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Reconnecting the review sample to my Apple iMac (OS 10.6.5 at present) was, as they say in Bristol, a doddle. And I prepared for the experience by loading up on high-resolution music files, including some of the great 24-bit/176kHz Rolling Stones offerings on HDtracks.com. But therein was the hoop through which I still needed to jump: Before changing from one music-file sampling rate to another, Mac users must exit iTunes entirely, pull up the Apple Midi utility, manually select the new rate, then launch iTunes—every time. (Good heavens: Next they'll have us flipping our records and…
Which brings us to Amarra (v.2.1.1), from the pro-audio company Sonic Studio. It's perhaps the best known of these aftermarket music players, and the one that's gained the most ground with the high-end audio industry. (At Salon Son et Image, for example, the vast majority of exhibitors who demonstrated their gear with computer-music files did so using Amarra.) Amarra is also, by far, the most expensive of the three: $695 for the full version. (Amarra Mini, a stripped-down version with a 96kHz limit, is available for $295.) A trial version of Amarra can be downloaded at no charge; it will…
Sidebar: Contacts
Amarra, Sonic Studio, 330 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Suite A, San Anselmo, CA 94960-2552. Tel: (415) 460-1201. Web: www.amarraaudio.com.
Ayre Acoustics, Inc., 2300-B Central Avenue, Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: (303) 442-7300. Fax: (303) 442-7301. Web: www.ayre.com.
Decibel, Stephen F. Booth. Web: sbooth.org.
Pure Music, Channel D. Tel: (609) 393-3600. Web: www.channld.com.
Though essentially a two-man operation based in Athens, Greece, Ypsilon Electronics has been, since 1995, turning ears and eyes throughout the audiophile world with purist, hand-crafted electronics whose sound seems to defy characterization. Even under audio-show conditions in difficult hotel rooms, and often driving unfamiliar loudspeakers, the sound of Ypsilon electronics seems to evaporate in ways that few products manage, leaving behind less residue and more music.
That may sound like fan hyperbole, but it's what I immediately heard a few years ago, when I first encountered Ypsilon…
So, in audio as in life, execution is as important as design—and the PST-100 Mk.II is, per Backlavas, a "fairly simple design."
The volume control output transformer, "painstakingly designed and optimized," is custom-wound at Ypsilon on an amorphous double-C core, itself chosen via listening tests. The impedance of the output stage, which is hardwired with fine, custom-drawn silver wire, is around 600 ohms. The active stage is essentially a small, single-ended amplifier.
However, there is more to know about this microprocessor-controlled circuit, which features both active and…
Through the Ypsilon in passive mode, particularly the Schumann sounded moderately three-dimensional, with a wide stage perspective that was somewhat out of character for what, given the mid-hall balance. The same recording through the darTZeel NHB-108NS produced a fine but less transparent sound that was tonally cooler but equally spacious and precise. The strings were somewhat drier and the perspective slightly flatter, but the resolution of detail, particularly low-level information, was equally good. The stage width was identical, as were the dynamics. The biggest differences were in…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tubed preamplifier with remote control, transformer-operated volume control, and switchable passive mode. Tube complement: 6CA4, C3m. Inputs: 5 unbalanced line-level (RCA), 1 unbalanced (XLR). Outputs: 1 unbalanced (RCA), 1 unbalanced (XLR), 1 buffered Tape Out (RCA). Frequency response: 9Hz–100kHz, –3dB. THD: not specified. Signal/noise: not specified. Channel separation: not specified. Maximum output: not specified. Input impedance: 50k ohms. Output impedance: 150 ohms.
Dimensions: 15.6" (400mm) W by 7" (180mm) H by 16" (410mm) D. Weight: 55…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn, Cobra, Castellon turntable & tonearm & stand; ">Graham Engineering Phantom II tonearm; Ortofon A90 cartridge.
Digital Sources: Playback Designs MPS-5 SACD/CD player–DAC, BPT-modified Alesis Masterlink hard-disk recorder, Meridian Sooloos music server, Pure Music software.
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…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I primarily measured the Ypsilon PST-100 Mk.II using the Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and "As We See It" in the January 2008 issue). The maximum volume-control setting in active mode was "37"; the control operated in 1dB steps from "37" to "34," in 1.5dB steps from "33" to "16," in 2dB steps from "15" to "11," and in 3dB steps below that level. In passive mode, the maximum setting was "31," but with the control steps following the pattern set in active mode. The voltage gain into 100k ohms in active mode was 11.1dB from balanced input to…
Cedille Records, the label of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation, has just released its first three high-resolution FLAC downloads. Available in 24-bit/44.1kHz sampling rate format (as well as 16/44.1 and 256 kbps MP3), complete with accessible liner notes and cover art, the titles are a treasure-trove for classical aficionados and collectors.
First up is Winging It: Piano Music of John Corigliano. Performed by Ursula Oppens, who has achieved legendary status as a new music virtuoso, the CD includes the world premiere recording of Winging It (2008), which the Pulitzer Prize-…