Still, two characteristics remained that might be problematic for some listeners. First, the dullness of the upper midrange and lower treble, which I find common in many switching amps, was so reduced in the original Ref1000 monoblock power amp that it was a problem with only a few recordings and/…
Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier with class-D output stage. Input: single-ended RCA or balanced XLR. Output: one set WBT 5-way safety binding posts. Power Output: >500W into 8 ohms (27.8dBW), >1000W into 4 ohms (27.8dBW). Minimum Load: 2 ohms. Voltage gain: 27dB (single ended or balanced input). Peak Output Current: 45A. Frequency Response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.5dB all loads. THD+N: 0.007% 1W, 1KHz, 4 ohms. IMD (CCIF): 0.0007%, 1W, 14:15KHz, 4 ohms. Output noise: 90µV RMS A-weighted, 10Hz–20kHz. Damping factor: >1000. Output Impedance at…
Since he wrote about them in his March 2009 "Music in the Round" column, Kalman Rubinson has been using as his reference power amplifiers Bel Canto's e.One Ref1000 Mk.2 class-D monoblocks ($5990/pair). Like the original Ref1000, which KR wrote about in November 2006, the Mk.2 (now called Ref1000M) uses Bang & Olufsen's 1000ASP ICEpower modules, but with improvements in mechanical damping, parts selection, and filtering of the residual switching noise present at the amplifier's output. With the Bel Cantos driving his B&W 802D speakers, Kal found the…
"Kill the album. Kill the sucker."
Guess who?
Could those words have come from anyone but America's greatest ring-a-ding-ding wannabe gangster, Francis Albert Sinatra? In Sinatra lore, that was what he said to pull the plug on the second of two records he made with…
It was as if art were imitating bad technology. Ensconced in orchestra seats T1 and T3, designated "Prime Orchestra" in San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall, I and longtime audio consultant and dealer Tim Marutani were befuddled by what we heard. For all their vaunted superiority, the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, sounded like a dim, disordered mess. Highs were flat and lifeless, the midrange was muddled, and the deep double basses sounded so…
This started even before I got them into my living room, as Philip O'Hanlon, of Vivid importer…
Set vivid, detailed goals
Other than accessing their bottom-mounted, biwirable speaker terminals—a two-person job…
Description: Four-way, five-driver floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units (all Tapered tube–loaded, all proprietary to Vivid Audio): 1" (26mm) D26 aluminum-dome tweeter, 2" (50mm) D50 aluminum-dome midrange cone, 4.9" (125mm) C125S aluminum-cone mid-bass driver, two vented, 11" (279mm) C225 aluminum-cone woofers. Crossover: acoustic Linkwitz-Riley, fourth-order. Crossover frequencies: 220, 880, 3.5kHz. Sensitivity: 91dB/2.83V RMS/m, on axis. Impedance: 6 ohms nominal, 4 ohms minimum, low reactance. Frequency range: 23Hz–44kHz, –6dB. Frequency response: 30Hz–…
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP, Luxman DU80 universal disc players; Apple Mac mini 2.5GHz laptop with 250GB LaCie hard drive & 2TB Infrant Technologies NAS; Ayre Acoustics QB-9, Bel Canto USB Link 24/96 USB–S/PDIF converter, Bel Canto e.One DAC3/VBS D/A converters.
Preamplifiers: Aesthetix Calypso SE, Ayre Acoustics K-1xe, Luxman C800f.
Power Amplifiers: Luxman B100f, Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblocks; Aesthetix Atlas, Balanced Audio Technology VK-55SE.
Loudspeakers: Thiel CS3.7.
Cables: USB: EntreQ Discover. Interconnect: Shunyata…