The PLC's presence…
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When I focused on different frequency regimes, I noted that the bass was powerful, with a warm, bouncy feel that anchored the presentation and propelled it forward. The notes' leading edges weren't as cleanly articulated as with the VTL or Placette, but their dynamic transients were huge—nearly the equal of the Burmester 011's. Smaller dynamic gradations were also larger and more obvious than with most other preamps. I was able to hear how the subtle volume differences fit into the music's fabric; before, I'd not really been aware of their presence and contributions.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Autotransformer-based passive line stage. Inputs: 4 unbalanced line (RCA). Outputs: 2 variable-level unbalanced (RCA), 1 fixed-level unbalanced (RCA). Balanced version adds 2 balanced inputs (XLR), replaces outputs with 3 balanced (XLR), 1 unbalanced (RCA), all variable-level. Attenuation levels: 24, 2dB each; half-step switch provides 1dB offset. Voltage gain: configurable, unity to 10dB (4dB standard).
Dimensions: 17" (435mm) W by 4" (100mm) H by 13" (330mm) D. Weight: 16–21 lbs (4.4–9.5kg), depending on configuration; add 2 lbs (1kg) for…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: VPI HR-X turntable & tonearm, Lyra Titan cartridge.
Digital Sources: Simaudio Andromeda, Burmester 011, Cary CD303/300 CD players.
Preamplification: VTL TL-7.5, Placette Remote Volume Control line stages; Burmester 011 preamplifier; Ensemble Fonobrio, Sutherland PhD phono preamplifiers.
Power Amplifiers: VTL S-400, Simaudio Moon Rock; VTL Ichiban, Mark Levinson No.20.6 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Thiel CS6.
Cables: Interconnects & speaker cables: Nirvana S-X Ltd., Synergistic Research Designers' Reference. Audience Au24…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
When I removed the top of the Sonic Euphoria PLC so that its innards could be photographed, I couldn't help whistling. The considerable amount of hand-soldered, point-to-point wiring mandated my respect for the skill of the person who'd assembled it. Then it was back to business as I wrangled the preamp onto my test bench for measurement.
As BD explains in his review, because the PLC is based on transformer circuitry, it can actually have gain, unlike a conventional passive preamp. I measured a maximum of 3.83dB gain into 100k ohms with both balanced and…
Art Dudley wrote about the PLC in February 2006 (Vol.29 No.2):
The first time I heard the word autoformer was more than 30 years ago, when a friend bought a brand-new McIntosh 6100 amplifier, the output section of which had them in abundance. I learned then that an autoformer was a sort of a vestigial output transformer that McIntosh still used when they began making transistor amplifiers, in much the same sense that a coccyx is a vestigial tail that God still uses when he makes us—the attitude being, I suppose, It can't hurt.
Today my understanding has deepened enough to…
MOZART: Violin Concertos 3–5
Violin Concertos 3–5, K.216, 218, 219
Andrew Manze, violin; The English Concert, Andrew Manze, dir.
Harmonia Mundi HMU 807835 (CD). 2006. Robina G. Young, prod.; Brad Michel, eng. DDD. TT: 75:45
Performance *****
Sonics *****
Violin Concertos 3–5, K.216, 218, 219
Andrew Manze, violin; The English Concert, Andrew Manze, dir.
Harmonia Mundi HMU 807835 (CD). 2006. Robina G. Young, prod.; Brad Michel, eng. DDD. TT: 75:45
Performance *****
Sonics *****
Mozart wrote the last three of his five violin concertos in September, October, and December of 1775, respectively; he was just short of his 20th birthday. In inspiration and accomplishment, these three are miles ahead of the first two (the earlier of which may have been composed in 1773; the second was composed in…
Solamente una faccia bella?
At first glance, the Sonus Faber (pronounced Fah-bear) Electa Amator appears to be a typical minimonitor: a small vented box with two drivers. The speaker is significantly better-looking than Franco Serblin's first speaker system, the Snail, a subwoofer with two satellites attached via arms (see photograph in Vol.11 No.3, p.34). And, like the Oracle Delphi turntable or Goldmund Apologue speakers (the latter also an Italian design), the Amator's appearance has received at least as much attention as its performance. But is it just another pretty face?
At first glance, the Sonus Faber (pronounced Fah-bear) Electa Amator appears to be a typical minimonitor: a small vented box with two drivers. The speaker is significantly better-looking than Franco Serblin's first speaker system, the Snail, a subwoofer with two satellites attached via arms (see photograph in Vol.11 No.3, p.34). And, like the Oracle Delphi turntable or Goldmund Apologue speakers (the latter also an Italian design), the Amator's appearance has received at least as much attention as its performance. But is it just another pretty face?
…
With the general exception of deep-bass limitation, such generalizations are nonsense: above the missing bass foundation, minimonitors like the Wilson WATT and ProAc Super Tablette are near ruler-flat. These two excellent speakers also tend to sound analytical, with superb resolution of detail and state-of-the-art soundstaging. Conversely, minis like the Celestion SL600Si and Ensemble PA-1 are more musical overall, but equally adroit at soundstaging. Still others may have a forward midrange balance (JA's oft-praised Acoustic Energy AE-1), or even achieve a psychoacoustically balanced sound…
I was surprised at how deeply the Amators extended into the bass range. Properly set up, they were as powerful in the bass as my reference ProAc Response Threes (which are hardly minimonitors). The character of the bass performance was generally very natural, with minor anomalies. The bottom octave simply wasn't re-created, this obvious only on a small number of recordings. There was a very minor thickness or lack of articulation in the midbass. At low volume settings, the bass was less powerful than I would have expected, given how strong it was at higher levels. In fact, at higher volume…
The Amators really came alive above a certain volume level (85dB), energizing my room with sound. Surprisingly, they continued to sound fine at much higher levels. It wasn't until somewhere around 95dB that the diminutive Amators began to lose their ability to fully unravel all of the little nuances contained in my cherished recordings. Many moments in the Saint-Saëns, or almost anything from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, provided good illustrations of this phenomenon. At these higher levels, detail was slightly smoothed out or blended together—that thickening character again. This minor…