Atlantic Technology WA-5030 Wireless Transmitter/Amplifier-Receiver System
Its name is a mouthful, but this useful device is based on a simple concept. Atlantic Technology has added a power amplifier to a wireless audio transmitter and receiver and called it the WA-5030 Wireless Transmitter/Amplifier-Receiver System ($399; additional WA-5030…
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I'm writing this in the dog days of a hot August. Over the past few months, a couple of interesting devices have accumulated, but were bumped from the column in favor of bigger things, as it should be. So this column is an end-of-season close-out.
Using the Anti-Mode 2.0 mostly as a room equalizer with a pair of full-range loudspeakers, the Bowers & Wilkins 800 Diamonds, I tried a number of ways of inserting it into the system. Most obvious and useful was to put it between preamp and power amp, using the XLR ins/outs and full A/D/A conversions. I also tried it between the Oppo BDP-95 universal Blu-ray player's TosLink S/PDIF output and the Meridian 861's TosLink input. This meant no A/D conversions, but confined the EQ's effect to the Oppo. I also tried, briefly, the Anti-Mode 2.0's digital input and analog XLR outputs, thereby…
Sidebar: Contacts
Atlantic Technology, 343 Vanderbilt Avenue, Norwood, MA 02062. Tel: (781) 762-6300. Fax: (781) 762-6868. Web: www.atlantictechnology.com.
DSPeaker, Hermiankatu 8G, 33720 Tampere, Finland. Tel: (358) 3-3140-8221. Fax: (358) 3-3140-8288. Web: www.dspeaker.com. US distributor: www.simplifiaudio.com.
MSR Acoustics, Inc., 61 Galli Drive, Suite B, Novato, CA 94949. Tel: (800) 497-2087, (415) 883-1476. Fax: (415) 883-8147. Web: www.msr-inc.com.
Three weeks ago, I published my top five guitar solos, a subjective list based entirely on the guitarists’ ability to move my soul through their combination of note selection and technical wizardry. These self-imposed standards led to many obvious guitarists being left off the list in favor of some less-spoken for guitar heroes with a penchant for inspiration and resourcefulness. Now I’m putting the power in your hands. Using my original list plus your suggestions in the comments section, I created a collaborative Spotify playlist titled “Stereophile - Greatest Guitar Solos Ever”. You are all…
“A change is gonna come, oh yes it is,” said once the wise prophet Samuel. What the prophet failed to foretell was that change never just comes, change is made. Well audiophiles, this is your opportunity to make a change. Valiant Stereophile forum poster sometimesuk2012 started a petition on Change.org to “Stop the Loudness Wars and Release High Definition Music Downloads”. You can find out more about the petition and sign your name here. Here’s your chance to stop whining about that over-compressed pap—see Jason Victor Serinus' report from the 133rd AES Convention—and start enjoying some…
In its comparatively few years in the marketplace, the line-level preamplifier appears to have established commercial parity with its full-function big brother. That this was inevitable was clear as far back as the mid-'80s. The advent of the CD and the proliferation of digital sources argued for a modular approach to preamp design. In such an environment, line-level sources (eg, DAT, CD, even analog tape) deserve special attention.
After a yearlong scrutiny of the state of the art of line-stage design, two underlying principles suggest themselves. First, the Gods, in having decreed that…
The most startling aspect of the Jadis's performance was how it re-created the dynamic range of live music. Whether it was a solo instrument such as Taj Mahal's National steel-bodied guitar (Recycling the Blues & Other Related Stuff, Columbia 31605) erupting in full force from soft to loud, or a full orchestra revving up in a crescendo of orgasmic proportions, the energy release was sudden and startingly real—volcanic, if you will. I never felt that the Jadis was holding back or blunting the power and rise-time of orchestral peaks. I've never heard a preamp so convincingly delineate the…
Sidebar 1: Measurements
The output impedance of the Jadis JPL at its line output measured 990 ohms left, 1000 ohms right, with the level control at maximum; lower settings of the control changed this measurement by only a few ohms. The input impedance at the CD input was very high—this is generally desirable, as it minimizes the effect of the source's output impedance—measuring 750k ohms in the left channel at maximum gain, somewhat higher in the right channel and at lower settings of the level control. At such high readings, the absolute accuracy of the measurement is rather unreliable…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: Line-level preamplifier, with 4 general pairs of inputs, 1 CD pair of inputs, and 1 tape loop. Voltage gain: 35dB at 1kHz, for line-level inputs.
Dimensions: 17" (430mm) W by 7" (170mm) H by 11.8" (300mm) D. Weight: 29 lbs (13.2kg).
Serial number of sample tested: 305.
Price: $5395 (1993); no longer available (2012). Approximate number of dealers: 16.
Manufacturer: Jadis, Villedubert, France. US Distributor: Fanfare International, Inc., New York, NY 10021 (1993). Bluebird Music Ltd., 310 Rosewell Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4R 2B2,…
Photo: http://jasonmoran.com/look.html
Those of you in the New York area for the holidays (or for all times) should know that two of the best jazz groups around are playing at the two best jazz clubs: Maria Schneider and her Jazz Orchestra make their traditional Thanksgiving-week appearance at the Jazz Standard, and Jason Moran and his Bandwagon trio are at the Village Vanguard.
I caught Moran's jam-packed opening set last night. It was thrilling as usual, but in an unusual way. Two new, or rather continually evolving, things struck me while listening. First, Bandwagon—which…