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.…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
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-…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
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…
That is not a typo. The company is named Soulution—as in soul commitment to designing and manufacturing the finest audio gear it knows how, as in souldiering on in the face of skeptics who can't imagine why a power amplifier that puts out 130Wpc into 8 ohms or 260 into 4 ohms should cost $45,000, or weigh as much as a small pickup truck.
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…
Soulution pulls a fast one
But superb measurements don't always yield superb sound. Amplifiers designed to produce vanishingly low distortion can sound cold and uninvolving. That's how I felt about the Halcros. There was no there there.
But superb measurements don't always yield superb sound. Amplifiers designed to produce vanishingly low distortion can sound cold and uninvolving. That's how I felt about the Halcros. There was no there there.
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…
When you're sitting on a large stash of vinyl, it's funny how a review component that does things better than you're used to gets you to change course. I went from Charade to another RCA I'd not played in years but recommend highly: Gary Burton's very first album as a leader, New Vibe Man in Town, from 1961 (RCA LPS-2420). I can't understand why it hasn't been reissued on LP—a prejudice against vibes?—though it was reissued twice on CD by RCA, in 1995 and 2000. This trio session, with Gene Cherico on bass and Joe Morello on drums, was recorded at spacious Webster Hall and engineered by Ray…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
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…
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 Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity Titan, Music Reference RM-200 Mk.II; Classé CA-M600 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
To measure the Soulution 710, I used Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com). I ran the 710 at one-third power into 8 ohms for an hour, which maximally stresses a class-A/B amplifier's heatsinking. At the end of this preconditioning period the amplifier's top panel was only slightly warm, at 90°F (32.2°C).
The voltage gain into 8 ohms was 25.9dB from both the balanced and unbalanced inputs, and both inputs preserved absolute polarity (ie, were non-inverting). The…
The Magico Q1 two-way monitor, first seen at the California Audio Show earlier this year, will make its New York debut during the Grand Opening of the new EarsNova showroom at 3 East 28th Street, in Manhattan.
The three-day event will take place Friday through Sunday, September 16 through 18, from noon to 7pm on Friday and from noon to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. Magico’s Alon Wolf will be on hand Friday and Saturday to demonstrate and discuss the complete line of Magico loudspeakers.
Housed in a hard-anodized enclosure of aluminum and copper, the Q1 incorporates a complete set…