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There are way too many refinements to list, but they add up to higher performance and, not surprisingly, price. Where the RPM-1 cost about $5000, the SG2 will set you back $15,000. Much of the higher cost is accounted for in the more precise machining and assembly operations. The original SOTA 'tables appeared to have been built to a price point; RPMs were a big improvement, I felt, built of components produced to spec by a competent machine shop. The shop that produces Spiral Groove components—the seventh to try—specializes in high-precision aerospace components and tools for microsurgery…
But even these subtle differences were elusive. When I listened to the VPI, it seemed as if the cellos and double basses had more power and richer timbres. When I switched back to the Spiral Groove, however, I was hard-pressed to find differences in loudness or timbre. It was clear, however, that the notes started and stopped a bit more precisely with the SG2, and that individual instruments within a section could be discerned more distinctly. Perhaps the best way to summarize the differences I heard in the back-to-back comparisons is to say that the SG2's temporal and spatial precision…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Belt-drive turntable with low-voltage AC synchronous motor, outboard power conditioning and regeneration, electronic speed selection (33.33 or 45rpm), removable armboard.
Dimensions: 18.5" (470mm) W by 4.5" (115mm) H by 15" (380mm) D. Weight: 50 lbs (22.7kg).
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 623082R105.
Price: $15,000. Approximate number of dealers: 7.
Manufacturer: Spiral Groove, 1516 Fifth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710. Tel: (510) 559-2050. Fax: (510) 559-1855. Web: www.spiral-groove.com, www.immediasound.com.
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI HR-X turntable & tonearm; Tri-Planar & Spiral Groove Centroid tonearms; Lyra Titan i, Grado Signature Reference cartridges.
Digital Source: Primare CD 31 CD player.
Preamplification: Sutherland PhD phono preamplifier; Sutherland Direct, Placette Active line stages.
Power Amplifiers: VTL MB750 Signature monoblocks, Pass Labs XA-30.5.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Sophia II.
Cables: Stereovox, Audience Au-24, Nordost Valhalla, Nirvana SL. AC: Audience PowerChord, Synergistic Research Designer's…
I have built up a large collection of CDs since the medium's launch more than a quarter century ago, along with a modest number of SACDs and a small number of DVD-As. But I find these days that, unless I'm getting down to some serious listening and can give the music my uninterrupted attention, I use iTunes to feed computer files to my high-end rig (footnote 1). I've mostly been using the superb-sounding combination of dCS Puccini U-Clock and Puccini player/DAC that I reviewed last December to take a USB feed from a Mac mini, but I've also been using the Bel Canto USB Link 24/96 and Stello…
I picked up the review sample of the DACport at the 2010 CES, which is also where electric bassist Dean Peer gave me a copy of his new album, Airborne, available as 24/96 WAV files on a USB drive (Cardas Audio). I got to know the album through the DACport—remembering, of course, to exit iTunes, reset the default sample rate to 96kHz with the Mac's AudioMidi setup utility, then restart iTunes. "N'est-ce pas" is currently my favorite track from Airborne, with its melodic arpeggios, picked out on artificial harmonics, contrasted against a simple bass line and off-beat snare-drum rimshots. This…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Adaptive isochronous, USB-input, bus-powered, direct-coupled, class-A headphone amplifier. Input: USB 1.1- and 2.0-compliant, no driver software required; compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. Output: ¼" stereo headphone jack. Sample rates supported: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96kHz. Word lengths supported: 16, 24 bits. Frequency response at 96kHz: 20Hz–40kHz, ±0.2dB. Maximum output level: 8.5V peak–peak (3.0V RMS) into 300 ohms. THD+noise: –97dB/0.0014% (1kHz at –0.5dBFS). Maximum output power: 1.5W. Supplied accessories: belt clip, 6' (…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: iTunes 9.03 with Mac mini (G4 processor) running OS10.5.8; iTunes 9.03 with MacBook (Intel processor) running OS10.6; Foobar 2000 with Shuttle PC (dual-core AMD Athlon processor) running Windows 7.
Headphone Amplifier: Benchmark DAC1.
Headphones: Sennheiser HD-650, Sony MDR-7506, Ultimate Ears UE-5c.
Cables: Belkin USB cable (with DACport), Monster Cable 3.5mm-TosLink optical cable (with Benchmark).—John Atkinson
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the CEntrance DACport with an Audio Precision SYS2722 (see www.ap.com and "As We See It" in the January 2008 issue), as well as, for some tests, my Audio Precision System One Dual Domain and the Miller Audio Research Jitter Analyzer. I drove the DACport with the USB 2.0 output of my Intel MacBook running OS10.6 for the testing, playing back WAV files using Bias Peak 6.2. To avoid any problems of noise contamination, I ran the MacBook on battery power for the testing.
The DACport correctly operated with sample rates ranging from 44.1 to 96kHz,…
Erick Lichte wrote about the CEntrance DACport in October 2010 (Vol.33 No.10):
The package arrived, marked with a familiar scrawl and Brooklyn return address. I sat down on my couch, poked a hole in the new arrival, and, trying my best to avoid a nasty paper cut, opened the padded envelope. Into my lap dropped a small, black velvet pouch cinched shut with two drawstrings. My wife looked over at me from the dining-room table.
"What is that?" she asked casually.
"I don't know. John Atkinson sent it to me."
I loosened the pouch's drawstrings and pulled out a handsome…