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It was not the best of times. Aside from a major repair job on the car, it was National IRS week. This year, I was "asked" to make a major supplementary contribution to support the festivities leading up to April 15. At least I was able to use the EZ form this year. That's the one that asks you to list your income and send in a check for 80% of it.

Not that I expect any sympathy. It's just that this time of year reminds most of us of the mortality of our own personal finances. Here today, gone tomorrow. You…

Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier. Rated power output: 300W into 8 ohms (24.8dBW), 450W into 4 ohms (23.5dBW), 850W into 2 ohms (23.3dBW), all 20Hz–20kHz at 0.02% THD. Frequency response: unspecified. Input impedance: 50k ohms. Input sensitivity: 2.15V for rated output. S/N (A-weighted, full output): greater than 106dB. Damping factor: >1000, 8 ohms, 20Hz–20kHz. Dynamic headroom (at 4 ohms): 1.6dB.
Dimensions: 17" W by 8.25" H by 11.5" D. Weight (shipping): 45 lbs.
Price: $1700/pair; $1900/pair with balanced inputs (1991). Optional…

Associated equipment used in auditioning the Adcom amplifier consisted of the Oracle Delphi Mk.IV turntable with SME V tonearm and Dynavector XX-1L cartridge, Sony CDP-X77ES CD player, Wadia WT-3200 transport and DigiMaster X-64.4 D/A converter, and Rowland Consonance preamplifier. Loudspeakers were the Apogee Stages, B&W 801 Matrix Series 2s, and Snell C/IVs. Both amplifiers were also briefly auditioned through the Nestorovic Type 5AS Mk.IIIs.

Interconnects were AudioQuest Lapis and Cardas Hexlink (the latter from preamplifier to…

A look at fig.1 indicates that the Adcom exhibits a virtually flat frequency response curve, except at the very top end where it's 0.5dB down at 32kHz. Using the optional balanced inputs, the 0.5dB-down point was slightly lower, at 27kHz. (With a few noted exceptions, all of the measurements were made into the standard, unbalanced inputs.) The small-signal 1kHz squarewave (fig.2) shows a clean, square shape with a fast rise-time. The polarity was non-inverting. The Adcom's input impedance at 1kHz was 47k ohms, and its output impedance was uniformly low—ranging…

The Phono's good looks speak for themselves. Note the sculpted faceplate accent that integrates the main box with the power supply—a nice touch. And speaking…

Description: Two-box phono preamplifier with MM and MC inputs, +10dB switch, adjustable loading and IEC-based subsonic filter. Voltage gain: 40dB (MM); 64dB (MC).
Price: $6100.
Manufacturer: Audia snc, Via delle Azalee 13/E, 00053 Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy. Tel: (39) 0766-24387. Fax: (39) 0766-392014. Web: www.audia.it. US distributor: Musical Sounds, LLC, 6 Mayflower Court, Milford, CT 06460. Tel: (203) 877-7776. Fax: (203) 783-0500. Web: www.musicalsounds.us.

From time to time during the third of my life I sleep away every night, I dream of new releases by some of my favorite musicians. The music of those dream-records is always less interesting but always more melancholy than what's eventually released. Listening to this aptly titled album, the first of…

Some of this is backed by sufficient evidence, forrnal or otherwise, that it must be accepted as Probable Truth. Some is almost certainly rubbish, worthy of note only by mystics and charlatans who would use mysticism to promote their audio image. In the middle is a wide range of what can be considered questionable doctrine, embraced by some and scorned by others.

Much of this audio legend has to do…

Different plug materials are more prone to oxidation of their contact surfaces than others, and oxide accumulations often are audible. (Many metallic oxides are partial rectifiers, passing one signal polarity more readily than the other. This imposes an asymmetrical bias on audio signals.) However, no evidence has been presented to support the claim that different plug materials affect sound when all contact surfaces are clean.

Improbables
• "Sound quality is affected by the proximity of structural surfaces to the speaker wires…