Before performing tests on an amplifier, I thermally stress it by running it for 60 minutes at one-third the specified power into 8 ohms, which is the worst case for an amplifier with a class-B or-AB output stage. Eyeballing the Musical Fidelity Supercharger 550K, it doesn't appear to have enough heatsink area for a 550W design. This, in fact, proved to be the case—it shut down after 18 minutes of operation at 191W into 8 ohms. The chassis was way too hot to touch and the amplifier's orange Temperature LED was illuminated. Letting it cool down for 30 minutes…
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Erick Lichte reviewed the 550k Supercharger in December 2008 (Vol.31 No.12):
Back in May, my vocal ensemble, Cantus, gave a series of concerts in which we covered pop tunes. I'd really enjoyed the sound John Atkinson had gotten on his live Attention Screen CD, so I asked John to come out to Minneapolis and record us. I also thought it might be fun to make John abandon any remaining pretense of "minimally miked" recording and do it up with lots of mikes, like real rockers do. John will be the first to tell you that I'm a bad influence on him.
In order for us to sing with the bass…
The ceiling remains, but the floor has changed: Benz-Micro continues to offer a selection of rather expensive phono cartridges, including their well-established LP Ebony ($4700) and Ruby 3 ($3000) models. But in recent years, my attention has been drawn by the succession of budget Benzes: first, the Gliders ($795), then the ACEs ($550), and now the MC20E2-L ($199).
Actually, this particular Benz has been here before, but never with such a low output: The enduring MC20EII ($199) puts out a generous 2.5mV. But those who think of sub-millivolt cartridges as purer, quicker, and…
The MC20E2-L was smooth (as in not screechy) and reliably pitch-accurate in my system, with very good tonal balance overall and a medium to up-front spatial presentation. While it wasn't as sweetly, believably textured or as musically nuanced as the more expensive cartridges in my collection, the Benz reproduced surprisingly good string tone from well-recorded classical LPs. During its time here, and for whatever reason, I was on something of a chamber-music kick, and I listened to one record in particular literally every day for over a week: a Japanese reissue of Beethoven's Septet in E-…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Low-output moving-coil cartridge. Output: 0.5mV (500V). Compliance: 10cu. Channel separation: >30dB (1kHz). Channel balance: <1dB. Cantilever: one-piece aluminum tube. Stylus: elliptical diamond, 0.3 by 0.7 mil. Internal impedance: 32 ohms. Recommended load: 400–47k ohms. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz. Weight: 4gm (with stylus guard). Recommended downforce: 2.0–2.5gm.
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: none.
Price: $199. Approximate number of dealers: 120.
Manufacturer: Benz-Micro, Switzerland. US distributor: Musical Surroundings, 5662…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn LP12 turntable, Naim Armageddon & homemade Artiegeddon power supplies, Naim Aro tonearm; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Rega RB300 tonearm; Well Tempered Record Player, Well Tempered Arm; Miyabi 47, Koetsu Black, EMT JSD 5 cartridges.
Digital Source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Tamura TKS-83, VAS MC-One, K&K Audio, Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 step-up transformers; Shindo Masseto preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Lamm ML2.1, Quad II (both monoblocks); Shindo Montille & Shindo Cortese.
Loudspeakers:…
Carl Kennedy, director of JL Audio's Home and Professional Sales division, leaned forward and quietly asked, "Would you like to review our Fathom f113 subwoofer?"
We were standing in JL Audio's exhibit area at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show, near a mob surrounding a display of an "exploded" f113. The sub's 13.5" cone had been pulled apart, and its huge magnet assembly, voice-coil, spider, internal amplifier, and control panel were suspended in air.
I nodded enthusiastic agreement.
"What would you think if I asked you to review a pair of f113s?"
"Let's…
Matching levels: the Quads and the Fathom f113s
Installing two Fathom f113s in my system took a lot more time and careful listening than I'd anticipated. I had to adjust 10 controls on the Master f113, and 10 on the Bryston 10B-SUB electronic crossover. Once I'd listened to the two f113s in the dual-mono Master/Slave configuration, I repeated all setup steps with the two subs configured for stereo operation. For this I used two sets of tools: the signal generator, virtual spectrum analyzer, and microphone built into the Velodyne DD-18 sub; and JL Audio's own ARO system and mike. The…
Installing two Fathom f113s in my system took a lot more time and careful listening than I'd anticipated. I had to adjust 10 controls on the Master f113, and 10 on the Bryston 10B-SUB electronic crossover. Once I'd listened to the two f113s in the dual-mono Master/Slave configuration, I repeated all setup steps with the two subs configured for stereo operation. For this I used two sets of tools: the signal generator, virtual spectrum analyzer, and microphone built into the Velodyne DD-18 sub; and JL Audio's own ARO system and mike. The…
Another significant change was my system's increased dynamic range. The Quad electrostatics played passages louder, and didn't "clamp off" during passages of wide dynamic range. Supported by the Fathom f113s, the Quads could now handle bass peaks without overloading in my large listening room, most obviously when playing the massive deep synthesizer opening of "Deeper Wells," from Spyboy. Even more impressive was the f113s' ability to resolve the different tonal qualities of percussion instruments—for instance, the synthesizer and pulsatile bass drum in "Silk Road," from I Ching's Of the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Powered, sealed-box subwoofer. Drive-unit: 13.5" W7 cone with 3.5"-diameter voice-coil and 4" peak–peak excursion. Magnet weight: not specified. Low-pass filter: variable, 30–130Hz; 12dB or 24dB/octave. High-pass filter: not supplied. Inputs: stereo or mono balanced Neutrix (single XLR connector), stereo or mono unbalanced (single RCA connector). Input modes: Master, Slave. Outputs: single balanced Neutrix (XLR) to additional subwoofer. Input sensitivity: not specified. Input impedance: not specified. Controls: Power (On, Off, Automatic Signal…