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 Simaudio Moon Evolution 850P. With the 850P's volume control set to "80," the maximum gain for balanced input and balanced output was 5.95dB, which is 3dB lower than the specified 9dB. For single-ended input/output, the maximum gain was the same: 5.95dB. The volume control operated in accurate steps of 0.1dB for the first 30dB, meaning that the unity-gain setting was "74."
At low and middle frequencies,…
John Atkinson reviewed Channel D's Seta Model L in December 2013 (Vol.36 No.12):
New Jersey–based Channel D, best known for its Pure Music and Pure Vinyl programs for Apple computers, also offers a couple of hardware products. Michael Fremer reviewed Channel D's Seta Model L, a battery-powered, solid-state phono preamplifier, in the August 2010 issue. The basic Seta L costs $3799 (footnote 1) and includes balanced and single-ended inputs, balanced unequalized outputs, switchable gain, and a built-in power supply based on rechargeable batteries. An $1199 option adds RIAA correction for…
Like many audiophiles of a certain age, I first became aware of the Norwegian company Electrocompaniet when I read a follow-up review of "The Two-Channel Audio Power Amplifier" in Vol.1 No.4 of The Audio Critic, cover-dated July/August/September 1977. "Okay, audio freaks, eat your hearts out. Here's what we think is the world's best-sounding power amplifier," Peter Aczel had written of this 25Wpc amplifier in his original review in 1976. Electrocompaniet was founded 40 years ago, in 1973, by Per Abrahamsen, initially to distribute cheap Bulgarian speakers in Norway and to manufacture public-…
The ECD 2's character is robust and full bodied, but with authoritative low-frequency control. In "Vicksburg Blues," from Hugh Laurie's Didn't It Rain (ALAC files ripped from CD, Warner Bros. 53893), the slightly sloppy kick drum needed the firm control of low frequencies provided by the ECD 2. Similarly, the ripe-balanced double bass and kick drum in "Joe Turner's Blues," from Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton's Play the Blues: Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center (ALAC files ripped from CD, Reprise 528530) were reproduced with optimal definition by the Electrocompaniet. And while Laurie treats…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Remote-controlled, upsampling, stereo D/A processor. Digital inputs: 2 S/PDIF on coax, 2 S/PDIF on TosLink, 1 asynchronous USB 2.0 on USB type B connector. Analog outputs: 1 pair balanced on XLRs, 1 pair unbalanced on RCAs. Compatible sample rates: 44.1–192kHz, S/PDIF coaxial; 44.1–192kHz, USB; 44.1–96kHz S/PDIF TosLink. Frequency range: 0.5Hz–48kHz. Channel separation: not specified. Noise floor: <–145dB ref. 0dBFS. THD+noise: <0.0005%. Jitter: not specified. Maximum output level: 2.3V single-ended, 4.6V balanced. Output impedance: 300 ohms.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B phono cartridge.
Digital Sources: Marantz Reference NA-11S1 media player; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; Apple 2.7GHz i7 Mac mini laptop running OS10.7, iTunes 10, Pure Music 1.86; Arcam FMJ D33, NAD M51 D/A converters; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter; dCS 972 format converter.
Preamplification: Linn Linto phono preamplifier, Pass Labs XP-30 line preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Classé CT-M600, Lamm M1.2 Reference, MBL 9007 (all…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I examined the Electrocompaniet ECD 2's electrical performance with 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"); for some tests, I also used my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain. The ECD 2's performance via USB port was tested using my 2012-vintage Apple MacBook Pro.
Apple's USB Prober utility identified the ECD 2 as having the Product String "Electrocompaniet USB Audio 2.0" and confirmed that it operated in isochronous asynchronous mode with all sample…
Editor's Introduction: In 2013, lossy compression is everywhere—without lossy codecs like MP3, Dolby Digital, DTS, A2DP, AAC, apt-X, and Ogg Vorbis, there would be no Web audio services like Spotify or Pandora, no multichannel soundtracks on DVD, no Bluetooth audio, no DAB and HDradio, no Sirius/XM, and no iTunes, to quote the commercial successes and no Napster, MiniDisc, or DCC, to quote the failures. Despite their potential for damage to the music, the convenience and sometimes drastic reduction in audio file size have made lossy codecs ubiquitous in the 21st century. Stereophile covered…
The audience laughed uproariously at this joke and his many other derisive attacks on those who listen to judge audio equipment quality. After these comments, he attempted to disparage the integrity of audio magazines with this remark: "You can only say that ['bits is bits'] once, which is a problem if you have to publish a hi-fi magazine every month. It leaves an intellectual vacuum."
His repeated demeaning references to audiophiles revealed a bitterness that went far beyond holding an opposing point of view. An example: "When the term 'audiophile' replaced 'hi-fi freak,' I immediately…
The final technical presentation was by Karlheinz Brandenburg, the man behind ASPEC, a competing low–bit-rate encoder. His presentation discussed an unusual phenomenon of these systems: the limited time resolution of a frequency-domain encoder results in "pre-echoes" in which quantization error (distortion) appears before the signal. This is a significant issue because large amounts of quantization error are generated by encoding with so few bits. The correctly coded signal reportedly masks this large quantization error. The ASPEC system reportedly minimizes this effect (footnote 2).
Dr…
