Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier. Inputs: 1 balanced (XLR). Output power: 300W into 8 ohms, 600W into 4 ohms, 1200W into 2 ohms (all equivalent to 24.8dBW). Voltage gain, input impedance, output impedance: all not specified. Frequency response: 1Hz–200kHz, –1dB; 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.1dB. THD (300W at 8 ohms): 0.1% at 1kHz. Signal/noise: 105dB, unweighted (no reference given).
Dimensions: 12.5" (317.5mm) W by 5" (127mm) H by 21" (533.4mm) D. Weight: 95 lbs (43kg).
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 0265, 0266.
Price: $55,000/pair.…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 3: Measurements
To measure the Dan D'Agostino Momentum amplifier, I used Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It"). Before I test an amplifier, my usual procedure is to run it at one-third power into 8 ohms for an hour. With a conventional amplifier using a class-A/B output stage, this level results in the maximum heat dissipation in the output devices. Unfortunately, after running at this level for 50 minutes, serial no.0265 turned itself off, with its heatsinks way too hot to keep my hand…
Sad though they may be, Flat Earthers endure in getting two things right: In any music-playback system, the source is of primary importance; and in a music system in which LPs are the preferred medium, the pickup arm is of less importance than the motor unit—but of greater importance than just about everything else.
To those axioms I would add a qualification: My own tastes in sound are best served by a combination of a very low-compliance cartridge and a high-torque motor, the latter intended to let the record groove literally drive the former. But that relationship can't exist, let…
The denouement: Prior to installing the Artemis TA-1, I'd neglected to read the instruction manual all the way through; had I done otherwise, I might have noticed the advice, in the final paragraph on the back page, to point the flipper-shaped collet itself toward the 8 o'clock mark. It took a brief few minutes to reinstall the arm accordingly, after which the arm pillar had sufficient downward travel. O happy dagger.
Neither is age
I used two different cartridges with my review sample of the Artemis TA-1: my well-loved Miyabi 47—nigh on 10 years old!—and my similarly cherished…
Sidebar 1: List of the Month
When good people make bad music
There are precious few who could not, given the tools and the time, create a repulsive record; as with so many things, the achievement becomes remarkable only in the hands of those for whom it is a challenge. With that in mind, here are five slipshod singles and five awful albums by artists who really have, at one time or another, known better. Special recognition goes to "Do the Clam," if only because it took fully three people just to write the thing.
1) Simon and Garfunkel: "We've Got a Groovy Thing Going" 2…
In a perfect world, all a serious record lover would need to enjoy music at home would be a single source component, one or two loudspeakers, and one good integrated amplifier. Speaker wire would be given by the dealer, free of charge, to any shopper who spent x number of dollars on new gear. Cable risers would come in cereal boxes.
That ideal has been thwarted by the concept that, in order to hear what needs hearing, people who really love music must buy separate line stages, phono preamps, transformers, transports, D/A converters, master clocks, power amps, booster amps, and power…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state CD receiver, with phono stage. Inputs: 4 line, 1 phono, 1 coaxial S/PDIF, 1 optical S/PDIF, 1 USB digital input. Output power: 180Wpc into 8 ohms (22.55dBW), 300Wpc into 4 ohms (21.75dBW). Frequency range: <5Hz–>50kHz. Line input sensitivity: 12.5–125mV (adjustable). Line input impedance: 6.8k ohms. Line input S/N ratio: 96dB (no reference given). Phono input impedance: 47k ohms. Phono input S/N ratio: 83dB. Tuner sensitivity: 1.5µV mono, 50µV stereo. Tuner S/N: 73dB mono, 68dB stereo.
Dimensions: 16.8" (430mm) W by 5.1" (130mm…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Garrard 301, Thorens TD 124 turntables; EMT 997, Artemis TA-1 tonearms; Ortofon SPU, EMT TSD 15 70th Anniversary pickup heads; Miyabi 47, Denon DL-103 cartridges.
Digital Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly USB DAC; Apple iMac G5 computer running Apple iTunes v.10.6, Decibel v.1.0.2 playback software; Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Standard (SPU version), Silvercore One-to-Ten, Hommage T2 step-up transformers; Shindo Masseto preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Shindo Corton-Charlemagne monoblocks & Haut…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It") to measure the AVM Evolution C9 for both analog and digital inputs. For some tests, I used my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain. To test the C9 as a CD player, digital processor, and phono preamplifier and to avoid overloading the power amplifier stage, I took the measurements from its Line Output jacks, which have a fixed output, and with the volume control set to mute the speaker outputs. The C9's various…