The VTL's output level when decoding a 0dB, 1kHz signal was 3.26V (left channel) and 3.22V (right channel). This is 4.2dB higher than the standard 2V output for a full-scale signal. Frequency response was flat (fig.1), down just 0.2dB at 20kHz. Note also that the right channel is about 0.1dB lower in level than the left. Fig.2 shows the VTL's de-emphasis error. This plot is actually the decoder's frequency response when playing an emphasized test signal, but since the VTL's frequency response was flat, this graph represents only errors in the VTL's de-emphasis…
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When I first heard the Eagle 2 at the 1985 Winter CES I knew this amplifier was a winner. I was eager for a chance to get my hands on it, but I also knew that J. Gordon Holt was champing at the bit to do the same. So it came as both a surprise and a delight when ye Gracious Editor gave me first crack at the Eagle 2. I wasn't disappointed; the little Eagle more than lived up to expectations. It's not the best power amplifier I've ever heard, but it's damn good. It is, in fact, better than its big brother, the Eagle 7A, in significant ways; in view of the 2's reasonable price, that's saying a…
J. Gordon Holt commented on the Eagle 2 in August 1985 (Vol.8 No.4):
In view of the fact that I have adopted the Eagle 2 as my current "reference" solid-state amplifier, I feel compelled to comment on several points in Steve's report.
High end: I found this as smooth, open, and airy as that of any amp I have heard, but without the slightly closed-in quality of the better tubed amps.
Middle range: Through even the most revealing and detailed of speakers, I have yet to hear the Eagle 2 sound "electronic." The "up front" quality that SWW observed—a little greater in degree…
Sam Tellig commented on the Eagle 2 in September 1985 (Vol.8 No.5):
This is the John Iverson Electron Kinetics Eagle 2 amplifier—what a mouthful! I gather the amp is already something of a legend, like Iverson himself. Of the many Iverson stories circulated at CES, I like best the one where Iverson walks into a dealer carrying both an Eagle 7A and an Eagle 2 amplifier. He balances the 7A (110 lbs!) on his knee to free up a hand for a shake. Now that's the way to get undivided attention.
This $895 amp is tidy and compact, not bad looking, but a little strange in appearance. I…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Monophonic tube amplifier with push-pull output stage. Tube complement: two 12AX7, two 12AU7, four KT88. Maximum output power: 40Wpc in triode mode (16dBW into 8 ohms, 70Wpc in ultralinear mode (18.45dBW into 8 ohms), both at 2% THD. Frequency response: 10Hz–100kHz, ±3dB. Input impedance: 100k ohms. Output impedances: 2, 4, 8 ohms. Signal/noise: >84dB unweighted (no reference level given). Total harmonic distortion: <0.25% at 1W, 2% at rated power.
Dimensions: 15.2" (385mm) W by 8.3" (210mm) H by 15.9" (405mm) D. Weight: 63.8 lbs (29kg).…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Thorens TD-124 Mk.II turntable; EMT 997 tonearm; Shindo SPU, Ortofon SPU 90th Anniversary, EMT OFD 25 & OFD 65 cartridges.
Digital Sources: Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player, HRT Music Streamer+ USB DAC (with Apple iMac).
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 step-up transformer, Shindo Masseto preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: Shindo Haut-Brion & Corton-Charlemagne monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE, Wilson Audio Specialties Sophia Series 2.
Cables: USB: Belkin Pro. Interconnect: Audio Note AN-vx, Shindo…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
I examined the PrimaLuna DiaLogue Seven's measured behavior using Stereophile's loaner sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com); I also used my Audio Precision System One Dual Domain for some tests. With three output-transformer taps and two output operating modes (triode and ultralinear), the DiaLogue Seven offers six choices of how it can be used. I performed a complete set of measurements from each tap in triode and ultralinear modes, but have published here only a limited selection of the…
The British speaker manufacturer PMC Ltd. has built a professional client list seemingly as extensive as its almost mind-numbingly broad line of speakers. The i series alone includes 12 models, one of which is the DB1i ($1929/pair).
PMC user-endorsers include artists like Brian May of Queen and Robbie Williams (the latter more popular in the UK than in the US), among dozens of other celebrities listed in the company's sumptuous, full-color brochures—Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Coldplay, Kraftwerk, Brian (sic) Ferry, Prince, etc.—though whether these artists actually own PMC…
The DB1is sounded best about 9' apart, 8.5' from my listening position, and somewhat closer to the front and side walls than I'd had the Wilson MAXX 3s. I figured a little boundary reinforcement couldn't hurt the diminutive PMCs. They sounded best toed-in so that their tweeter axes converged behind my head.
A period of adjustment
There was one, of course, in going from the Wilson MAXX 3s—6'-tall behemoths capable of 20Hz performance, almost floor-to-ceiling soundstage height, and especially realistic dynamics—to the little PMCs, but it was shorter than you or I might have imagined.…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, biwirable, transmission-line loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.1" (27mm) Sonolex-dome tweeter, 5.5" (140mm) a doped paper-cone woofer with a cast-magnesium basket. Crossover frequency: 2kHz. Frequency range: 50Hz–25kHz. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Sensitivity: 87dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 11.4" (290mm) H by 6.1" (155mm) W by 9.2" (234mm) D (plus grille). Weight: 9.9 lbs (4.5kg).
Finish: Black Ash, Cherry, Natural Oak, Walnut.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: 12403, 12404.
Price: $1929/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 90.
Manufacturer:…