LP Playback: Linn LP12 with Naim Armageddon power supply, Naim ARO tonearm, van den Hul Frog phono cartridge, and Linn Linto phono preamplifier.
CD Playback: Mark Levinson No.39, Meridian 508-24.
Preamplifier: Conrad-Johnson ART.
Power Amplifiers: Cary CAD 300SEI, Krell FPB 600 and KAV-300i, Myryad MI-120.
Loudspeakers: ProAc Response One SC, B&W Silver Signature, B&W DM302.
Cables: Kimber KCAG and WireWorld GEI interconnects, Kimber Black Pearl and WireWorld GEI speaker cables.
Accessories: Audio Power Industries Power…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The little Polk was surprisingly sensitive, my measurements giving an estimated B-weighted figure of 91dB/2.83V/m. However, its impedance plot (fig.1) revealed that the speaker lingered around the 4 ohm mark in the midrange and high treble. The small "blip" just above 200Hz in the solid magnitude curve indicates the presence of some sort of resonance at that frequency, while the "saddle" in the same trace at 47Hz reveals the tuning of the twin reflex ports. Its high sensitivity and the overall even nature of its impedance curve will make the Polk a good candidate…
The AV7005 is Marantz's second multichannel preamplifier-processor and, at $1499.99, the least expensive pre-pro I've used or reviewed. The Integra DTC-9.8, which has been resident in my stable since 2007, when it cost $1600, and its successors, have since then steadily risen in price. The Marantz's predecessor, the AV8003 ($2599.99), was highly praised in many quarters. I never got my hands on one because, like a churlish child, I felt it lacked features I considered essential. Other reviewers didn't seem bothered by those limitations, or were unaware of them. The AV7005, however, looks and…
Unlike some pre-pros, which enforce the subtle high-frequency rolloff of Audyssey's standard response curve, the AV7005 offers the additional options of Audyssey Flat (no HF rolloff) and Audyssey Byp. L/R (no EQ for the L/R channels). Marantz also makes it easy to choose a preference by allowing the user to scroll through these options, along with Audyssey Off and Manual (I never used it), with a single button on the remote. Each of the Audyssey options opened up the width and depth of the frontal soundstage and enhanced the immersive illusion, whether of ambience or of the performers…
I'm left with a great appreciation of the Marantz AV7005. It did everything I needed of it with great distinction, and it sounded clean and balanced in ways I hadn't heard from a pre-pro or A/V receiver costing less than $2000. All that separated it from high-end pre-pros was a slight forwardness in the sound that was most noticeable with two-channel sources, whether analog or digital—and which some listeners may actually enjoy. It's hard to fault the Marantz AV7005 for sound, appearance, or ergonomics.
Parasound Halo JC 2 BP preamplifier with home-theater bypass
This is not a…
Sidebar 1: Contacts
Marantz America, 100 Corporate Drive, Mahwah, NJ 07430-2041. Tel: (201) 762-6500. Fax: (201) 762-6670. Web: us.marantz.com.
Parasound Products, 2250 McKinnon Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94124. Tel: (415) 397-7100. Fax: (415) 397-0144. Web: www.parasound.com.
Sidebar 2: Recordings In The Round
BIBER: Violin Sonatas
MUFFAT: Violin Sonata, Organ Works
Petri Tapio Mattson, violin; Eero Palviainen, archlute; Markku Mäkinen, organ.
Alba ABCD 311 (SACD/CD)
I'm a sucker for stuff like this album, titled A Virtuoso Faceoff. Each of these composers provides a powerful mixture of stately rigor and seething passion that I find irresistible, especially when well performed and recorded, as here. The soaring tones of Petri Tapio Mattson's baroque violin contrast beautifully with the rich underpinning of Markku Mäkinen's pipe organ. Add…
Yes!
I’ve been waiting for this, and now, as if the rock gods had heard my profane prayers, it’s here: The new album from Fucked Up, David Comes to Life, will be released on June 7th. On June 7th, immediately after work, you’ll find me at Other Music, buying the crap out of this album.
Though I declared the self-titled debut from Cliffie Swan (nee Lights) my favorite album of 2008, it’s been Fucked Up’s The Chemistry of Common Life that I’ve returned to most often, reveling in its heavy textures, deep poetry, and massive power. (I really just had a crush on Lights' sexy drummer,…
What the world needs now:
“Super Duper Rescue Heads,” from Deerhoof’s latest album, Deerhoof vs. Evil, available now from Polyvinyl.
Salon Son & Image, the annual open-to-the-public Montréal Hi-Fi Show sponsored by Stereophile, is almost upon us. Scheduled for March 31–April 3 in Montréal's centrally located Hilton Bonaventure Hotel—Thursday March 31 is for trade and press only—the largest consumer audio show in North America has been planned with the audiophiles of tomorrow in mind.
"We try every year to bring new people," says the show's bilingual manager, Michel Plante. "Veteran exhibitors expect a certain kind of qualified [initiated] clientele they can easily conduct business with, but you can't speak…