In the October 2006 issue of Stereophile I enthusiastically reviewed two network-connected music players from California company Sonos: the ZP80 D/A processor, which offers both S/PDIF digital outputs and line-level analog outputs, and the ZP100 D/A integrated amplifier. Used with a Sonos controller, these Zone Players allow you to create a multiroom system that will play music files stored on a host PC, Internet radio stations, or streaming music services such as Pandora and Rhapsody. (Trial-period subscriptions to…
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John Atkinson wrote about the Sonos ZP120 in April 2010 (Vol.33 No.4):
FM Antenna
Editor's Note: No indoor antenna can compete with a good roof or mast-mounted outdoor antenna, but because apartment dwellers often don't have a choice, we list the following indoor models that we have found to work well: AudioPrism 8500 ($499.99, Vol.14 No.6), AudioPrism 7500 ($299.99, Vol.12 No.5), Magnum Dynalab 205 FM Booster ($399, Vol.10 No.6), RadioShack amplified indoor FM antenna ($31.99, Vol.19 No.11), RadioShack 15-2163 FM antenna (Vol.27 No.7), and Fanfare FM-2G ($99, Vol.20 No.12). Outdoor antennae we have reviewed and recommended are the Antenna Performance…
There are many colorful characters, many high-profile movers and shakers, in high-end audio, but there are only a few whose influence extends far beyond the promotion of their own brands. One of this exalted and mighty handful is Robert Stuart, chairman and technical director of the UK's Meridian Audio.
Softspoken, with a disarming smile and a puckish sense of humor, Bob Stuart has been at the helm of Meridian ever since he and the outstanding industrial designer Allen Boothroyd cofounded the company as Boothroyd-Stuart in 1977, and in the last 15 years has quietly taken on a…
The reason that all happened is that Faroudja had ended up being owned by the semiconductor house Genesis Microchip, and Genesis no longer wanted to manufacture boxes. There's a huge difference in scale. The chip company was much bigger than the box company, and it's very hard to run a business like that. It's hard to provide the focus. Whereas, for Meridian, what Faroudja were doing was a perfect fit. Same kind of dealers, same kind of distributors, same goals—to make the very best home theater, and from home theater up to screening rooms. So we were very excited. The terms of the deal are…
Now there are hundreds of DualDisc titles. But while this was all happening, the popular thing to do was to download the music, and something almost like the commoditization of music was going on.
Harris: And it took somebody outside the music industry, Apple, to pull that together.
Stuart: Yes. Masterstroke, fantastic. It's improved the sales of music, which is great, but it's done nothing to bring to people's attention the fact that it can sound a lot better than it does. And it sort of turns music into something that you consume on the fly instead of listen to.
Now, I…
RCA's time-honored 6SN7 may be the coolest tube of all. The octal-based dual-triode has its own Wikipedia entry—something not even the 2A3 or 300B can boast—along with its own website. The 6SN7 is chunky, rugged, and handsome. Best of all, it's available, probably because people keep coming up with very good uses for it. In that sense, the 6SN7 is the Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup of the tube world.
Developed in 1939, the 6SN7 appeared just in time for America's involvement in World War II, and its use in a variety of military settings spurred a remarkable level of demand,…
That said, I do wish you all could have heard how utterly amazing the live Hot Rize album So Long of a Journey (CD, Sugar Hill SUG-CD 3943) sounded through my system with the Cary SLP 05 in place. The sheer presence of the performers went up a notch, even compared with the superb Lamm LL2, as did the sense of force behind the musical sounds. An example: A little way into the concert, when bassist Nick Forster is introducing the members of the group, banjoist Pete Wernick taps his fingers on the head of his instrument—and the sound was startlingly real. The Cary also demonstrated an excellent…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Line-level, remote-controlled stereo preamplifier with one tape loop, a Cinema Bypass mode, single-ended and balanced outputs, and a headphone output. Preamp inputs: 3 single-ended, 2 balanced. Input impedance: 50k ohms single-ended, 100k ohms balanced. Maximum gain: 10dB (16dB) single-ended, 8dB (12dB) balanced (see "Measurements" sidebar). Noise & hum: –90dB ref. full output. Frequency range: 5Hz–250kHz. Output impedance: 400 ohms.
Dimensions: Preamplifier: 17" (435mm) W by 6.25" (160mm) H by 12" (310mm) D. Weight: 16 lbs (7.25kg). Power…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn LP12 turntable with Naim Armageddon power supply; Naim Aro tonearm; Linn Akiva, Lyra Helikon Mono cartridges; Linn Linto, Artemis PH-1 phono preamplifiers.
Digital Sources: Naim CD5x/Flatcap 2X CD player, Sony SCD-777ES SACD player.
Preamplifiers: Fi, Lamm LL2.
Power Amplifiers: Lamm ML2.1 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL, Quad ESL-989.
Cables: Interconnect: Audio Note AN-Vx, Nordost Valhalla, Ayre. Speaker: Nordost Valhalla. AC: JPS Labs The Digital (CD players), Cardas Golden Reference (some other components).
…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The SLP 05 offered slightly different maximum gains from the figures specified on Cary's website. However, the specified gain is different on the Specifications page—10dB single-ended, 8dB, balanced—from what it is on the Literature page—12dB. In a telephone conversation AD had with Cary's Dennis Had, Dennis said that the 10dB/8dB numbers were a misprint, the real numbers were 16dB unbalanced and 12dB balanced. With both input-level controls and the volume control at their maximum settings, I measured 15.3dB for unbalanced input to unbalanced output and 13.8dB for…