Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Monoblock tubed power amplifier. Tube complment: eight EL34s, 12AT7, 12BH7. No specifications provided.
Dimensions: 19" W by 10" H by 10" D.
Price: $4200/pair (1990); no longer available (2011). Approximate number of dealers: 25.
Manufacturer: Vacuum Tube Logic, 4774 Murrietta, Suites 9&10, Chino, CA 91710. Tel: (909) 627-5944. Fax: (909) 627-6988. Web: www.vtl.com.
Sidebar 2: RH's 1990 System
The playback system included a VPI HW-19 Jr. turntable with an AudioQuest PT-5 tonearm and Sumiko Boron vdH cartridge, Marantz CD-94 CD player, and an Audio Research SP14 preamplifier. Interconnects were Magnan and Expressive Technologies, both of which made obvious audible improvements in the system. The amplifiers drove MartinLogan Sequel IIs and my trusty Vortex Screens through AudioQuest HyperLitz Clear speaker cable. The MartinLogans were bi-wired, with the woofer polarity reversed to reduce the midbass suckout (see Dick Olsher's "Followup" review in Vol.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The VTL 225W monoblock clipped at 178W into 8 ohms (22.5dBW), and 208W into 4 ohms (20.2dBW), which is good for a tube amplifier. When driving 2 ohms, they did not increase their power output at clipping, indicating that they are current-limited. Frequency response featured a slightly rising HF response above 10kHz, reaching +0.2dB at 20kHz. When driving a capacitive load (2.2µF in parallel with the load resistor), this HF rise started at a lower frequency and reached a greater amplitude. At 20kHz, the response into this load was up nearly 2dB, which will be…
CHARLIE PARKER: Bird (Original Soundtrack)
Charlie Parker, Charles McPherson, alto saxes; Red Rodney, trumpet; Monty Alexander, piano; Ray Brown, Ron Carter, basses; Charlie Shoemake, vibes; John Guerin, drums; others
Columbia SC 44299 (LP), CK 44299 (CD). Bobby Fernandez, Neal Spritz, engs.; Clint Eastwood, Lennie Niehaus, prods. ADA/ADD. TT: 41:21
Unlike Round Midnight, which encased Dexter Gordon's Bud Powell character in a soft-focus, romanticized, soundstagily mythic NY/Paris jazz juncture that never quite was (Herbie Hancock's music direction was deliberately inauthentic for…
In our May issue (see “The Entry Level,” page 47, or just click right here), I discussed the Music Hall USB-1 turntable ($249), Audioengine 5 powered loudspeakers ($349/pair), HiFiMan HM-602 portable music player ($439), and meatloaf (probably around $30 for all the ingredients).
I remember, fairly clearly, the events which led to this particular column. It was a chilly winter evening, late January or early February, and the girls and I had enjoyed a quiet, lazy day. We were now on our way home from a quick trip to Trader Joe’s. I was riding in the backseat of Natalie’s Honda (she’s got a…
If you measure success as confusing people, provoking discussions, evoking strong feelings, keeping listeners off balance, creating opposing camps, having the same record hated and loved by equal minorities, then Circuital by My Morning Jacket is already a big hit. In fact Jim James and his mates in MMJ now seem to be solidly defining success as rattling their listeners, making them uneasy; challenging their definition of what MMJ is with every record. And they seem to have mastered gaining and losing new audiences with each succeeding recording project. Those who came to love Z (2005) hated…
Monster partnered with members of the Miles Davis family, Sony, and J&R Electronics to commemorate music icon Miles Davis’ 85th birthday at J&R’s downtown New York City location. Pictured (left to right): Rachelle Friedman, J&R Electronics co-founder; Erin Davis, Miles Davis Properties, LLC; Greg Pedersen, Monster Marketing & Brand Alliances; Anthony Ellis, Sony VP Urban Sales & Marketing; Noel Lee, “Head Monster”; Vince Wilburn, Miles Davis Properties, LLC. Photo: Dan Dion.
Last Thursday, May 26th, I attended an excellent dinner at the Tribeca Grill, hosted by the…
To kick off the first ever T.H.E. Show Newport Beach, we have a true reach across the aisle (admittedly involving scissors). Pictured here from left to right are some of hi-fi's genuine celebrities—Robert Harley author of The Complete Guide to High-End Audio, Stereophile's own Michael Fremer keeping a safe distance from the cutting Harry Pearson, founder of The Absolute Sound while T.H.E. Show's President Richard Beers enjoys the show.
Rooms opened to the public at noon today (PST). Stay tuned for further reports!
Tonian Acoustics was showing its new loudspeaker, the TL-S1 ($4300/pair as shown and up to $5700/pair with alnico magnet and custom veneer), which uses a modified SEAS driver run full-range augmented with a modified Fountek ribbon tweeter in a semi-open baffle. The speaker comes with several panels that allow more or less sound through an opening in the back of the cabinet, thus the "semi-open" aspect. Driving the TL-S1s were a relatively modest pair of vintage 1980s components—the Audiolab 8000 integrated amp and the Magnavox 650 CD player. The system was wired with Tonian Acoustics cable,…
RSL Speaker Systems is a direct-sales only company, started by speaker designer Howard Rodgers, the head honcho of 1980s retailer/speaker manufacturer Rogersound Labs. RSL was showing the CG Stereo System speakers ($1250/pair including a Speedwoofer 10 subwoofer, stands optional) that use its "patented Compression Guide Technology," which appears to be concerned with eliminating cabinet resonance and helps make a subwoofer speedy. RSL refers to this system as a "2.1 approach" (sub/satellite) and they believe that this configuration allows for optimum placement/room integration. In fact, the…