"Do you mean the music or the sound?"
"Both!" she shot back.
I hit the Mute button on the T+A V10's remote control, got up from my chair, and walked to her door. "It's The Shins' second LP, Chutes Too Narrow [Sub Pop SP625]. Great pop/rock tunes, don'tcha think? Kinda like Todd Rundgren's best early stuff, only better. The amplifier's the new T+A"
Before I could utter another syllable, out it came—from her: "Tits and ass!"
…
When I met JA and Stirling Trayle at the local T…
Description: Tubed integrated amplifier with four line-level inputs and one tape loop. Tube complement: four EL509/II pentodes, two EC99 dual-triodes, two ECL82 (6BM8) triode-pentodes, two ECC83 (12AX7) dual-triodes. Output power: 80Wpc into 4 or 8 ohms (19dBW). Frequency response: 8Hz-100kHz, -3dB. Total harmonic distortion: <0.08% at 1W, <0.5% at full modulation. IM distortion: <0.03% (no conditions stated). Input sensitivity (for full power): 250mV. Input impedance: 20k ohms. Signal/noise ratio: >100dB (no reference given).
Dimensions: 17.4" (…
Analog sources: Simon Yorke S7, Clearaudio Emotion turntables; Immedia RPM-2, Graham 2.2 tonearms; Lyra Titan, Red Rose Rose Petal, Graham Nightingale II, Clearaudio Aurum Classic cartridges.
Digital source: Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista SACD/CD player, Alesis Masterlink CD recorder.
Preamplification: Musical Fidelity kWP preamplifier, Manley Steelhead phono preamp.
Power amplifiers: Musical Fidelity kW monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy 7, Audio Physic Kronos, Aerial Acoustics SW12 subwoofer.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove…
It proved a little tricky to arrange the optimal grounding between the T+A V10 and my Audio Precision test gear. However, I eventually succeeded in eliminating a residual low-level hum, and left the amplifier driving a 1kHz sinewave into 8 ohms for an hour at 30W, to get everything warmed up. I checked the bias after that period using the front-panel LCD screen. The left channel was one notch below maximum bias, the right channel smack dab in the middle of the recommended range, which the manual suggested was optimal. However, the left channel featured more than…
Let's get our minds out of thinking that we're in the hobby of buying stereo equipment. If we begin thinking of ourselves as being in the hobby of working to create a feeling of connectedness with things larger than ourselves, we might be happier. Wires do fine at connecting pieces of gear, but are less proficient…
Every other week of a 16-week semester is eight sessions, and at $25 for each quartet player, that's $800. Spend the rest on a nice dinner for everybody at semester's end.…
The following pop recordings use varying degrees of processing and are, in general, miked rather closely. But each presents a strongly distinctive, richly nuanced voice in better-than-average sound, which in my experience is much more useful than a so-what voice in superb sound.
Joni Mitchell: Court and Spark (Asylum 61001-2).…