search

Now On Newsstands: <i>Stereophile</i>, Vol.34 No.3

The March 2011 issue of Stereophile is now on newsstands. This is a powerful, action-packed issue, and we come at you from several directions with in-depth equipment reports on a wide range of products.

Fred Kaplan strikes first with a review of Simaudio’s Moon Evolution 700i integrated amplifier. John Atkinson follows with a review of the powerful (700Wpc into 8 ohms at clipping) Classe CT-M600 & CA-M600 monoblock power amplifiers. Up next is Bob Reina, our budget audio guru, with a rave review of the overachieving Marantz CD5004 CD player. Art Dudley gets down and…

Epos M5i loudspeaker

When I reviewed the M5 bookshelf speaker from British manufacturer Epos (Stereophile, April 2005, Vol.28 No.4), I was sufficiently impressed with that $650/pair design by Mike Creek that I chose it as a benchmark for bookshelf speakers in the sub-$1000 price range. In late 2007, Creek redesigned the entire M series, incorporating more rigid handmade cabinet construction with real-wood veneers, an improved tweeter, and upgraded capacitors and resistors in the crossover. The new line was dubbed the Mi series (i for improved).

When I reviewed the M16i floorstander ($1998/pair) in…

Epos M5i loudspeaker Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Two-way shielded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) dome tweeter with aluminum-alloy diaphragm, 5.4" (137.5mm) mineral-loaded polymer-cone woofer. Frequency range: 60Hz–20kHz. Impedance: 4 ohm nominal. Sensitivity: 87dB/W/m. Power handling: 100W. Recommended amplification: 25–100W.
Dimensions: 12.7" (325mm) H by 6.8" (174mm) W by 8.2" (210mm) D. Weight: 12.3 lbs (5.6kg).
Serial numbers of units reviewed: M5i-0109-1144a and 'b.
Price: $899/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 50.
Manufacturer: Epos Ltd., 12 Avebury…

Epos M5i loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 2: Measurements

Robert J. Reina comments on the sound of the two-way, port-loaded Epos M5i ($899/pair), and compares it with its predecessor, the M5, which he favorably reviewed in April 2005. Although the M5i looks very similar to the M5, its drive-units are new and derived from those used in the floorstanding M16i. Given Bob's enthusiastic response to the new version's sound, I thought it worthwhile to examine the measured performance of the review samples (serial nos. M5i-0109-1144a and 'b). I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the…

Sutherland Engineering 20/20 phono preamplifier

Why no batteries?

It seemed a simple and obvious question, but I couldn't get an answer out of Ron Sutherland. Why did his new 20/20 phono preamp use an AC power supply instead of batteries? I asked directly, I asked repeatedly, I tried framing the question in different ways, all to no avail. Did the AC supply make it sound better? Was it less expensive to build? Were potential customers turned off by having to replace batteries once every year or two?

After all, his other phono preamps—the less expensive Ph3D ($1000), his more expensive Hubble ($3800), and his instant classic,…

Sutherland Engineering 20/20 phono preamplifier Page 2

Use and listening
From the very first cut of the first LP I played, side 2 of Bruce Cockburn's 1984 classic, Stealing Fire (LP, Gold Mountain GM-80012), it was obvious the 20/20 was something special. My first impressions were simple: that I was hearing more of everything, that that everything was better than it had been before, and that, quite possibly, this was the best analog playback I'd ever heard in my system. I got about as far as jotting down "Wow—this is incredible, but will it last? Or will it get tiring?" before I set my notepad aside and spent the rest of the evening…

Sutherland Engineering 20/20 phono preamplifier Page 3

The 20/20's treble performance was excellent as well, and struck me as being extraordinarily vivid, with detailed, tonally rich images, big dynamic swings, and crisp, precise timing. I noted several times that the 20/20 sounded airier, more open on top, than the PhD or Direct, though I was hard-pressed to parse this impression into neat audiophile categories. I could sometimes convince myself that I was hearing greater extension with the 20/20 than with either the PhD or Direct; at other times, I was certain the 20/20 wasn't more extended, but was just producing larger dynamic swings and…

Sutherland Engineering 20/20 phono preamplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Single-chassis, solid-state, dual-mono phono preamplifier with two outboard power supplies. Inputs/outputs: 1 pair each, RCA. Gain (user-selectable): 40, 46, 52, 58, 64dB. Cartridge loading: 100, 200, 475, 1k, 47.5k ohms. Power consumption: 20W (10Wpc). Operating voltage: 100–240V, universal.
Dimensions: 17" (435mm) W by 2.25" (55mm) H by 12" (305mm) D. Power supplies (each): 2" (50mm) W by 1.5" (40mm) H by 5" (130mm) D. Weight (all): 11 lbs (5kg) net, 19 lbs (8.6kg) shipping.
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: CM120PSB (on printed circuit…

Sutherland Engineering 20/20 phono preamplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: Spiral Groove SG-2 turntable & Centroid tonearm; Triplanar Precision Mk.VII tonearm; Lyra Titan i, Grado Signature Reference cartridges.
Digital Sources: Primare CD 31, Vincent C-60 CD players.
Preamplification: Sutherland PhD phono preamplifier; Sutherland Direct, Placette Active line stages.
Power Amplifiers: VTL MB750 Signature, Mark Levinson No.20.6.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Sophia II.
Cables: Audience Au-24 e, Stereovox, Nordost Valhalla, Nirvana SL interconnects and speaker cables. AC: Audience…

Sutherland Engineering 20/20 phono preamplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I measured the Sutherland 20/20 with Stereophile's loan sample of the Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com). Floating the unbalanced generator gave the lowest level of measured noise; although I tried connecting the chassis of the Audio Precision and the Sutherland with a separate wire, this didn't improve the signal/noise ratios.

But before I could test the Sutherland, I had to power it up, which had me scratching my head. Although each channel has its own 48V power supply—a single-ended, switch-mode wall wart…