search

I despise Harley-Davidson motorcycles. I know that some audio types love them, but not me. It's not the noise per se but the aesthetic: they're obvious, in your face, loud. A Harley is the vehicular equivalent of a loud belch or a smelly fart. With apologies to those who like them, there's something, well, incontinent about a Harley.

So what's that got to do with an affordable British integrated amplifier? Not much. What I don't like about Harleys is pretty much what I do like about the Mira 3, Rega's top-of-the-…

Description: Solid-state integrated amplifier. Maximum output power: 61Wpc into 8 ohms, 91Wpc into 4 ohms. CD/Tuner/Line 1/Line 2/Tape input sensitivity: 220mV for full power. Line input impedance: 10k ohms. Phono input sensitivity (moving-magnet): 2.1mV. Load 47k ohms (in parallel with 100pF). Power amplifier input sensitivity = 818mV. load 24k ohms. Preamp output level (with rated input levels): 818mV @ 470 ohms. Power amplifier gain: 28.8dB. Power Consumption 225W.
Dimensions: Not listed.
Price: $995.
Manufacturer: Rega Research Ltd., 119 Park…

Analog Sources: Rega P7 turntable, Rega RB-700 tonearm, Rega Bias 2, Elys 2, Exact (old & new versions) cartridges.
Digital Sources: Marantz SA-8260 SACD player, Benchmark DAC 1 D/A converter.
Preamplification: Whest, Rega Fono moving-magnet phono stages.
Integrated Amplifiers: Arcam A75 Plus, Exposure 2010S, NAD C 372.
Loudspeakers: Vandersteen 2Ce Signature.
Cables: Interconnect: Chord Chameleon Silver Plus, Chord Chorus, Monster Cable M550i. Speaker: Chord Odyssey 2 & 4, Monster Cable M1.2.Accessories: PS Audio High-…

Tokyo Solo
Keith Jarrett, piano
ECM DVD 5501 (DVD). 2006. Kaname Kawachi, dir.; Martin Pearson, eng. 16:9. Dolby Digital Stereo & 5.1, DTS 5.1. TT: 110:48

The Carnegie Hall Concert
Keith Jarrett, piano
ECM 1989/90 (2 CDs). 2006. Keith Jarrett, Manfred Eicher, prods.; Martin Pearson, eng. DDD. TT: 110:23

With last year's Radiance, Keith Jarrett returned to the epic solo-piano improvisations for which he's been famous for 33 years. But with a difference—instead of continuous improvisations lasting…

Twice each year, however, in Stereophile's April and October issues, the battle on the newsstands is…

Readers always pose that question to Stereophile, and it doesn't matter what we think affordable means—to a large percentage of our readers (or at least of our letter-writers), we don't get it.

So when a Forums participant put the question to John Atkinson last winter our fearless leader responded along the lines of "Like what?"

"Like the $39 Sonic Impact power amplifier. It's surprisingly good—and not just for the money."

Well, $39 is affordable by any definition, and John's response was immediate. "I ordered one. I'll…

That was good. Now how about some Manu Katché...?

But enough with this music stuff—what about the sound? Forcing myself back into my analytic mode, and despite being impressed that my…

Description: Stereo power amplifier using TriPath TA2024 module with class-D output stage and volume control. Maximum output power (0.1% THD+N): 11W into 4 ohms (7.4dBW), 6W into 8 ohms (7.8dBW). Dynamic range: 98dB. No other specifications listed.
Dimensions: 7.5" (192mm) H by 3.25" (83mm) W by 7.5" (192mm) D. Weight: 2 lbs (0.9kg).
Serial Number Unit Reviewed: AIV050B049765.
Price: $159. Approximate number of dealers: sold direct. Warranty: 1 year parts & labor.
Manufacturer: Sonic Impact Technologies, 2555 State Street, San Diego, CA 92101.…

Digital Source: Ayre C5-xe universal player, Musical Fidelity X-RayV3 CD player.
Preamplifier: Conrad-Johnson CT-5.
Power Amplifiers: Portal Paladin, Channel Island Audio D100 (both monoblocks).
Loudspeakers: Canton Vento Reference 1 DC, Dynaudio Special Twenty-Five, Dynaudio Focus 140, Linn Tukan.
Cables: Interconnect: Audience Au24, Kimber PBJ, Shunyata Research Aries, Stereovox Colibri. Speaker: Kimber 8TC, Shunyata Research Lyra, Stereovox Firebird. AC: Shunyata Research Anaconda & Orion.
Accessories: Monolithic Audio Perpetual Power…

I preconditioned the Sonic Impact Super T amplifier with both channels running at one-third maximum output power for an hour into 8 ohms, but, as expected with an amplifier with a high-efficiency switching output stage, the chassis was as cold at the end of that period as it had been at the start. The THD+noise percentage was 0.0911% at the start and 0.0916% at the end; ie, no significant change. The maximum voltage gain into 8 ohms was a little lower than usual, at 25.1dB, and the amplifier inverted signal polarity.

The input impedance depended both on…