Analog source: Judith Spotheim La Luce and SpJ turntable/tonearm, Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum phono cartridge.
Digital source: Forsell Air Bearing CD transport, Burmester 989 CD transport, dCS 972 Sample Rate Converter and dCS Elgar converter at 24/192, direct output to the amps or into the preamp.
Preamplifiers: Classé Omega, BAT VK-50SE, Burmester 808 Mk.V, YBA Signature 6 Chassis.
Loudspeakers: JMlab Utopia.
Cables: Synergistic Research Designer's Reference Discrete Shielding, XLO The Limited, TARA The One. Power cords: AudioPrism…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 2: Measurements
Because of the Mana Reference's wide variety of configurations—four output transformer taps, ultralinear or triode output tube/transformer operation, balanced and unbalanced inputs—I carried out a complete set of measurements on the amplifier only with balanced input and ultralinear output. I did check some of the performance parameters in the other modes, however. But if no input or output modes are mentioned, assume it's balanced and ultralinear, respectively.
Before I did anything, I warmed up the amplifier at one-third power into 8 ohms for 60 minutes…
The phrase "the mystic chords of memory" comes from Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address. Of course, larger issues than those addressed in this column occupied most peoples' minds just then. But it is nonetheless worthwhile for us to spend a moment or two thinking about how differently people experienced music in 1861, compared to how things are today.
In America in 1861, there was virtually no recorded music. If it wasn't live, you couldn't hear it. And once you heard a piece of music, you would never hear that exact same performance ever again. In 1861, music lived on in peoples…
Lincoln was not the only US political-historical figure with a musical side. Charles Gates Dawes, who later served as Calvin Coolidge's Vice-President, wrote "Melody in A Major," which became one of violinist Fritz Kreisler's favorite encore pieces, and was later picked up by Tommy Dorsey's big band. Dawes shared the 1925 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in rebuilding Europe after World War I.
In 1951, perhaps prompted by Dawes' death earlier that year, songwriter Carl Sigman decided that Dawes' "Melody" would be a great vehicle for some bittersweet lyrics. The result, "(Many a Tear Has…
Other orchestral recordings that still arrest my memory are Erich Leinsdorf and the BSO's phenomenal reading of Holst's The Planets (Deutsche Grammophon), von Karajan's Scheherazade for its solos by concertmaster Michel Schwalbé (DG, although Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony's effort for Decca is also wonderful), Antal Dorati's of Dvorák's Symphony 9 (London Phase 4), Stokowski's unique, non-Ravel orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (London Phase 4), Rafael Kubelik's engaging disc of Dvorák tone poems including The Golden Spinning Wheel (DG), Sir Adrian Boult's…
Sidebar: John Marks' Mystic Chords
1) Linda Ronstadt: "Long, Long Time" (by Gary B. White); from Silk Purse (1970) and The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt (CD, Rhino 76109).
Ronstadt's vocal approach to this tearjerker is as much Grand Opera as Grand Ole Opry—here she achieved an intensity of passion and a degree of tangible naturalness that she never was to surpass.
2) Roberta Flack: "Jesse" (by Janis Ian); from Killing Me Softly (1973; CD, Atlantic SD 19154).
One of the most perfectly structured and elegantly written songs of the singer-songwriter era—"elegant" in…
Sometimes, a product review in Stereophile can breed additional reviews. Shortly after I reviewed the Audio Valve Conductor line stage in the July 2009 issue (Vol.32 No.7), I was contacted by NAT's US distributor, Musical Sounds: "Hey, if you liked the Audio Valve Conductor [$13,995], you'll love the NAT Symmetrical line stage at $8000! Would you like to review it?" Aside from Michael Fremer's review of the battery-powered NAT Signature Phono stage in the July 2007 issue, I was unfamiliar with this Serbian maker of tube electronics. But "Sure," I replied; "why not?"
Designing…
Today, as I reflect on my recent experiences in my reference system with Audio Valve's Eklipse and Conductor, Audio Research's Reference 3, and the NAT Symmetrical, as well as time spent at friends' houses and audio shows with C-J's Art 2 line stage, I realize how dramatically things have changed. I felt that each of these designs presented a chillingly realistic reproduction of the musical experience, with no meaningful flaws, and with strengths that far exceeded those of designs of a decade or more ago. I found that, as a reviewer, it was nearly impossible for me to rank these products, to…
Listening to the recent remastering of the Beatles' Abbey Road (CD, Apple 382462 2), I focused on Ringo's drum work during the densely orchestrated chorus of "Something." Despite the complex mix of vocal harmonies, instruments, and orchestral backfill, I was able to follow every dynamic inflection of Ringo's clever snare and tom work, even though it was buried deep in the mix. And with Robert Silverman's reading of Beethoven's Piano Sonata 1, from his complete set of the sonatas (CD, OrpheumMasters KSP-830), I was able to analyze every movement of Silverman's stylized technique in a piece I…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tubed line preamplifier. Tube complement: two OA2, two 6X4W, six 6N1P-EV, two 6N2P-EV. Frequency response: 0.07Hz–300kHz, –3dB; 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.01dB. Phase status: non-inverting (0°). Input impedance: >47k ohms single-ended, >94k ohms balanced. Stereo separation: >100dB at 1kHz. Output impedance: <70 ohms, single-ended, <140 ohms balanced. Signal/Noise Ratio: >95dB, A-weighted, ref. 1V RMS output. Maximum voltage gain: 15.5dB (x5.6). THD+N: <0.03% at 1V RMS, 20Hz–20kHz. Power requirements: 110 or 220VAC at 50–60Hz, maximum 100VA…