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Like the original DAC1, the DAC1-20 performed very well on the bench. There was nothing in the measurements, however, that would indicate the sonic differences I've described. Rather than rehash the plots, the DAC1's measurements can be found starting on p.169 of the June 1991 issue. Any differences between the two units' performances are noted.

The two versions have identical output levels (a low 1.74V at full scale), frequency response, and de-emphasis error. Linearity, shown in fig.1, was superb, exhibiting 0.16dB error (left channel) and 0.03dB…

Description: Frequency response: 0.01Hz–20kHz ±0.2dB. S/N ratio: 100dB (unweighted 20Hz–20kHz). Distortion: 0.002% at 1kHz (level not specified). Channel separation: 100dB at 1kHz. Phase linearity: ±0.5°, 20Hz–20kHz. Converter resolution: 18 bits. Input sampling frequencies: 32kHz, 44.1kHz, 48kHz. Three digital inputs: two coaxial on BNC jacks, one selectable between coaxial (BNC) and AT&T ST–type glass fiber-optic. Analog outputs: one unbalanced stereo pair on RCA jacks. Output impedance: 30 ohms. Power consumption: 25W.
Dimensions: 19" W by 5.25" H by…

On the first day of the California Audio Show, I heard some of the most beautiful music in a room hosted by Acoustic Analysis, The Tape Project, and Bottlehead, featuring a system made of Focal Diablo Utopia loudspeakers, Focal SW1000 Be subwoofers, a VTL TL-6.5 Signature line preamp and MB-450 Signature III monoblock power amplifiers, Siltech cables, and a Bottlehead-modified Otari tape machine. The music had such a smooth, effortless quality to it,…

Brian Damkroger wrote about the Harbeth P3ESR in July 2011 (Vol.34 No.7):

My first exposure to high-end audio involved Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark played through a pair of the original Rogers LS3/5a minimonitors. Like many encountering an iteration of the BBC's LS3/5a for the first time, I was amazed that so small a speaker could cost more than $600/pair, then shocked that so small a speaker could sound as it did. Actually, I was shocked that any speaker could sound like the LS3/5a: Instead of like "a stereo," it sounded like a performance. The very existence of the High End,…

The Harbeth P3ESRs shared time in my system with a slightly larger one-way design, the Audience ClairAudient 2+2 that I review elsewhere in this issue ($5000/pair), as well as with my reference Wilson Audio Sophia 2s ($16,000/pair when last available). For the bulk of their time here, the P3ESRs were driven by Mark Levinson No.20.6 monoblock amplifiers, a Placette Active Line Stage, and a mostly vinyl diet of recordings played on a Spiral Groove SG-2 turntable with Centroid tonearm and Lyra Titan i cartridge. I used Audience cables and AdeptResponse power…

If I owned such a number of CDs that my servants and I couldn't rip them all ourselves, I'd consider buying another CD player to replace my 12-year-old Sony SCD-777ES, which itself replaced a perfectly nice Naim CD3—a move of questionable wisdom, now that I think about it. But today, thanks to breakage, loss, and generosity, my CD collection is contracting, even as my vinyl and shellac collections expand. (The universe is expanding too, but not fast enough.)

Computer audio is not only the right choice for me: It's a happy…

It was the distant past, a time so long ago that the M in MTV stood for Music, and I was watching a David Bowie concert on TV. The svelte singer was wearing what I took to be hearing aids.

Yes, I know—there are some things better not admitted. Yes, I now know DB was not sporting hearing aids. Yes, I now know they were in-ear monitors (IEMs). And JH Audio's Jerry Harvey pioneered their use so that performing musicians no longer had to put up with a mono wodge of rubbish sound from the usual wedge-shaped stage monitor speakers.

Jerry…

Description: In-ear headphones with custom earmolds, 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo plug. Drive-units: 8 precision-balanced armatures—2 dual-armature woofers, 1 dual-armature midrange, 1 dual-armature tweeter—with three-way crossover. Frequency range: 10Hz–20kHz. Sensitivity: 118dB/mW. Impedance: 18 ohms. Noise isolation: 26dB.
Dimensions: Weight: 1 oz. Cable length: 36" (915mm); other lengths available.
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: JH163593.
Price: $1149 plus custom earmold fee; includes plastic Otterbox carrying case, felt drawstring bag, cleaning tool.…

Digital Sources: Apple iPod Classic 160GB, iPhone 3G; Ray Samuels Emmeline The Tomahawk portable headphone amplifier; Benchmark DAC1 D/A converter–headphone amplifier driven by S/PDIF optical output of MacBook laptop running iTunes 10 and Pure Music 1.74.
Headphones: Sennheiser HD650, Ultimate Ears 18 Pro.
Cables: Audience Conductor.—John Atkinson