Description: Low-output, moving-coil phono cartridge. Stylus: specially designed and ground for Koetsu. Output: 200µV (1kHz, 5cm/s). Internal impedance: 5 ohms. Frequency range: 20Hz–100kHz. Channel separation: >30dB/1kHz. Channel balance: within 0.5dB/1kHz. Recommended VTF: 1.8–2.0gm. Recommended loading: 5–100k ohms. Compliance: medium-low. Recommended tonearm: medium-high mass.
Price: $5500. Approximate number of dealers: 30.
Manufacturer: Koetsu, Kyoto, Japan. Distributor: Musical Surroundings, Inc., 5856 College Avenue, Suite 146, Oakland, CA…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Turntables were my Forsell Air Force One and the La Luce/SpJ 'table and arm from Holland. Other cartridges on hand were the van den Hul Grasshopper IV GLA and Black Beauty, the Clearaudio Insider, and the Win SMC-10 and transformer.
Preamps included the Nagra PL-P and the YBA Signature 6 Chassis, plus the Expressive Technology SU-1 MC Step-Up transformer. Amplifiers in play were the Boulder 2050s, the YBA Passion monoblocks, and Forsell's The Statement. Speakers were our JMlab Utopias, optimized with Argent RoomLenses and ASC Studio Traps.
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As a reviewer who has focused on seeking out high-quality audiophile gear for cost-constrained readers, I'm embarrassed to say that the flagship RB-991 stereo amplifier is the first Rotel product I've had in my house. (To be fair to myself, this 38-year-old family-owned company did not develop a large US market presence until this last decade.)
Rotel's philosophy of audio design is consistent with my own taste as a reviewer. As explained in Rotel's US dealer training manual (143 pages, with multiple-choice review questions at the conclusion of each chapter), the company's focus…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state stereo power amplifier. Output: 200Wpc into 8 ohms (23dBW), 300Wpc into 4 ohms (21.8dBW). Frequency response: <10Hz–100kHz, ±1dB. Damping factor: >500. Total harmonic distortion: <0.03%. Intermodulation distortion: <0.03%. Signal/noise ratio: 120dB.
Dimensions: 17" W by 5" H by 15" D. Weight: 37 lbs.
Price: $999 (1999); no longer available (2007). Approximate number of dealers: 200.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 748 136040.
Manufacturer: Rotel of America, 54 Concord Street, North Reading, MA 01864. Tel: (978)…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: VPI TNT Mk.IV turntable, Immedia tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge.
CD players: California Audio Labs Icon Mk.II and Delta/Sigma II.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audible Illusions Modulus L1 line-stage.
Loudspeakers: Acarian Systems Aláon Circe, Aláon V Mk.II, Mission 731i.
Cables: MIT MI350 CVTwin Terminator and MI330 Shotgun interconnects, Acarian Systems Black Orpheus speaker cable.
Accessories: Various items from VPI, Sound Anchor, SimplyPhysics, ASC, Bright Star, TG Audio Labs.—Robert J. Reina
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The measurements of the Rotel RB-991 were made primarily in unbalanced mode, though selected readings were taken in balanced operation. Unless otherwise noted, the results discussed here refer to the unbalanced connection.
Following its preconditioning test, the Rotel RB-991 was very warm, but not unusually so for a high-powered amplifier. Its voltage gain measured 31.8dB unbalanced, 24.9dB balanced. The input impedance measured 36k ohms (45.2k ohms balanced). DC offset was a highish 22.1mV in the left channel, 13.1mV in the right. The RB-991 is…
KINGS OF LEON: Because of the Times
RCA (CD). 2007. Ethan Johns, prod., eng.; Lowell Reynolds, asst. eng. AAD? TT: 51:41
Performance ****½
Sonics ****
RCA (CD). 2007. Ethan Johns, prod., eng.; Lowell Reynolds, asst. eng. AAD? TT: 51:41
Performance ****½
Sonics ****
By their third album, most young rock bands have found that the evolution of their art is a lot harder than it looks. Not only do many lose focus after a successful debut, but the majority, even those who stay serious, make a record or maybe two, then suddenly find themselves out of material and ideas. Look no further than The Strokes for an example of a band stunted and badly in need of fresh energies and directions, their…
I began writing this essay on New Year's Day 2007. The passing of the old year reminded me that I am now in the 21st year of editing Stereophile, my 25th of being the editor-in-chief of a mainstream audio magazine, and my 31st of working full-time as an audio journalist. (Prior to joining Stereophile in 1986, I had worked for 10 years at British magazine Hi-Fi News & Record Review, the final four as its editor.) Back in the innocent 1970s, reviewers and editors generally picked and chose what products to review based on their own interest and what they felt appropriate for their readers…
My plan was to begin by revealing the highest sum I've paid for a wristwatch. It wasn't very much, and that would have been the point.
But when I sat down to think, as I often do while writing, it occurred to me that I've never actually paid for a watch: They've all been gifts. Working backward in time, there was the Swatch that my travel-agent wife brought back from a trip to the Virgin Islands; the very convincing fake Rolex that my mother bought for me during a trip to Bermuda; and the beautiful vintage Wittnauer that once belonged to my great-uncle Jack Dunphy, and which is now one…
Now let's talk about loans. As I've mentioned on a number of occasions, I usually keep review samples 60 to 90 days, depending on what my schedule looks like and how much running-in the product requires. Right now there are some interesting things on hand, waiting to be written up—including integrated amplifiers from Simaudio and Musical Fidelity, cables from JPS Labs, a newer and less expensive version of the Audio Note AN-E loudspeaker, and a new Rega turntable.
Some readers have a sharp and reasonable interest in products that are here for more than 60 to 90 days: long-term loans,…