No one spends this kind of money on a phono preamp unless its appearance and functionality are commensurate with its sound, and in the MP-P201 they are—even if there's only the RIAA curve, and no Mono button. However, what will get wealthy enthusiasts to drain $60k from their bank accounts will be the Vitus's unmistakably astonishing sound. Plug it in, play it, and compare it with…
Description: Two-chassis, solid-state phono preamplifier with 14 choices of voltage gain, 46dB–86dB, for both balanced and single-ended inputs and 18 choices of input impedance, from 100 to 47k ohms.
Dimensions: Not noted.
serial number of review sample: VA090097, power supply; VA090096, preamplifier.
Price: $60,000.
Manufacturer: Vitus Audio, AVA Group A/S, Sandgaardsvej 31, DK-7400 Herning, Denmark. Tel: (45) 9626-8046. Fax: (45) 9626-8045. Web: www.vitusaudio.com. US distributor: Silent Source, 5570 North Forty Place, Dallas, TX 75252. Tel: (972)…
I measured the Vitus MP-P201 (serial nos.: VA090097, power supply; VA090096, preamplifier) with Stereophile's loan sample of the Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com). The Vitus's front-panel pushbuttons offer 14 choices of voltage gain for both its balanced and single-ended inputs, ranging from 86dB at "125µV" to 46dB at "10mV." The measured gains were the same for both inputs, and were all about 10dB higher than usual for the nominal cartridge sensitivity. For example, setting the sensitivity to "5mV," which is the…
The Acapella High Violoncello II is superbly finished. The woofer cabinet is finished in piano-gloss black or white, and…
Description: Three-way, sealed-cabinet, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: horn-loaded, AC-powered, ionic plasma tweeter with its own class-A amplifier; horn-loaded, 2" soft-dome midrange unit; two 11" treated paper-cone woofers in separate enclosure with one internal 11" treated paper-cone woofer. Tweeter sensitivity: 1.5V. Tweeter amplifier input impedance: 600 ohms. Tweeter high-pass filter slope: 12dB/octave. Crossover frequencies: 800Hz, 5kHz. Frequency range: 26Hz–40kHz. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 93dB/2.83V/m. Recommended amplification…
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; Simaudio Moon Evolution 750D CD player; dCS Puccini SACD player & USB-input D/A converter with Apple Mac mini running Pure Music and for media storage.
Preamplifier: Simaudio Moon Evolution P-8.
Power Amplifiers: Classé CTM-600 monoblocks, Simaudio Moon Evolution W-7, Balanced Audio Technology VK-55SE.
Integrated Amplifier: Audio Research VSi60.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Illuminations Orchid AES/EBU, Stereovox CV2 electrical S/PDIF, Belkin USB. Interconnect (balanced): AudioQuest Wild…
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Acapella's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield and spatially averaged room responses. As with the Focal Maestro Utopia that I reviewed in the July 2010 issue, the sheer bulk of the High Violoncello II precluded my being able to take it outside and place it on a high stand for the acoustic measurements. I therefore performed those measurements in my listening room, firing the speaker along one of the room's diagonals to move the sidewall…
When I reviewed this $80,000/pair, three-way horn loudspeaker in the September 2010 issue (p.71), for the bulk of my auditioning I had the level controls of the ionic tweeters set to their minimum positions. However, the tweeters were still a little "hot" in my room (ca 26' by 15' by 7' 10") when the speakers were driven by the solid-state Classé CTM-600 monoblocks, and I mentioned in the review's "Measurements" sidebar that it might be worth reducing the tweeter sensitivity with a series resistor…