Brian Damkroger on the Tri-Planar Precision Mk.VII, June 2010 (Vol.33 No.6):
Architect Louis Henri Sullivan's maxim of "form ever follows function" is simple and elegant—a device or object should look a direct result of the design choices made to best serve the uses to which the device or object is to be put. Unfortunately, advertisers have for so long used the phrase to justify poor designs and arbitrary styling that it's become just another slogan.
The Tri-Planar Precision Mk.VII tonearm ($4950), on the other hand, is a perfect example of Sullivan's ideal. One look at it tells…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Medium-mass, damped, fixed-bearing, radial-tracking tonearm with fixed headshell.
Dimensions: Effective length: 250mm. Pivot-to-spindle distance: 233.5mm. Overhang: 16.5mm, Headshell offset angle: 22°. Effective mass: 11 grams. Weight: 28 oz.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 2465 (1998).
Price: $1795 (1988); $2375–$2550, depending on termination (1995); $2710 including tonearm cable (1998); $3250 with 1m cable/RCA plug termination (2001); $4950 (2010). Approximate number of dealers: 50.
Manufacturer: Wheaton Music Inc., Wheaton, MD…
Over the past two and a half years, I've auditioned and reviewed a number of digital audio products. It has been a fascinating experience both to watch digital playback technology evolve and to listen to the results of various design philosophies. The road to more musical digital audio has been a slow and steady climb, with occasional jumps forward made possible by new techniques and technologies. Making this odyssey even more interesting (and confounding), digital processors seem to offer varying interpretations of the music rather than striving toward a common ideal of presenting what's on…
The other rear-panel connections include two "Communications Ports." These will permit communication between other Mark Levinson 30–series products for greater user control. For example, when using the No.31 CD transport with the No.30, pressing Play on the transport will automatically switch the No.30 to accept the transport's digital signal.
Three digital outputs for driving digital recorders are provided, two XLR and one Toslink. Two of the outputs (one XLR, one Toslink) are in parallel, selected by the record output selection feature described earlier. The signal being listened to…
Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the No.30's design is the two towers that contain the D/A converters and analog output circuitry. Besides giving the No.30 its distinctive look, there were some important engineering reasons for isolating the analog circuitry from digital signal processing and control signals. The towers are virtually immune to radiated noise, both by their shielding and by their distance from the digital electronics. More important, however, are the thermal conditions under which the critical conversion to analog takes place. The towers were very carefully designed to…
In fact, I find it difficult to describe the No.30's "sound" or "character" because it is so neutral and transparent. I felt as though I were hearing exactly what was on the disc or digital master tape, not the No.30's interpretation of it. The No.30 didn't overlay the music with a common sonic signature. Instead, it seemed to get out of the way, taking the listener one step closer to the musicians. While other processors have been described as "laid-back," "forward," "smooth," "lightweight," or "detailed," the No.30 defied such descriptions. Rather, it seemed to convey the characteristics…
I should add that I enjoyed hearing the specific aspects of the presentation I've described not for their own sake, but for their musical significance. Music listening was a more fulfilling, complete experience through the No.30. Going back to the example of the click sound being replaced by woodblocks of varying pitch, this minuscule objective change in the signal produced a huge perceptual difference. The No.30 revealed a new dimension of rhythmic interaction in this music. Further, there was suddenly an impression of Flora Purim, who plays percussion when she isn't singing, standing…
Robert Harley wrote again about the No.30 in June 1993 (Vol.16 No.6):
I'll take this opportunity to write a very brief follow-up to my No.30 review in Vol.15 No.2. After living with a product (off and on) for many months, one's insights into the product increase. This was true of the No.30. My unbridled enthusiasm for it has grown after extended auditioning. Although the No.30's bass presentation was exceeded by the Theta Generation III and Meitner IDAT, it has a unique quality: the ability to resolve musical information without being in any way analytical. This is the No.30's great…
Sidebar 1: Review System
The No.30 was installed in my usual reference system: VTL 225W monoblocks driving Hales System Two Signature speakers, augmented by a Muse Model 18 subwoofer, all driven by an Audio Research LS2 line-stage preamplifier. Digital sources were a Theta Data universal transport fitted with coaxial and AT&T ST-type optical outputs, and a JVC DAT machine playing original master tapes. I also auditioned the No.30 with Nakamichi's new $6000 seven-disc transport, the 1000MB.
On hand were a large selection of digital interconnects, including Madrigal's, the…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
Although there is very little correlation between sound quality and measurements, I expected the No.30 to have superb test-bench performance. This was indeed the case: the No.30 was the best-measuring digital processor I've tested. The following measurements were taken from the No.30's unbalanced outputs unless otherwise noted.
The No.30's output level when decoding a full-scale (0dBFS) 1kHz sinewave was 2.095V, 0.4dB higher than the CD standard of 2V. This level is, however, slightly lower than most high-end digital processors. I must reiterate the need…
