Description: Bus-powered USB-S/PDIF converter for use with PCs and Macs (no third-party driver software required). Input: USB 1.1–compliant. Operates in asynchronous isochronous mode. Output: S/PDIF electrical on RCA jack, TosLink optical. Sample rates supported: 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96kHz. Input/output bit depth: 16 or 24.
Dimensions: 6.7" (170mm) L by 3.75" (95mm) W by 1.7" (40mm) D. Weight: 12 oz (350gm).
Finish: Black-painted aluminum.
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: ZZ228.
Price: $169. Approximate number of dealers: 30.
Manufacturer:…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; G4 Mac mini running OS10.5.8, iTunes 10, Pure Music 1.74; Shuttle PC with dual-core AMD Athlon processor running Windows 7, Foobar 2000, Adobe Audition 3.0; Esoteric D-07, Benchmark DAC1, dCS Debussy D/A converters; Stello U2, Halide S/PDIF Bridge USB-S/PDIF converters.
Preamplifier: Simaudio Moon Evolution P-8.
Power Amplifiers: Classé CA-M600 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Harbeth P3ESR, BBC LS3/5a.
Cables: Digital: Stereovox HXDV & 75 ohm electrical S/PDIF, DH Labs Silver Sonic AES…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I examined the measured behavior of the Musical Fidelity V-Link using the Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and "As We See It" in the January 2008 issue), as well as the Miller Audio Research Jitter Analyzer. I played test tones at various sample rates and bit depths from BIAS Peak Pro 6 on an Intel MacBook running OS10.6.4, with some tests repeated on a dual-core PC running Windows 7 and Adobe Audition 3.0.
The V-Link operated at sample rates of 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96kHz, provided the sample rate had been set correctly with Audio MIDI…
The May 2011 issue of Stereophile is now on newsstands. I’m sorry: I don’t remember anything about the making of this issue. It seems like it happened a million years ago. It must have been traumatic. (I do remember making meatloaf. That was a lot of work, too.) But I can tell you what’s inside this issue.
Let’s take a look:
Features
Attention Screen Takes Flight at Yamaha: This is very cool. Jason Victor Serinus interviews the guys in Attention Screen and John Atkinson discusses the making of the band’s latest album. Musicians, music lovers, recording engineers, and…
The VTL MB-450 series began life in the late 1980s as the Deluxe 300, a pair of which I once owned. Over the years the basic design has been improved and modified, in the forms of the MB-450 (1996) and the MB-450 Series II (which I reviewed in January 2008). The tube complement remains the same: eight 6550s in the push-pull output stage, a 12AT7 input tube, and a 12BH7 driver. Into a 5 ohm load, the MB-450 III is claimed to produce 425W in tetrode mode or 225W in triode, from 20Hz to 20kHz.
The Series II added VTL's Smart Tube technology, also found in the company's flagship Siegfried…
VTL's CEO, Luke Manley, told me that the manual was written by his wife, Bea Lam, who feared that a more direct tone would sound bossy. I say go for it, girl! Don't be afraid to write: "Remove the covers and insert output tubes into the eight sockets." We'll know not to insert more than one in each socket. Of course, the auto-biasing circuit makes matching the tubes irrelevant, a point Manley reiterated when he visited my listening room to make sure everything was going well. Why even mention the socket numbers?
Manley had brought along four spare B+ fuses, and extra input and driver…
Switching back to the Titan produced more satisfying bass weight and drive, but nothing seemed to be missing from the MB-450 III's reproduction of a recent AAA reissue of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's Axis: Bold As Love, mastered by George Marino for 180gm vinyl (Legacy Records). In fact, the shimmer of Mitch Mitchell's cymbals seemed to extend more cleanly and with greater clarity further into the stratosphere than I'd ever heard it. The decay of that shimmer was notably more clean and graceful than the Titan's somewhat darker rendering. However, the big solid-state amp produced more…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tubed monoblock power amplifier with switch selectable Damping Factor (four levels available). Tube complement: one 12AT7, one 12BH7, eight 6550C. Inputs: 1 pair unbalanced (RCA), 1 pair balanced (XLR). Outputs: 1 pair binding posts. Rated power output at <2.5% distortion into 5 ohms: 425W (24.25dBW), tetrode; 225W (21.5dBW) triode. Frequency range: 20Hz–20kHz at 450W (tetrode) or 200W (triode). Optimal load range: 4–8 ohms. Input impedance: 42k ohms. Input sensitivity: 775mV–2.0V for full output, depending on DF setting. Power consumption: 30W…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn, Cobra, Castellon turntable, tonearm, stand; Graham Phantom II tonearm; Ortofon A90 cartridge.
Digital Sources: Playback Designs MPS-5 SACD/CD player–DAC; BPT-modified Alesis Masterlink hard-disk recorder; Sooloos music server.
Preamplification: Ypsilon VPS-100, Einstein Turntable's Choice phono preamplifiers; darTZeel NHB-18NS preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Musical Fidelity Titan.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties MAXX 3.
Cables: Phono: Hovland/Graham MG2 Music Groove. Interconnect:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
To perform the measurements on the VTL MB-450 Series III Signature, I mostly 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); for some tests, I also used my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain.
Though the MB-450 offers just one output transformer tap, it can be operated with single-ended or balanced inputs, in triode or tetrode output mode, and with four different levels of negative feedback/damping factor for each mode. Measurement-wise, it is therefore 16…