My second comparison of the Mark Levinson No.23.5 was performed with the obvious head-to-head competitor for the $5900 No.23.5, the $5900 Krell KSA-250. While each ranks among the finest solid-state amplifiers I have used, they still differed significantly in their sonic characters, meaning that a system set up optimally for one would need some adjustment to get the best from the other.
In a nutshell, the Krell was less upfront in its midrange balance than the Levinson, sounding…
Description: Solid-state class-A stereo amplifier. Rated minimum continuous output power: 250Wpc into 8 ohms (24dBW), with no more than 0.1% THD; 500Wpc into 4 ohms (24dBW), with no more than 0.1% THD; 1kWpc into 2 ohms (24dBW); 2kWpc into 1 ohm; 4kWpc into 0.5 ohm (24dBW). Frequency range: 0Hz–250kHz. Input impedance: 47k ohms, non-inverting and inverting inputs. Input sensitivity: 2.3V. Slew rate: >100V/µs. S/N ratio: 120dB, "A" weighted. Power consumption: 12A continuous.
Dimensions: 19" W by 8.5" H by 24" D (including front and rear handles). Weight:…
I have seen the future of rock'n'roll, and it stinks. Why We Fight does not constitute The Next Big Thing, nor does it sound like Elvis Costello's next. John Wesley Harding is not the new Bob Dylan, but he is the next Wesley Harding Stace, one of those necessary artists we have been waiting for without knowing it, and Why We Fight is a necessary record.
Wes Stace, in his open-secret disguise of John Wesley Harding, is nothing if not a moral being. He…
It's easy to get jaded by the constant flood of…
I spoke with Scan-Tech's Jonathan Carr about cartridge design choices and tradeoffs, sonic expectations, and consumer demands. When I was finished I came to a singular conclusion: What's amazing is not that there are outstanding sounding $2000 cartridges, but that there are good-sounding $200 ones (and there…
Pole-pieces and magnets
The magnet sandwiched between the cartridge pole-pieces can be samarium/cobalt, neodymium…
In comparing these two cartridges I used two different tonearms on the VPI TNT Mk.3: the Graham 1.5t unipivot, and the Rockport Capella air-bearing linear tracker, which is silicone-damped horizontally. (Such damping is a must, in my opinion, for any linear-tracker to perform properly with a high-performance cartridge.)
With the Graham's interchangeable arm tubes, changing cartridges took but a few minutes. It would normally take somewhat longer to switch cartridges in the Rockport; however, since both models place the stylus tip the same distance from the…
Description: low-output moving-coil phono cartridge featuring a Ceralloy cantilever; low-mass, Ogura PA line-contact stylus; "six nines" purity copper coils; "five nines" iron core; and a body milled from a single piece of "aircraft-grade" aluminum alloy. Internal impedance: 2 ohms. Recommended vertical tracking force (VTF): 1.6–1.8 grams. Compliance: approximately 12cu at 10Hz. Weight: 9.5 grams. Channel separation: 35dB or better. Frequency range: 10Hz–50kHz. Output: 0.25mV (5cm/s, 45° peak). Recommended load: 47k ohms or less.
Serial number of unit…
And writing about audio components is an even harder trick to successfully pull off. What is it that makes some writers competent to write authoritatively about hi-fi products, while others waffle in a morass of non-communication?
In his letter on affirmative action in this month's "Letters," Carl Hoefer states that "reviewers can be trained, not just plucked full-grown from the population." While I don't disagree with his statement—in fact, such "training" is a major part of my responsibility as this…
Acoustic Revive RL-30 Mk.3 record demagnetizer: $1975
The RL-30 Mk.3 removed the high-frequency glaze from harsh-sounding LPs to make a believer out of Mikey. "I'm sorry to report that demagnetizing LPs works—consistently and decidedly," he said. Its conservative looks and useful dustcover give it an edge over Furutech's De Mag, in MF's opinion. (Vol.29 No.10)
Air Tight AT-LCE-1 Cartridge Enhancer: $360
(See "Analog Corner" in Vol.30 No.10.)
Benz/Aesthetix MC Demagnetizer: $199
Battery-powered, reasonably priced, seems to…