search
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…
When most of us think about the folks who populate the high-end audio industry, we tend to conjure up the designers—the names above the titles, as it were. Or, in many cases, the names that are the titles: Richard Vandersteen, Jim Thiel, Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson, Mike Creek, to name just a few.
Of course, these are only a few of the folks who give high-end audio its special sauce—others include Kathy Gornik, who has played as big a role in growing Thiel as Jim did, and Roy Hall, who made Mike Creek a household name, at least over here in 'Murrica. They're lifers in the good…
What did the Paladins have that the other amps didn't? Clarity and focus, mainly, but along with those two big differences came a more subtle distinction. The clarity and focus were immediately apparent; bass was bolder and better differentiated from the overall thrum of the music, while different textures and timbres were, well, more different. Music sounded more like itself and less like a generic music product.
Jelly Roll Morton's "Shreveport," from Jelly Roll Morton: 1926–1930 (5 CDs, JSP CD 321–326), rollicked along, the clarinet and snare drum tumbling out of the Cantons as if…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier. Maximum output power: 200W into 8 ohms (23dBW), 360W into 4 ohms (22.55dBW). Maximum output current: 20A. Voltage gain: 28dB. Frequency response: 5Hz–100kHz, ±3dB. Distortion: <0.1% THD, 20Hz–20kHz. Slew rate: >50V/µs. Damping factor: >250. Input impedance: 10k ohms or 50k ohms single-ended, 20k ohms or 100k ohms balanced.
Dimensions: 17" (435mm) W by 4.5" (115mm) H by 12" (310mm) D. Shipping weight: 40 lbs (18.2kg).
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: M5 00494/495.
Price: $3500/pair.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Source: Ayre C5-xe universal player.
Preamplifier: Conrad-Johnson CT-5.Power Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300, NuForce Reference 8b.
Loudspeakers: Canton Vento Reference 1 DC, Dynaudio Special Twenty-Five, Thiel CS2.4.
Cables: Interconnect: Audience Au24, Shunyata Research Aries, Stereovox Colibri. Speaker: Shunyata Research Lyra, Stereovox Firebird. AC: Shunyata Research Anaconda & Orion.
Accessories: Audience adeptResponse power conditioner, Shunyata Research Hydra power-distribution system, OSAR Selway/Magruder equipment…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I preconditioned one of the Portal Paladin monoblocks by running it for 60 minutes at one-third the measured clipping power into 8 ohms. With the amplifier cold, the measured THD+noise was 0.06%; with it hot, this changed only very slightly, to 0.064%. At the end of the hour the amplifier's heatsinks were very hot, though the top panel and chassis were around 55°C—not too hot to keep my hand on. The amplifier's voltage gain differed, depending on whether the unbalanced or balanced input jack was used. With balanced drive, the voltage gain was very slightly higher…
Best known for its omnidirectional loudspeakers, the German manufacturer mbl also produces three complete lines of high-performance electronics that, despite being large and built to jewel-like perfection, are sometimes lost in the shadow cast by the dramatic-looking—and -sounding—Radialstrahler 101E, which I reviewed in October 2004.
While mbl's least expensive line, the Basic models, is limited to one each of a preamp, stereo amp, integrated amp, CD player, tuner, and loudspeaker, the Noble and Reference lines are crowded with products from which numerous complete systems (…