In this video, Stereophile columnist and Analog Planet Editor Michael Fremer and Gary Dell'Abate (aka Baba Booey), producer of the Howard Stern Show, compare the virtues of analog playback to MP3, discuss the release of Nirvana's Nevermind on the spinning black circle, and Mikey coins the phrase 'the viral spread of vinyl.'
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Last night at top floor of the Trump Soho Hotel (New York, NY), the design-oriented firm B&O announced the release of the BeoPlay A9 as part of their new B&O PLAY lineup of products. The BeoPlay A9 is a single active speaker system designed for seamless integration into home environments. The A9 streams music wirelessly from the customers iPhone, iPad or Android device using AirPlay or your DLNA network.
During their presentation to the press, B&O suggested that this product was not necessarily made for the audiophile but instead those interested in design and feeling…
Until recently, my favorite shirt was one I'd found on a clearance table at Macy's: a red paisley thing with long sleeves and a button-down collar, not unlike the ones seen in photographs of Peter Holsapple or the young Syd Barrett. When I first found it, this shirt was dusty, and appeared to have been marked down at least a half-dozen times before bottoming out at a price that wouldn't buy a six-pack of Mountain Dew at the local stop-and-rob. Maybe it was on the verge of being discarded, but I suspect that the people at Macy's had simply forgotten it was there.
There are approximately 30…
Minutes later, the armboard was drilled—a 20mm hole to accommodate the tonearm's bearing pillar, and three 2mm holes for the collet-fixing woodscrews—and the Ortofon was in place, ready to make music.
Surprises
Count me among the hobbyists who think that 12" tonearms and old-fashioned, low-compliance pickup heads such as the EMT OFD series and Ortofon's own SPU series go together like cucumbers and Hendrick's gin. True enough—but that's where the surprises come in.
Fig.1: Starting out with a freshly made board, fixable to the plinth with sturdy bolts and…
Sidebar 1: List of the Month
The land that time forgot: a dozen audio products that have been continuously available for over 30 years
Klipsch Klipschorn loudspeaker (66 years)
Ortofon SPU pickup head (53 years)
EMT OFD 25 pickup head (53 years)
Lowther PM4 drive-unit (52 years)
Denon DL-103 phono cartridge (50 years)
Klipsch La Scala loudspeaker (49 years)
EMT TSD 15 pickup head (47 years)
Linn Sondek LP12 turntable (39 years)
Naim NAP 250 amplifier (37 years)
Shahinian Acoustics Obelisk loudspeaker (35 years)
Shindo Laboratory Western…
Sidebar 2: Contacts
Ortofon A/S, Stavangervej 9, DK-4900, Nakskov, Denmark. Tel: (45) 54-91-19-15. Fax: (45) 54-91-19-11. Web: www.ortofon.com. US distributor: Ortofon Inc., 500 Executive Boulevard, Suite 102, Ossining, NY 10562. Tel: (914) 762-8646. Fax: (914) 762-8649. Web: www.ortofon.us.
Like many audiophiles, I cohabit with someone who understands my audio obsession but has no desire to share it. That someone is my wife. Since I began writing for Stereophile, Ashley has helped me carry amplifiers, tape up boxes for shipping, and found room in our house for all the extra components and their boxes—which sometimes make the place look like a scene from an episode of Hoarders. She's a peach. Every time new gear comes to the house or to my studio, my wife has calmly helped me move stuff around while I dance around like a six-year-old on Christmas morning.
Occasionally, as a…
The Ovation typically ships with the Clarify tonearm. Please describe it.
"The Clarify has a machined aluminum headshell with azimuth adjustment, a carbon-fiber armtube, a magnetic bearing, and a low-center-of-gravity counterweight with integral mechanism for adjusting the vertical tracking force (VTF). The magnetic bearing has two opposing magnets, for a friction- and wear-free bearing. The armwand is suspended via a wire loop that threads through the lower section of the tonearm bearing. A knob on the bottom of the arm is used to tension this wire for antiskate adjustment. The…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Belt-driven turntable with resonance-optimized chassis and decoupled DC motor, self-adjusting speed control, and dynamically balanced POM platter 1.5" (40mm) thick. Speeds: 331/3, 45, 78rpm. Main bearing: polished ceramic shaft in sintered bronze bushing, Ceramic Magnet Bearing (CMB). All turntable feet fine-adjustable. Rumble (DIN IEC 98 by method A): –92dB. Speed accuracy: <±0.03%.
Dimensions: 16.5" (420mm) W by 6" (115mm) H by 14" (350mm) D. Weight (with Clarify tonearm): 34 lbs (15.5kg).
Serial number of unit reviewed: 0330017 (…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Clearaudio Concept turntable & tonearm with Concept moving-magnet cartridge.
Digital Sources: Benchmark DAC1 HDR, Bel Canto e.One DAC 3.5VB Mk.II D/A converters; Bel Canto e.One CD 2 CD player & VBS1 power supply; Sony Vaio laptop computer.
Preamplification: Clearaudio Nano & Basic+ phono stages.
Power Amplifiers: Rogue Audio M-180, Simaudio Moon Evolution 880M (both monoblocks).
Loudspeakers: Revel Performa F30, Marten Django.
Cables: Digital: Stereovox HDVX coaxial, Silver Sonic D-110 AES/EBU. USB: Cardas…