Analog source: VPI TNT IV turntable, JMW 12" Memorial tonearm, Grado The Reference and Micro-Benz LO4 cartridges.
Digital sources: Wadia 830 and Marantz CD63SE CD players, Denon DVD-3000 DVD player.
Preamplification: Sonic Frontiers Phono-1 phono preamp, Sonic Frontiers Line 3 and Adcom GFP-750 line stages.
Power amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.20.6, VTL Ichiban, VAC Renaissance 70/70.
A/V receiver: Rotel RSX-965.
Loudspeakers: Thiel CS7.2 and CS2.3, Magnepan 1.6 Q/R, Castle Severn, Meadowlark Kestrel "Hot Rod."
Cables…
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Sidebar 2: System, Setup, & Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The SuperTwo was one of the least sensitive speakers I've measured in quite a while—its B-weighted voltage sensitivity weighed in at just 82.5dB/2.83V/m, the same as a BBC LS3/5A. Its impedance (fig.1) drops briefly below 4 ohms in the lower midrange, but the speaker is otherwise a relatively easy load for the partnering amplifier to drive. The subwoofer port appears from this graph to be tuned to a low 25Hz, with some complicated behavior two octaves higher, in the crossover region to the mid-woofer.
Fig.1 NHT SuperTwo, electrical impedance (…
Yet another of the best systems I've ever heard at a hi-fi show was an exhibit by some former distributors for the English manufacturer Exposure Electronics, at a Chicago Consumer Electronics Show in the late 1980s. The exhibitors seemed to believe it was better to impress with a humble product than to overwhelm with a full-bore assault, because they limited their display to a single amplifier: the then-new Exposure X (as in "10") integrated, mated to a record player comprising a Linn LP12 turntable, Ekos tonearm, and Troika cartridge, and a pair of Linn Kan loudspeakers.
Let's…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state integrated amplifier with 6 line inputs. Maximum output power: 75Wpc into 8 ohms (18.75dBW). Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.5dB. Input impedance: >14k ohms. Input sensitivity: 250mV. Signal/noise ratio: >100dB, A-weighted (no reference level given). Channel separation: >60dB, 20Hz–20kHz. Total harmonic distortion: <0.05% at 1kHz, rated power.
Dimensions: 17.4" (445mm) W by 4" (100mm) H by 12" (310mm) D. Weight: 15.4 lbs (7kg).
Serial number of unit reviewed: 0000078SH.
Price: $1250; optional MM or MC phono preamp…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn LP12 turntable, Linn Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Miyabi 47 phono cartridge; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Lyra Helikon Mono cartridge; Tamura TKS-83 moving-coil step-up transformer.
Digital Sources: Naim CD5x CD player, Linn Unidisk SC universal disc player.
Preamplifier: Fi, Linn Linto phono.
Power Amplifiers: Lamm ML2.1 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL-989.
Cables: Interconnect: Audio Note AN-Vx, Nordost Valhalla. Speaker: Audio Note AN-SPx, Nordost Valhalla. AC: JPS Labs The Digital (CD players).
…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I preconditioned the Exposure 2010S by running a 1kHz sinewave at 25Wpc into 8 ohms for an hour. After 30 minutes the chassis was very hot, with even the volume control too hot to touch. The amplifier didn't shut down, however. The distortion level was initially 0.035% at this power level, rising slightly at the end of the preconditioning period to 0.048%.
Looking first at the preamp output, this offered a maximum gain of 17.15dB rather than the specified 18dB, sourced from a low 69 ohms impedance. (I note from AD's description that this output uses an op…
Jim Austin wrote about the Exposure 2010S in February 2006 (Vol.29 No.2):
The UPS man delivered the $1250 Exposure 2010S integrated amplifier to my house about a week before Art Dudley's full review appeared in the November 2005 Stereophile. I stuck it straight into my system and was immediately struck by how much it changed the system's sound. Reviewing amplifiers, I thought, isn't supposed to be this easy.
Along with digital front-ends, amplifiers are among the hardest components to characterize, and the Exposure was replacing a similarly priced, similarly powered, similarly…
Sidebar: Jim Austin's Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Rega P7 turntable, Rega RB-700 tonearm, Rega Bias 2, Elys 2, Exact (old and new versions) cartridges.
Digital Sources: Marantz SA-8260 SACD player, Benchmark DAC-1 D/A processor.
Preamplification: Whest PS.20, Rega Fono (MM) phono stages.
Integrated Amplifiers: Rega Mira, Arcam A75 Plus.
Loudspeakers: Vandersteen 2Ce Signature.
Cables: Interconnect: Chord Chameleon Silver Plus & Chorus, Monster Cable M550i. Speaker: Chord Odyssey 2 & Odyssey 4, Monster Cable M1.2.
Accessories: Rigid hardwood equipment…
When a well-respected analog disc-mastering veteran like Stan Ricker says that the Alesis MasterLink ML-9600, a hard-disk-based digital recorder/CD burner, is "the best tool in my mastering bag...done right it can sound better than all but the absolute top drawer analog," you take the endorsement seriously. Progress is possible. Mastering tool, CD burner, 24-bit/96kHz recorder, audio reviewer's best friend—the versatile MasterLink is one of the coolest products I've ever had my hands on.
For a company that was on the brink of bankruptcy (it was bought and resurrected by Numark…
What It Is
Because it was conceived as a studio component, the Alesis MasterLink ML-9600 offers both balanced and unbalanced analog and digital inputs and outputs. Because I was conceived as a tweaky audiophile, I used only the unbalanced analog inputs and outputs—not that there's anything wrong with the balanced. There is no Analog Input level adjustment, but there are 15dB of headroom from nominal input to clipping (+19dBu from the +4dBu balanced input, +5dBV at the -10dBV RCA input). I never ran into any distortion problems, though some phono front-end combos looked as if they were…
Because it was conceived as a studio component, the Alesis MasterLink ML-9600 offers both balanced and unbalanced analog and digital inputs and outputs. Because I was conceived as a tweaky audiophile, I used only the unbalanced analog inputs and outputs—not that there's anything wrong with the balanced. There is no Analog Input level adjustment, but there are 15dB of headroom from nominal input to clipping (+19dBu from the +4dBu balanced input, +5dBV at the -10dBV RCA input). I never ran into any distortion problems, though some phono front-end combos looked as if they were…