A-77 15ips open-reel tape deck, the Threshold FET-10 line preamplifier, Threshold SA-1 power amplifiers, and Sound Lab A-3 full-range electrostatic speakers. Audio interconnects were Monster 1000s, speaker cables were Straight Wire Ribbons. The listening room is extensively damped with ASC Tube Traps. Program material was some of my…