We have also learned that these elusive dinotrout spent at least some of the last 65,000,065 years working on their act, if not quite taking it…
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Consider the coelacanth. In 1938, a healthy specimen of this Paul Simon-sized fish was pulled from the Indian Ocean, not far from the mouth of South Africa's Chalumna River. But prior to that happy event (depending on your perspective, of course: the sight of the coelacanth's long, fleshy fins probably made for some very unhappy creationists), the scientific community believed the animal in question was extinct, and had been for 65 million years.
On the less mathematical side of things we have New Yorker Bob Visintainer, the man behind Avantgarde Music & Cinema. In his own Victor Kiam-esque way, Visintainer liked his first pair of Avantgarde Duos so much that he bought a second pair, and he liked them so much he approached the speaker's US distributor, Jim Smith, and suggested giving the speakers their own store in a city where some audio dealers are notorious for their arrogance, condescension, and unstinting efforts on behalf of the cult of the trophy system. Smith said yes, and on November 13 he and some associates gathered at…
Well, you can see what I'm getting at. A fair and full description takes a great deal more space than this, and in any event the Model 88 really must be heard and seen to be appreciated: Beyond everything else I can (or, apparently, can't) say about the 88, it's a pleasure to find a physical design that is completely, 100% fresh, new, and inviting without looking silly and overdone. Bravo to Audiopax and its founding designer, the very friendly Eduardo de Lima, who speaks English a little better than at least one "elected" official I can think of.
In other words, whereas the selection at…
I'm always eager to fulfill my prime Stereophile directive: "To go where no audiophile has gone before," as JA often quips. As it happens, I've long suffered an itch to audition OTL (output-transformer–less) amplifiers, wondering how eliminating the output transformer might affect the sound. Enter the Graaf GM 200, with nothing but wire between its power tubes and the crossover.
Of course, nothing's free; eliminating the output transformer (and its distortions, claim rabid OTLers) engenders other problems. For instance, the primary purpose of an output transformer (the bad puns never…
On the open road
Describing the sound of the Graaf GM 200 is all about Major Audio Concepts.
Describing the sound of the Graaf GM 200 is all about Major Audio Concepts.
Its overwhelming sonic characteristic is a very special clarity and purity of presentation. Clarity divorced of musical context can, in my experience, sound analytical and hard. But I found myself enthralled by the Graaf's openness and lack of grain or mechanical artifact. It was easy to feel "close" to the music in that special way I've so far experienced only with single-ended amps.
This fundamental clarity permitted a wonderful sense of transparency and air to develop. While the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tube stereo power amplifier. Tube complement per side: 32 PL504, 2 12BZ7, 2 5965, 4 EFL 200/6Y9, 2 EM81/6DA5. Output power: 200Wpc into 8 ohms (23dBW). Input impedance: 100k ohms. Damping factor: 12. Negative feedback: 17.5dB. Power consumption: 800W idle, 1600W at rated output.
Dimensions: 17.5" W by 8.25" H by 16.33" D. Weight: 66 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 20067.
Price: $12,500 (1997). Approximate number of dealers: 5. Warranty: 2 years excluding tubes; all tubes: 90 days.
Manufacturer: Graaf s.r.l., Modena, Italy. US…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: Forsell Air Force One (footnote 1) with the vdH Grasshopper IV, Symphonic Line RG-8, and Clearaudio Insider. XLO Signature phono cable, Shun Mook and Harmonix record weights, Winds ALM-01 Arm Load Meter.
Digital Sources: Ensemble Dichrono DAC and Drive, Forsell Air Bearing transport and CD converter, YBA CD1 Blue Laser.
Preamplifiers: YBA 6 Chassis, BAT VK-5i, BAT VK-P10 phono preamp.
Power Amplifiers: Jadis JA 200s, Transcendent T8 OTL, Forsell The Statement.
Loudspeakers: Joseph Audio RM-22 and RM-50.
Cables: Bi-wire Cardas…
According to Shun Mook's promotional literature, part of what their devices do is derived from the way they're made, part from what they're made of, and another part from the way they're arranged. Asian cultures have elaborate traditions of harmoniously arranging objects; the Japanese art of ikebana and the Chinese practice of feng shui are but two that come to mind. Part of the benefit to be derived from these products may stem from their harmonic spatial relationships, both to each other and to all the other objects in the room.
At the WCES---see my report in this issue---I spent…
Stereophile Vol.17 No.7, July 1994
Throw Jonathan On the Flames!
Editor:
In response to Barry Willis's "The Art of the Scientific Illusion" (Vol.17 No.5, p.49): Willis makes the comment that, "In the Dark Ages, Europeans believed in sorcery and alchemy." I must remind him that, in this country, we dealt with heretics in a different way. I suggest taking all the Shun Mook Mpingo disc control devices, piling all of them here in one spot, and setting fire to the whole mess. The red glow could be seen from Santa Fe in the West all the way to Sea Cliff in the East. Then throw Jonathan…
Are You All Deaf?
Editor:
Having followed your reviews of new and unusual accessories for many years, the Shun Mook disc reviews started me wondering. I'm a firm believer in modifying and tweaking audio systems, but despite the questionable audibility of some of the accessories marketed as high-end "fix-its," I can't remember a review in Stereophile in which an item was found to have absolutely no effect at all on a system.
Editor:
Having followed your reviews of new and unusual accessories for many years, the Shun Mook disc reviews started me wondering. I'm a firm believer in modifying and tweaking audio systems, but despite the questionable audibility of some of the accessories marketed as high-end "fix-its," I can't remember a review in Stereophile in which an item was found to have absolutely no effect at all on a system.
In the automotive field, where exotic spark plugs and gasoline additives are all the rage, it seems there is always a modest percentage of items that prove…