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MartinLogan Montis loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the MartinLogan Montis's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield and spatially averaged room responses. A note on these measurements is in order:

When a speaker is measured, there is a hidden assumption that the distance between speaker and measuring microphone is significantly larger than the speaker's greatest dimension. With all but very large box speakers, this assumption is true. However, it is almost never true with panel speakers…

Classé CP-800 D/A preamplifier

I was setting up for some musical demonstrations I was to present for a Music Matters evening at the ListenUp! store in Boulder, Colorado, in May 2011. For these events, an audio store invites manufacturers (and the occasional journalist) to demonstrate to local audiophiles the musical benefits of high-end audio playback. In Boulder, I was to share the store's big listening room with Dave Nauber, president of Classé Audio, who had set up a system with B&W Diamond 802 speakers, a Classé stereo amplifier, and a preproduction sample of Classé's new CP-800 preamplifier ($5000), all hooked up…

Classé CP-800 D/A preamplifier Page 2

Pressing Menu allows you to adjust balance, switch to dual-mono, and activate the tone controls. Pressing Menu, then System Set-Up brings up a screen where you can program the parametric equalization, tone control, input-volume offset and maximum, bass management, and DC trigger and display options. You can also define up to six custom configurations that can be recalled at the touch of a button, as well as program the eight function keys on the remote. If you enable EQ or the tone controls, "EQ," "Tone," or "Mono" appear at the bottom right of the Home screen.

The menu offers more…

Classé CP-800 D/A preamplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Remote-controlled, solid-state preamplifier with touchscreen display, DSP-implemented tone and equalizer controls, 10 digital inputs (AES/EBU, 3 S/PDIF on coax, 4 S/PDIF on TosLink, asynchronous USB, front-panel USB host input for iPods, etc.), and analog inputs (2 pairs balanced on XLR jacks, 3 pairs unbalanced on RCAs). Analog outputs: 3 pairs balanced on XLRs, 3 pairs unbalanced on RCAs, headphones on ¼" (6.35mm) jack. Other inputs/outputs: Ethernet, trigger, CAN-Bus, IR. Frequency responses: 8Hz–200kHz, <1dB, stereo analog bypass; 8Hz–20kHz…

Classé CP-800 D/A preamplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B phono cartridge.
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP & DX-5 universal players; Apple 2.7GHz i7 Mac mini laptop running OS10.7, iTunes 10, Pure Music 1.86; Shuttle PC with Lynx AES16 soundcard & dual-core AMD Athlon processor running Windows 7, Foobar 2000, Adobe Audition 3.0; Halide DAC HD, dCS Debussy, Benchmark DAC1, Logitech Transporter, Mark Levinson No.30.6 D/A converters; Empirical Audio Off-Ramp4; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter…

Classé CP-800 D/A preamplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I measured the Classé CP-800 with Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It"); for some tests, I also used my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain.

Looking first at the CP-800's performance via its digital inputs, with the volume control locked to unity analog gain or "0.0" with the Input Passthrough setting and in Analog Bypass mode, the AES/EBU and S/PDIF inputs successfully locked to data with sample rates ranging from 32 to 192kHz. However, as can be seen…

Lamps and Stuff

Photo: Laura Leif and Amber Phelps Bondaroff

My latest addiction is “Stuff I’ve Been Reading,” Nick Hornby’s column for The Believer. I know: It's very hipster/nerdy of me to be reading this stuff; you might even think I live in nerdy Brooklyn. But, I swear, I live in Jersey City, and I have completely sincere and profound reasons for reading The Believer and "Stuff."

Not only does it remind me of how much I admire and enjoy Hornby’s writing—he’s clear, deep, funny, and extremely likable even when he’s being snarky and clever—but it also fuels my passion for reading. And when I…

Vacation Vinyl

Aboveground Records, obligatory cedar shingles and all.

The Massachusetts island called Martha's Vineyard, a tourist destination with a year-round population of only 18,000, is home to at least a hundred T-shirt shops, scores of seafood shacks (the calamari at Nancy's is amazing), dozens of ice-cream parlors, and three unpleasant cute-tiques called The Black Dog. Residents and vacationers alike are also served by an excellent store called Aboveground Records (8 Great Harbor Triangle, Edgartown, MA 02539). Having been on the Vineyard with my family for the past few days, working diligently…

Jagjaguwar Sounds on Drip.FM

Drip.FM offers an interesting new way for music lovers to connect with their favorite record labels. The platform is free to participating labels, with no sign-up costs or usage fees; Drip.FM makes money when the participating labels make money, through a revenue share on sales. Labels set their own user-fees for access to a Drip.FM account. While content varies depending on the label, fans can expect to receive digital files (MP3 and WAV) of new titles on the day they are released (or sooner); randomly selected back-catalog titles; and plenty of enticing perks, such as exclusive,…

Magico S5 at David Michael Audio

Photo: Magico LLC

Saturday, September 29, 11am–6pm: David Michael Audio (4341 Delemere Court, Royal Oak, MI) will host a demonstration of the Magico S5 loudspeaker ($28,600/pair), which had impressed John Atkinson at the 2012 Newport Beach Show. Irv Gross, Magico’s director of sales, will be on hand to present the speaker and answer any questions. Refreshments will be served. Seating is limited. For more info, call (586) 244-8479. RSVP: info@davidmichaelaudio.com.