Description: Single-box universal disc player (doesn't play Blu-ray discs). Compatible Formats: DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, SACD (multichannel, stereo), CD, MP3, Dolby Digital, DTS. Audio DACs: Shannon: CS4392 dual-use (192KHz/24bit) stereo & multi-channel. Fluency (FE DAC): FN1242A dual-use (192KHz/24bit) stereo only. DSD: CS4392 dual-use (2.82MHz/1-bit). Frequency range: 4Hz~–45kHz (DVD-Audio, SACD), 4Hz~–20kHz (CD). Harmonic Distortion: 0.001% (DVD-Audio, CD), 0.002% (SACD). Dynamic Range: 115dB (DVD-audio, SACD), 106dB (CD). Signal/Noise Ratio: 123dB. Power…
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Sidebar 2: Review System
Amplification: Luxman L-505u, Peachtree Nova integrated amplifiers; Denon RCD-DX1, Arcam Mini, and Carat I57 CD receivers.
Loudspeakers: Aerial 5B, ATC SCM 11, Harbeth Compact 7, PSB Imagine B, Renaissance Audio MLP-403.5, Wilson Audio Sophia II.
Cables: Kimber Kable DV-30 S/PDIF cable, Kimber Hero interconnects, Cardas Neutral Reference interconnects and speaker cables, Nordost Blue Heaven loudspeaker cables.—John Marks
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system to measure the DU-50 (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It"; for some tests, I also used my Audio Precision System One Dual Domain and the Miller Audio Research Jitter Analyzer. I turned off the DU-50's video outputs for all measurements, but did do a few comparisons with them on and off. Neither the character of the noise floor nor the level or spectrum of the jitter appeared to be significantly changed by the video circuitry.
The DU-50's maximum output at…
Wyatt/Atzmon/Stephen: For the Ghosts Within
Domino DNO271/WIGLP263 (CD/LP). 2010. Gilad Atzmon, prod.; Robert Wyatt, Jamie Johnson, Philip Bagenal, engs. ADD? TT: 56:13
Performance *****
Sonics ****
Domino DNO271/WIGLP263 (CD/LP). 2010. Gilad Atzmon, prod.; Robert Wyatt, Jamie Johnson, Philip Bagenal, engs. ADD? TT: 56:13
Performance *****
Sonics ****
For the Ghosts Within marks my introduction to the wonderful world of Robert Wyatt. It happened in Denver, Colorado, at around 1am, several hours after the first full day of the 2010 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. I'd taken a break from posting blog entries to flip through the November 2010 issue of my other favorite magazine, The Wire. There, on p.11, I saw a neat, simple ad that…
For a field based on science, high-end audio has a relationship with its parent discipline that is regrettably complex. Even as they enjoy science's technological fruits, many audiophiles reject the very methods—scientific testing—that made possible audio in the home. That seems strange to me.
Of course, there are reasons—not necessarily good ones—why some people in audio have a low opinion of science. The entire hobby/industry suffered a grievous blow a generation or so ago, when too much focus was put on something—how an amplifier measured—that resembled science, and too little on how…
The thinksound ts02 in-ear headphone costs $79.99 and loves the environment.
Thinksound is a young company founded by Aaron Fournier and Mike Tunney, who met while working at Tivoli Audio, where Fournier was an audio engineer and Tunney was the creative director. Fournier and Tunney later collaborated on the launch of Sapphire Audio, where Fournier designed loudspeakers and built an important relationship with Cary Christie (cofounder of Infinity and founder of Artison). “A few years ago,” Fournier told me via e-mail, “I decided to take Cary’s advice and stay in China to learn the…
Erick Lichte knows what I like. He e-mailed me earlier today:
Check this out. This is what happens when you play ambient music over the LAPD scanner feed.
It is surprisingly beautiful. I would totally buy it on vinyl.
Today is Ornette Coleman's 81st birthday, and we can celebrate with smiles, thanks, and The Shape of Jazz to Come.
Tune in to Columbia University's WKCR for a full day of Coleman's work as the station celebrates "innovation, relentless individualism, and commitment to artistic freedom." Right on. You might also enjoy Matthew Ditullo's excellent "This Shape of Jazz" blog, where Ditullo thinks about jazz, blues, and beer.
I've never seen Ornette Coleman play—I aim to change that as soon as possible—but his melodies are like old friends.
On the face of it, the power amplifier has the simplest conceptual task of any audio component. Fed an audio signal at its input, all it has to do to satisfy the demands for current made by the loudspeaker is to modulate a high-voltage voltage supply with that signal. Yet power amplifiers vary enormously in their ability to perform that task without editorializing. As a result, when I find an amplifier that appears to step out of the way of the music in the manner I desire, I make the commitment, I buy it, and I stick with it.
Though I have occasionally been seduced by tube amps, only to…
A large toroidal transformer behind the front panel supplies power to three stacked printed-circuit boards behind the transformer. The bottom two boards carry multiple storage capacitors, the top board the relay and housekeeping circuitry. All the audio circuitry, including the 36 output devices, is carried on two six-layer boards mounted either side of the fan tunnel. This allows signal paths to be very short, minimizing any parasitic effects and keeping the amplifier's noise floor very low. The circuit is new rather than developed from earlier Classé designs. Both balanced and unbalanced…