We all can agree that a Bose Wave CD player sits at one end of that continuum, a Koetsu Jade Platinum phono cartridge at the other—but what of all the products in between? Scarcity, mode of manufacture, appearance, even sentimentality ("This is just like the one my father used to have!")—each plays a role, but there's no doubt that price tops the list: The more we pay, the more we love (footnote 1).
If we remove price from the equation, what then? Is sheer…
I used the DiaLogue Three in my usual system, driving my Shindo Corton-Charlemagne and Fi 2A3 amplifiers. Because my system is arranged with power amps and preamps rather close to one another, I use interconnects no longer than 2m—and make up the difference with very long speaker cables, of course. Thus I can't comment on…
Description: Line-level, remote-control, tubed preamplifier. Inputs: 5, on RCA jacks. Outputs: 2, on RCA jacks. Tube complement: two 5AR4, four 12AU7. Maximum voltage gain: 12dB. Frequency response: 10Hz–130kHz, +0/–3dB. Input impedance: 220k ohms. Input sensitivity: 220mV. Output impedance: 2500 ohms. THD: 0.15% at 2V. Signal/noise ratio: >100dB (weighted) at 2V.
Dimensions: 15.2" (385mm) W by 8.3" (210mm) H by 15.9" (405mm) D. Weight: 52.9 lbs (24kg).
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 10045276.
Price: $2599. Approximate number of dealers: 33.…
Analog Sources: Garrard 301, Thorens TD 124 Mk.II, turntables; EMT 997, Schick tonearm; Ortofon SPU & 90th Anniversary SPU.
Digital Sources: Wavelength Cosecant, Furutech GT40, Ayre Acoustics QB-9 USB D/A converters; Apple iMac G5 computer running Apple iTunes V.10.1 & Decibel V.1.0.2 playback software; Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Standard/SPU & Hommage T1, Silvercore One-to-Ten step-up transformers; Shindo Masseto and Shindo Vosne-Romanee preamplifiers.
Power Amplifiers: Shindo Corton-…
I measured the PrimaLuna DiaLogue Three using the Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It"), as well as my vintage Audio Precision System One. The maximum gain at 1kHz into 100k ohms was lower than the specified 12dB, at 9.67dB in the left channel and 9.9dB in the right. The preamp preserved absolute polarity (ie, was non-inverting), and the input impedance was very high, at >150k ohms at all frequencies. (I can't be more precise because the voltage-drop method that I use to measure input impedance becomes increasingly…
All of that is old news for some readers. For the rest, Soulution is the unlikely offshoot of Spemot, a 56-year-old company based in Dulliken, Switzerland, that manufactures specialty electric motors for the automotive industry (BMW, Volkswagen) and for…
While the Soulution 710's sound won't appeal to everyone, as demonstrated by the reaction of a few visitors here, it will appeal to anyone who values unparalleled transparency, startling transient cleanness, and a level of overall refinement that easily surpassed that of any other amplifier I have heard. The 710 gripped my Wilson Audio MAXX 3…
Description: Solid-state, two-channel power amplifier. Maximum output power, both channels driven, 20Hz–20kHz, at 0.1% THD: 130Wpc into 8 ohms (21.1dBW), 260Wpc into 4 ohms (21.1dBW), 440Wpc into 2 ohms (20.4dBW). Maximum current output: 60A peak per channel. Frequency response: DC–1MHz, –3dB. THD+N: <0.0007% at 50Wpc into 8 ohms. Voltage gain: +26dB. Input impedance: 4.8k ohms (XLR), 10k ohms (RCA). Signal/noise ratio: 107dB (no ref. level given). Damping factor (100Hz): >10,000. Power/current consumption at idle: ca 200W.
Dimensions: 21" (535mm) W by…
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 Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity Titan, Music Reference RM-200 Mk.II; Classé CA-M600 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers:…