I listened to the NA-208A along with Napa’s NA-208CD CD player ($399), driving Wharfedale’s excellent Diamond 10.1 loudspeakers ($350/pair), and the sound was easy to listen to, easy to enjoy, and bigger than one might expect from…
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I like good hi-fi in small packages. Here we see the 25Wpc Napa Acoustic NA-208A hybrid integrated amplifier ($399). It measures a friendly 7” W by 5” H by 9.5” D and its stainless steel chassis and aluminum front panel seem solidly built. It uses a pair of 6N1 vacuum tubes and offers three inputs (two rear-panel RCA and one front-panel iPod mini jack).
I’m always encouraged when I see families at hi-fi shows, so I was happy to meet Alexander Vitus Mogensen, son of Vitus Audio founder, Hans-Ole Vitus; and I was even happier to learn that the 20-year-old Mogensen has started his own company, AVM-TEC, devoted to affordable OEM and DIY amplifier modules.
Mogensen has been working with Vitus Audio over the last five years, assisting in production and construction, and hopes to use the knowledge he’s gained to create his own successful brand. Currently, AVM-TEC offers modules in single-ended and balanced configurations, but an entire line…
Speaking of great things in small packages, here we see Parasound’s Zphono USB phono preamplifier ($349) and Zdac digital-to-analog converter ($450). Parasound’s Z Series products are handsome, truly affordable, and built like bricks. Interesting side note: The half-width, rack-mount design has its roots in a mic preamp that Parasound built for AMF bowling centers in the 1980s. I bet those mic preamps kicked butt, too.
I hope you’ll read all about the Zphono USB phono preamp in the March issue of Stereophile. I’ll tell you now that I love the damn thing. Parasound’s Richard Schram is…
While we’re on the topic of small things, TEAC America introduced their Reference 01 Series of budget-priced, room-friendly components, including the UD-H01 DAC, A-H01 stereo amplifier, and DS-H01 iPod docking station. (I’m waiting to hear back on the prices, but I’m fairly sure these products retail for hundreds, rather than thousands, of dollars.)
The DS-H01 docking station takes the digital audio input from your iPod, iPad, or iPhone using a 24-bit/192kHz Burr-Brown 1796 DAC. The A-H01 amplifier delivers 50Wpc of B&O ICEpower, includes a USB input which supports resolutions up to…
Today I’ve been enjoying Ring, the recent album from Cameron Mesirow (aka Glasser), and it led me to this enchanting piece of art:
The Auerglass is a two person pump organ created by Tauba Auerbach and Cameron Mesirow. The instrument cannot be played alone. Each player has alternating notes of a four-octave scale. Each player must pump to supply the wind to the other player’s notes. The composition is half scored and half improvised, therefore each performance is different.
The Auerglass organ was constructed by Parsons Pipe Organ Builders in Canandaigua, New York. I…
When Philip O'Hanlon of On a Higher Note, Luxman's US distributor, delivered the B-1000F monoblocks, it took three of us to wrestle their shipping crates into my house and then into the listening room. Once they were unpacked, it still took two of us to maneuver each of them into position—at 141 lbs and 16.9" wide by 11.6" high by 23.3" deep, the B-1000F is far from easy to shift. Fortunately, O'Hanlon had also brought along a pair of Stillpoint stands specifically made for the Luxmans; the B-1000Fs certainly wouldn't have fit into my equipment racks. (The Stillpoints are lovely things. I…
This solidity and jump factor remained constant throughout my audition of the Luxmans. The amps' stability and solidity of imaging, and natural dynamic ease never failed to impress me. Take, for example, "Lover You Should Have Come Over," from Jeff Buckley's Grace (CD, Columbia CK 57528). The song begins softly, with acoustic guitar and Buckley gently singing, but as it continues and Buckley's band comes in behind him, his singing gains urgency and grandeur. The Luxman revealed all of this without adding weight to Buckley's ethereal voice. More important, as each layer of instrumental and…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier. Rated output: 250W into 8 ohms (24dBW), 500W into 4 ohms (24dBW). Peak power: 1000W into 2 ohms, 2000W into 1 ohm. Frequency response: DC–150kHz, +0/–3dB. Nominal voltage gain: 32dB into 8 ohms. Input sensitivity: 1V for full power. Input impedance: 51k ohms (RCA), 67k ohms (XLR). Harmonic distortion: 0.0007% at 1kHz, balanced. Signal/noise ratio: 118dB (A-weighted). Power consumption: 439W (rated power output), 232W (idle), 0.7W (standby).
Dimensions: Each: 16.9" (430mm) W by 11.6" (300mm) H by 23.3" (…
Sidebar 2; Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP, Luxman DU80 universal players; Apple Mac mini 2.5GHz computer with 250GB LaCie drive and 2TB Infrant Technologies NAS; Ayre Acoustics QB-9, Bel Canto e.One DAC3/VBS D/A converters; Bel Canto USB Link 24/96 USB S/PDIF converter.
Preamplifier: Luxman C800F.
Power Amplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Vivid Audio G1Giya, Wilson Audio Specialties Sasha W/P.
Cables: USB: EntreQ Discover. Interconnect: Shunyata Research Aurora Aeros, Stealth Metacarbon. Speaker: Shunyata Research Aurora…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
To perform the measurements on the Luxman B-1000F, I used Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com). Before doing the testing, I ran the Luxman at one-third its rated power for 60 minutes, which thermally is the worst case for an amplifier with a class-A/B output stage. At the end of that period, the chassis was only mildly warm.
The voltage gain into 8 ohms was the same from the balanced and unbalanced inputs, and slightly higher than specified: 32.6dB. The…