Maybe it's just me, but the music on Bob Dylan's new record feels old—almost as old as Dylan himself. What's modern on Modern Times (CD, Columbia 82876 87606 2) is the sound—dynamically compressed to the hilt, with no top-end air or detail, muddy bass, and a soundstage leaner than Paris Hilton's talent. In the Rolling Stone interview, Dylan includes…
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"You listen to these modern records, they're atrocious, they have sound all over them. There's no definition of nothing, no vocal, no nothing, just like—static."—Bob Dylan, interviewed by Jonathan Lethem. Rolling Stone, September 7, 2006
In any category of product or service, there is a gold standard—one company that epitomizes the best in its field of endeavor. Consider the Rolex watch, the Ferrari sports car, the Steinway piano, the Dunhill pipe. All of these artisanal manufacturers have spent decades, even centuries, earning their names' cachet with their histories of consistent excellence. While high-end audio boasts no names with a 60-year pedigree, such as Ferrari's—much less Steinway & Sons' +150 years—there is one firm whose storied past stretches back to the very emergence of the concept of high-end audio itself…
I cranked the thing wide open. Again—total, textureless silence at my listening seat. Only when I got within a foot or so of the tweeter of one of my Wilson Audio MAXX 2 loudspeakers did I hear a very faint, strikingly fine-grained hiss. I can't wait to see what John Atkinson's measurements reveal, but subjectively, the ARC Ref.3 was the quietest tube preamp I've heard, and by a large measure. The nature of that silence was also intriguing. Like the Halcro dm10, the Ref.3 presented a live-sounding silence, not some dead, airless, deep-space void. This odd little tableau was but a precursor…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tubed, remote-controlled line preamplifier with full sets of balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs, and Processor Loop. Tube complement: four 6H30P dual triodes, plus one 6550C and one 6H30P for power-supply regulation. Maximum voltage gain: main output (single-ended or balanced input), 11.6dB; balanced output, 5.6dB single-ended output. Frequency response: 0.2Hz–200kHz , +0/–3dB, at rated output (balanced, 200k ohms load). Distortion: <0.01% at 2V RMS balanced output. Input impedance: 120k ohms balanced, 60k ohms single-ended. Output…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: SOTA Cosmos Series III turntable, Graham 2.2 tonearm, Dynavector XV-1S cartridge.
Digital Sources: Plinius CD-101 CD player, Classé Omega SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Manley Labs Steelhead, Audio Research PH7 phono stages.
Power Amplifiers: Lamm M1.2 Reference, Classé CAM-350 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties MAXX 2 & Sophia, Legacy Audio Whisper.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove 2. Interconnect: Acoustic Zen Silver Reference & Silver Reference II, Cardas Golden Reference line level. Speaker:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Audio Research Reference 3's maximum voltage gain, with its volume control set to "103," was 11.8dB from balanced input to balanced output and 5.75dB from unbalanced input to unbalanced output. These figures are sensibly suitable for use in practical systems. The preamp was noninverting; ie, it preserved absolute polarity in both conditions. The input impedance was to specification at low and midrange frequencies, at 58k ohms single-ended and 116k ohms balanced, these dropping slightly and inconsequentially to 48k ohms and 106k ohms, respectively, at 20kHz.…
Robert J. Reina reviewed the Reference 3 in June 2007 (Vol.30 No.6):
In John Atkinson's review of Era Acoustics' Design 4 loudspeaker ($600/pair) in the January 2007 Stereophile, he exclaimed: "Bob Reina shouldn't get to review all the affordable speakers, right?" My reaction: "Well, JA shouldn't get to review all the expensive preamps, right?" So I thought I'd take a stab at a Follow-Up review of Audio Research's Reference 3 line stage ($9995), originally reviewed by Paul Bolin in December 2006.
How this Follow-Up came about actually has more to do with my upcoming review of ARC'…
Talk about going from the ridiculous to the sublime. One day I'm reviewing the $139 Sonic Impact Super T power amplifier, and the next day Krell Industries delivers their $10,000 Evolution 505 SACD/CD player, $15,000 Evolution 202 preamplifier, and their $30,000/pair Evolution 600 monoblocks.
And I whined. "I don't like to review complete systems," I moaned to Krell's Randy Bingham. "That's too many changes, and it takes forever to do comparisons."
"We don't want to impose, but with the CAST current gain system, the only way you can evaluate how good any individual…
Each Evolution 600 has a single pair of high-quality T-type binding posts, best suited for bare wire (ha!) or spade-lug connections. They are a joy to use.
Whether you choose the silver or satin black color schemes, the fit'n'finish of the Evolution products is superb.
Evolution of a review
There were a few practical considerations in setting up the Evolution system. First, it's heavy. The 600s weigh 135 lbs each, and while I can lift 135 lbs in barbell form, I found it darned awkward to manipulate same in Evolution 600 form, with most of the weight behind the front panel.…
Our interview with Hiroyasu Kondo—founder of Audio Note Japan, and a legendary figure in his own time—took place during HI-FI '96 last June at the Waldorf=Astoria. It seemed very natural; the crowd at the Show was very internationalist. Herb Reichert of Audio Note New York found us a quiet corner after lunch, and we sat down to talk.
This was a group affair. I sat with Kondo-San on my left, and Masahiro Shibazaki directly across from me. A very obedient (you'll see what I mean) Masaki Ashizawa of Audio Note sat on my right, while my wife Kathleen and Herb filled out the table. Shibazaki-…