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Stereophile's Products of 2009 2009 Budget Product of the Year

2009 Budget Product of the Year

Peachtree Nova D/A integrated amplifier

Runners-Up (in alphabetical order)
Bel Canto USB Link 24/96
Benchmark DAC1 USB Pre D/A processor
Cambridge Audio DacMagic D/A processor
Musical Fidelity V-DAC D/A processor ($299; reviewed by Sam Tellig and John Atkinson, Vol.32 Nos.5 & 12, May & December 2009 Review)
Oppo BDP-83 universal player
PSB Imagine B loudspeaker ($1000/pair; reviewed by John Marks & John Atkinson, Vol.32 Nos.2, 4, 6, 8, & 10, February, April, June, August, and October 2009 Review)…

Stereophile's Products of 2009 2009 Product of the Year

2009 Product of the Year

Ayre Acoustics QB-9 USB D/A converter

Runners-Up (in alphabetical order)
Ayre Acoustics KX-R preamplifier
Boulder 1021 disc player
Cambridge Audio DacMagic D/A processor
dCS Scarlatti SACD playback system
Meridian 808i.2 CD player
Peachtree Nova D/A integrated amplifier
Sennheiser HD800 headphones
Wilson Audio Specialties MAXX Series 3 loudspeaker
YG Acoustics Anat Reference II Professional loudspeaker

Though Wilson Audio's big MAXX 3 loudspeaker earned more first-place votes (four) than any other…

Stereophile's Products of 2009 Previous Winners

Previous Awards, 1992–2008:

Stereophile's Products of 2008
Product of the Year: Sooloos music server system (review)
Joint Budget Products of the Year:
Paradigm Atom v.5 loudspeaker (review)
Rega Planar 3-24 turntable & RB-301 tonearm (review)
Joint Loudspeakers of the Year KEF Reference 207/2 (review)
Revel Ultima Salon2 (review)
Joint Amplification Components:
Conrad-Johnson ACT2 Series 2 preamplifier (review)
Parasound Halo JC 2 preamplifier (review)
Digital Source Component: Sooloos music server system (review)
Joint Analog Source…

Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Renaissance preamplifier

"Are You a Sharpener or a Leveler?" was the title of my "As We See It" in the February 2009 issue. The terms sharpening and leveling come from work in the field of perception by the early Gestalt psychologists, sharpening referring to the exaggeration of perceived differences, leveling to the minimization of those differences.

In discussing how these terms apply to high-performance audio, I suggested that if audio designers are to succeed in this highly competitive field, they must be sharpeners: they must pay attention to differences that may be very small but that, in the…

Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Renaissance preamplifier Page 2

In any case, I think the name Stevens has come up with for this newest SL1 is a good one. The literal meaning of renaissance is rebirth, and the word has very positive historical and cultural resonances. (In retrospect, certain early solid-state amplifiers might have been more accurately named "Dark Ages.") And unlike the previous revisions of the SL1, the Renaissance involves not only refinements of the circuitry and improvements in parts, but some useful new features.

In earlier SL1s, the line stage had 26dB of gain. This worked well with most amplifiers and with typical box, planar,…

Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Renaissance preamplifier Page 3

The system in which I evaluated the Renaissance stayed the same during the review period, with one exception: the Ayre Acoustics CX-7e CD player that I used initially was later replaced by a review sample of the CX-7eMP. My comments about the sound of the Renaissance refer to it being used with the CX-7eMP.

Setting up the Renaissance in my system was pretty simple: Take off the cover to make sure the Gain switches are set to Low (they were) and the MC/MM switches to MC (they were); and transfer the input and output cables from my SL1 Ultimate to the SL1 Renaissance, making sure to plug…

Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Renaissance preamplifier Page 4

If I had to use just three words to name the attributes that made the Renaissance special, they would be transparency, resolution, and dynamics.

By transparency I mean the ability of a component to let me "see" into the music, so that it is obscured as little as possible by the technology involved in reproducing it. Not having JA's experience in engineering recordings, I can't say to what extent the reproduction matches what was heard in the recording session, but I can tell when it sounds more like live music and less like a reproduction. (Strangely enough, this is the case even when…

Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Renaissance preamplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Two-channel tube preamplifier. Tube complment: six 6922s and four 12AX7s. Maximum gain at 1kHz: 25.8dB (High, line), 15.2dB (Low, line), 47dB (MM phono), 58dB (MC phono). Gain tracking: 0.05dB (line, phono). Frequency responses: 0.1Hz–800kHz, +0/–3dB (line); 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.1dB (RIAA phono, MC & MM). Harmonic distortion at 1V: <0.0005% (line), <0.001% (phono). Slew rates: 15V/µs (line), 10V/µs (phono). Maximum output at 1kHz: 50V RMS (line, phono). Input overload (at 1kHz): 100V RMS (line), 250mV RMS (MM phono), 70mV RMS (MC phono). S.N…

Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Renaissance preamplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics CX-7e & CX-7eMP CD players.
Analog Source: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Ittok tonearm, AudioQuest AQ7000nsx cartridge.
Preamplifier: Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Ultimate.
Power Amplifier: Audiopax Model 88 Mk.II monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Avantgarde Acoustic Uno Nano.
Cables: Interconnect: Nordost Quattro Fil. Speaker: Nordost Valhalla. AC: PS Audio xStream Power, TARA Labs Decade.
Accessories: PS Audio Power Plant Premier power conditioner; Arcici Suspense Rack, PolyCrystal…

Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Renaissance preamplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

To examine the Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Renaissance preamplifier's measured performance, I primarily used 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).

Looking first at the SL1 Renaissance's phono stage, this offers 46.6dB gain in moving-magnet mode and 57.2dB gain in moving-coil mode, both figures assessed at the Tape outputs. The former is higher than the norm, the latter lower. Both phono stages preserved absolute polarity; ie, were non-inverting. The input…