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Book Review: <I>A Pair of Wharfedales</I>

David Briggs: A Pair of Wharfedales: The Story of Gilbert Briggs and His Loudspeakers.
IM Publications LLP, 2012. ú50.00 ($75.00). Hardcover, 359 pp. Available from www.apairofwharfedales.com, www.musicdirect.com.

This business biography of hi-fi pioneer Gilbert Briggs and his company, Wharfedale, is an exhaustively researched labor of love on the part of his grand-nephew David Briggs. In a sense, the book is a prequel to Ken Kessler's KEF: 50 Years of Innovation in Sound (2011). That's because KEF's founder, Raymond Cooke, worked for Gilbert Briggs at Wharfedale from the early 1950s…

The Entry Level #28

In March 2008, when I bought my PSB Alpha B1 loudspeakers, I decided that I should also buy PSB's matching SubSeries 1 subwoofer (footnote 1). It seems odd to me now that I would have considered the $449 subwoofer a necessary complement to speakers that sold for $279/pair. What was I thinking? Was I rolling in money? Certainly not. Was I merely young and fancy free? Yes and no. Was I sex-starved? Quite possibly. (See this month's "Listening.") In any case, I must have thought the subwoofer very important.

It's strange, though, because I can't recall a time when I actually used it. The…

The Entry Level #28 Page 2

That settled, it was time to address cabling. Stidsen outlined two scenarios. First, I could run the PSB Alpha B1s full-range using the Kimber Kable 8VS speaker cables I already had, then use "ordinary" 18-gauge wire to connect the output of my NAD C316 BEE to the subwoofer's high-level input. Because the impedance of the sub's input is high, "the effect of the wire is minimal," Stidsen explained. "It only needs to have low resistance, as there is almost no current [transfer] in this mode." The second option would be to run the better cable between the amp and the sub, "the concept being…

Passion of the Hi-Fi: Part III - Balance and Control

The promise of happiness is elusive. Is it found in the 10-hour workday? Maybe it’s spotted sunbathing on the Portuguese shoreline. Or is it found in a wider soundstage? Sartre teaches, "In life, a man commits himself and draws his own portrait, outside of which there is nothing." So if your actions define who you are, and if you love what you do, then will you find content?

Thus, I tried being a professional musician. For, I love music and playing it. I tried really hard, hair and everything. After spending each waking hour post Stereophile rehearsing in New Jersey or gigging in the…

Lamm ML2.2 monoblock power amplifier

The challenge is biblical in character, if not in scope: A half year after railing, in these pages, against our industry's overabundance of products that cost more than $20,000, fate has given me such a thing to review.

In truth, it wasn't the fault of fate or even God, but of my own doing: Having reviewed the Lamm ML2.1 monophonic amplifier ($29,290/pair) in Stereophile's October 2004 issue, and having been so impressed that I bought the review pair and kept them as my reference for a couple of years, I felt compelled to hear that amplifier's successor. My opportunity came with the…

Lamm ML2.2 monoblock power amplifier Page 2

Second, after installing 14 tubes in two mono amplifiers—every tube neatly packed and clearly marked for a single, specific socket—the user must check and, if necessary, adjust the plate voltage and plate current for each amp's output tubes. This requires a very small screwdriver—the adjustment pots are easily accessed via clearly marked openings in the top panel—and a very good digital multimeter. One of those two items is included with every ML2.2; as for the other, Lamm recommends the Fluke 87V.

Third, you must be willing and able to repeat those checks and adjustments, precisely…

Lamm ML2.2 monoblock power amplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Tubed monoblock power amplifier. Tube complement: two 6C33C, two 6N6P, one 6AK5, one 5651, one 12AX7. Output power: 18W into 4, 8, or 16 ohms at 0.7% THD (9.55, 12.55, 15.55dBW, respectively). Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz at 18Wpc, –0.3dB. Input impedance: 41k ohms. Input sensitivity: 0.85V. Slew rate (48V peak–peak): 15V/µs. Signal/noise ratio, ref. 4V RMS into 16 ohms: typically 90dB A-weighted.
Dimensions: 16" (445mm) W by 8.25" (210mm) H by 20.375" (520mm) D. Weight: 81 lbs (36.8kg).
Serial numbers of units reviewed: B10253, B10254.…

Lamm ML2.2 monoblock power amplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: Garrard 301, Thorens TD 124 turntables; EMT 997, Artemis Lab TA-1 tonearms; Ortofon SPU, EMT TSD 15 70th Anniversary pickup heads; Miyabi 47 cartridge.
Digital Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly USB DAC; Apple iMac G5 computer running Apple iTunes v.11.0, Decibel v.1.0.2 playback softwares; 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, Shindo Haut-Brion, Fi 421A.…

Lamm ML2.2 monoblock power amplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

To measure one of the Lamm ML2.2 amplifiers (serial no.B10254), 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 performing any measurements, I ran the amplifier with a 1kHz tone at 1W into 8 ohms for an hour, then turned off the signal generator and adjusted the output-stage plate voltage and current, following the detailed instructions in the manual and using the recommended Fluke 87 meter. Lamm recommends that the wall voltage be 120V for this procedure;…

Nagra Jazz line preamplifier

Branding can be powerful—a well-developed brand connotes strong images in the consumer's mind. Apple means ergonomics, elegance, ego. Fremer means analog, exuberance, fastidiousness. Rolex means Swiss-made, precision, expensive. Nagra means Swiss-made, precision, expensive.

I've heard the occasional Nagra product at audio shows, but infrequently. When I have, I've been in awe of the gorgeous but understated quality of their handmade construction. And the rooms containing Nagra gear always produced superb sound.

My fondest memory of Nagra gear dates back almost a decade. I'd booked…