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The final card, shielded to prevent RF interference, carries an embedded PC running the Linux operating system. (An external display hooked up to the 1021's VGA output will display the boot routine before mirroring the front-panel display.) This PC handles all the display and user-interface chores, and manages the embedded disc database. The final operation at the factory before packing up a 1021 for shipping is to load its non-volatile memory with the most recent version of the database. (Other than noting that it doesn't appear to be the Gracenote/CDDB database, I'm not sure which the…
I sat back to listen, but something was wrong. Instead of the first track being the dark-hued chorus "Kommt, ihr Tüchter, helft mir klagen," it was the Evangelist's recitative "Da Jesus diese Rede vollendet hatte," which is actually the second track. The first file was on the disc but had not been recognized. I encountered missing files with other DVD-Rs I burned. The most extreme example was with the Charles Mackerras performance of the late Mozart symphonies that I had purchased from the Linn website and burned to disc; of the four symphonies, the only files the Boulder could identify and…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Upsampling disc player with remote control, volume control, and 24-bit DACs running at a minimum rate of 352.8kHz. Plays CD audio discs and CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R data media. File formats supported: WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, OGG Vorbis, with sample rates up to 192kHz. Digital outputs: AES/EBU via XLR. Analog outputs: 2 pairs balanced (XLR). Display output: 640x480 VGA on 15-pin D connector. Inputs: Track data via Ethernet on RJ45. Volume-control range: 80dB in 1.0dB steps. Frequency response: 20Hz–100kHz, +0/–0.05dB (upper limit dependent on medium's sample…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe & C-5xeMP universal players; Meridian 808i.2 CD player; Benchmark DAC 1 D/A converter; Logitech (Slim Devices) Transporter WiFi music player with Apple Mac mini for media storage; dCS 972 digital/digital converter.
Preamplifiers: Simaudio Moon Evolution P-7 & P-8, Parasound Halo JC2.
Power Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity 750k Supercharger monoblocks, Simaudio Moon Evolution W-7.
Loudspeakers: PSB Synchrony One, Revel Ultima Salon2.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Illuminations Orchid AES/EBU, Stereovox CV2 electrical S/…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I examined the measured behavior of the Boulder 1021 using the Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and "As We See It" in the January 2008 issue), as well as, for some tests, our Audio Precision System One and the Miller Audio Research Jitter Analyzer. I used my regular CD-R of 16-bit test tones, as well as a data CD-R on which I had burned 24-bit/96kHz- or 192kHz-sampled WAV files of a subset of those test tones.
The Boulder's maximum output was to specification, at 4.06V RMS; this was the same with the output set to Fixed volume, or to…
Sennheiser's long-awaited (seven years) HD800 sure isn't subtle—at least, not in appearance. The HD800's large earpieces are made from a combination of absorbing composites and functional metal accents, and are huge. Of course, they have to be to house the 56mm ring-radiator transducers—and to mount them so they're firing "back" to your ears from the front. Also not subtle is the price: $1399.95.
On the other hand, Sennheiser wasn't going for subtle improvements in designing and building the HD800. After all, they'd already tried subtle when they introduced the HD650 as an…
Dynamic, too. Part and parcel of that extraordinary background silence was how nuanced were the shades of soft and softer—and loud and louder—through the HD800s. Kavi Alexander's lovely recording of Szymanowski's three Paganini Caprices, Op.40, with Ruggiero Ricci and Brooks Smith (CD, John Marks Recordings JMR 11), was a prime example. Ricci's violin sounded three-dimensional, ranging from tender phrases to stentorian exhortations. Whether by itself or floating above and far forward of Smith's piano, there seemed to be an entire symphony orchestra in the violinist's hands.
In the second…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Circumaural, open-backed dynamic headphones with detachable 3m cord (straight Y type) Connector type: 1/4". Frequency response: 6Hz–51kHz, –10dB; 14Hz–44.1kHz, –3dB. Sensitivity: 102dB/1V RMS. Impedance: 300 ohms at 1kHz. THD: <0.002% at 1kHz/1V. THD+noise: 0.02 % (1kHz/1V).
Weight: 11.5 oz (330gm) without cable.
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 00262.
Price: $1399.95. Approximate number of dealers: 12. Warranty: 2 years.
Manufacturer: Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co. KG, Am Labor 1, 30900 Wedemark, Germany. Tel: (49) 5130-600-0.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe & C-5xeMP universal players.
Headphone Amplifiers: HeadRoom Max, Cayin HA-1A.
Headphones: AKG K701 with Cardas Fatpipe cable.
Cables: Interconnect: Shunyata Research. AC: Shunyata Research King Cobra.
Accessories: Shunyata Research Hydra 8V vII power conditioner.—Wes Phillips
Sidebar 3: Measurements
As Keith Howard wrote in the August 2008 issue, deciding what, exactly, is the optimal frequency response for a pair of headphones is neither obvious nor trivial. The only measurement I perform on headphones, therefore, is of their electrical impedance, to determine how difficult they are to drive.
The result for the Sennheiser HD800 is shown in fig.1. (I wore the headphones for this measurement.) The impedance ranges between 340 and 650 ohms, which is considerably higher than the impedance of Grados and Sonys. The HD800 will therefore be very easy to drive…