We have been trying to meet this demand for some time. I wrote a primer on the subject a few years ago (footnote 1), and more recently have been auditioning relatively…
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The weekly Vote! Page is one of the most popular features of the Stereophile website, and the August 22 question, "Should Stereophile review more or fewer computer-audio products?", generated a record number of responses. No less than 88% of those responding asked for more coverage of products that allow a computer to be a legitimate source of music in a high-end context. Just 7% of readers wanted less coverage.
I changed to the Esoteric D-07 processor that I have in for review, now using the RCA version of the Halide Bridge. (The Esoteric has RCA S/PDIF inputs, whereas the Benchmark has a BNC.) I had previously auditioned the Esoteric feeding its AES/EBU input from the Ayre C-5xeMP's digital output, and if there was a difference to be heard when I switched to the Mac mini driving the Halide Bridge, I was hard-pressed to hear it.
I swapped the Esoteric for the Logitech Transporter DAC and again compared disc sources played on the Ayre and fed to the Transporter's AES/EBU input to the BNC Halide…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
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 75 ohm BNC plug or Eichmann Silver Bullet RCA plug, as requested by customer. Sample rates supported: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96kHz. Input/output bit depth: 16 or 24. Includes 6' USB cable.
Dimensions: 0.5" (13mm) diameter by 3.5" (89mm) L, plus integral 6' cable. Weight: approximately 2oz (56gm).
Finish: Black-anodized aluminum.
Serial Numbers Of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xeMP universal player; G4 Mac mini running OS10.5.8, iTunes 10, Pure Music 1.6; Shuttle PC with dual-core AMD Athlon processor running Windows 7, Foobar 2000, Adobe Audition 3.0; Esoteric D-07, Benchmark DAC1, Assemblage DAC-1, Logitech Transporter D/A converters; Stello U2 USB-S/PDIF converter.
Preamplifier: Simaudio Moon Evolution P-8.
Power Amplifiers: Classé CT-M600 monoblocks.
Integrated Amplifier: NAD M2 Direct Digital.
Loudspeakers: Harbeth P3ESR.
Cables: Digital: Stereovox XV2 electrical S/PDIF, DH Labs…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I examined the measured behavior of the BNC version of the Halide USB converter 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 Halide operated at whatever sample rate the audio file had been recorded at, provided the sample rate had been set…
I've always enjoyed the time I've spent with NHT loudspeakers. The two bookshelf models I've reviewed—the SB-3 (Stereophile, November 2002) and its successor, the Classic Three (November 2006)—shared NHT's "house sound": liquid, balanced, and dynamic, with little coloration, and a slightly forward and lively midrange. The newer Classic Three, still in production, sounded more refined, natural, and detailed than the SB-3. I like to see speaker designers whose work improves over time.
So when NHT approached me about reviewing a new floorstanding model with a small footprint, the…
The NHT's neutral midrange made it an excellent match for small-ensemble jazz recordings. I focused on Herbie Hancock's simple yet dynamic chordal comping on his composition "Blind Man, Blind Man," from My Point of View (CD, Blue Note CDP-84126). The sound of his piano was warm and woody, but every percussive attack was perfectly integrated with the rhythm section, with no trace of rounding or excess sharpness. Jazz guitar was also remarkably realistic. Kenny Burrell's lower-register melodic work in "Main Stem," from Jimmy Smith's Fourmost (CD, Milestone MCD-9184-2), recorded live at Fat…
Reflecting again on Byrne's comment that the Absolute Tower was designed to be primarily a home-theater speaker, I cranked up the pilot episode of Lost (Blu-ray, ABC 100834). In the dramatic plane-crash sequences, all of the thundering effects were delivered without compression or distortion—again, I never felt the need for a subwoofer.
What finally put the entirety of the Absolute Tower's performance together for me was Tomiko Kohjiba's The Transmigration of the Soul, from the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival's Festival (CD, Stereophile STPH007-2). I reveled in the detailed and delicate…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, acoustic-suspension loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" aluminum-dome tweeter, 5.25" polypropylene-cone midrange (in separate chamber), two 5.25" polypropylene-cone woofers. Crossover: third-order low-pass and high-pass at 450Hz, second-order low-pass and high-pass at 2.2kHz. Frequency range: 58Hz–20kHz. Impedance: 8 ohms average, 4 ohms minimum. Sensitivity: 86dB/2.83V/m. Distortion: 0.3%, 150Hz–20kHz; 1% at 60Hz (1W).
Dimensions: 36" (920mm) H by 5.7" (145mm) W by 7.25" (185mm) D. Base: 10.63" (270mm) W by 1.9" (50mm) H by 12" (305mm) D.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV, Rega Planar 3 turntables; Immedia, Syrinx PU-3 tonearms; Koetsu Urushi, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridges.
Digital Sources: Lector CDP-7T, Creek Destiny CD players.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audio Valve Eclipse line stage.
Power Amplifier: Audio Research Reference 110.
Integrated Amplifier: Creek Destiny.
Loudspeakers: Alán Circe, Dynaudio Excite X12, Monitor Audio Silver RS6, NHT Classic Three.
Cables: Interconnect (all MIT): Magnum M3, MI-350 CVTwin Terminator, MI-330SG…