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…
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Previous Awards, 1992–2008:
"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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
It began when my oldest brother, 13 years my senior, returned from military service and told me about "hi-fi." Until then, all I'd known was our ancient tabletop radio-phonograph with its insatiable appetite for osmium styli. Back then, in the early 1950s, audio componentry was scrappy, still evolving from World War II military electronics and public-address systems. I began reading the electronics magazines and learned that, to get started, I needed a record player connected to an amplifier and a speaker. I toured the shops and stalls on old Cortlandt Street, before the building of the…
The AV888 menu system is decidedly different in navigation from those of the Denon and Integra preamp-processors but relatively easy to manage: all page titles are listed in the left panel of the Arcam's display, the current page occupies the large window, and help texts are displayed below as you scroll from option to option. Setting up each input is independent and logical, and in most ways the AV888 is far more flexible than the Integra DTC-9.8 or Cary Cinema 11 pre-pros. An exception is that there is only one choice of bass-management crossover frequency for all speakers designated as…