Since that time, Simaudio has launched and filled out its Moon Evolution line,…
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In the September 2005 issue (Vol.28 No.9), I reviewed Simaudio's first reference-quality power amplifier: the 1000W, 220-lb Moon Rock monoblock ($37,000/pair). At the time, the Rock was a dramatic departure for Simaudio, then primarily known as a maker of midpriced gear that was good for the money. I found a lot to like about the Rock, concluding that while it wasn't quite up to the standard of the best superamps of the time, it was very good—and, for Simaudio, an admirable first shot at the state of the art.
Matters of Control & Precision
JA will describe the 880M's performance in technical terms, but I suspect that it will measure pretty flat "from DC to light." I've always been aware of the small humps and bumps in the VTL's and Levinson's frequency response, and believed I was accounting for them in comparisons with other equipment. Having heard the 880M, I have to admit that I've been listening around these irregularities and accepting them as a kind of pseudoreality. Maintaining the consistency of, say, an acoustic piano's sound, or a singer as she varies her pitch and volume, was…
JA will describe the 880M's performance in technical terms, but I suspect that it will measure pretty flat "from DC to light." I've always been aware of the small humps and bumps in the VTL's and Levinson's frequency response, and believed I was accounting for them in comparisons with other equipment. Having heard the 880M, I have to admit that I've been listening around these irregularities and accepting them as a kind of pseudoreality. Maintaining the consistency of, say, an acoustic piano's sound, or a singer as she varies her pitch and volume, was…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier. Inputs: 1 unbalanced (RCA), 1 balanced (XLR). Outputs: 2 pairs binding posts. Rated power output: 800W into 8 ohms (29dBW), 1600W into 4 ohms (29dBW). Voltage gain: 31dB. Maximum output voltage: 80V. Maximum output current: 100A peak, 42A continuous. Frequency response: 10Hz–200kHz, +0/–3dB. Signal/noise: >106dB at full power. THD: <0.015%, 20Hz–20kHz at 1W. Input impedance: 47.5k ohms. Input sensitivity: 2.25V for full output. Output impedance: 0.004 ohm. Damping factor: 2000. Slew rate: 70V/µs. Power…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Audio Research CD-8, Primare CD 31 CD players.
Analog Sources: Spiral Groove SG-2 turntable, Centroid tonearm, Lyra Titan i cartridge; VPI TNT HR-X turntable & tonearm, Grado Statement Reference cartridge.
Preamplification: Sutherland Engineering Phono Block phono stage; Sutherland Engineering Line Block, Placette Active, Simaudio Moon Evolution 850P line stages.
Power Amplifiers: VTL Ichiban, Mark Levinson No.20.6 (both monoblocks).
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Sophia II.
Cables: Interconnects and…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Before performing any measurements, I ran one of the Simaudio Moon Evolution 880M amplifiers (serial no. L6311636) for an hour at one-third its specified maximum power of 800W into 8 ohms, thermally the worst case for an amplifier with a class-B output stage. By the end of the hour, the side-mounted heatsinks were way too hot to touch, at 148.5°F (64.8°C). The chassis was cooler, with the top plate measuring 126.4°F (52.4°C), though the aluminum vertical corner pieces were 164.3°F (73.5°C). Though the distortion with the amplifier completely cold was a low 0.00825…
John Atkinson returned to the D-Premier in June 2013 (Vol.36 No.6):
When I reviewed this extraordinary French amplifier last January ($15,995), I ran out of space and time before I could audition and measure its performance via its phono inputs. That is the subject of this Follow-Up. My sample of the D-Premier was serial no.00965, hardware v.4.1.1, running firmware v.5.6.0.
Fig.1 The Configurator widget on the Devialet website allows the D-Premier's owner to create a custom configuration text file that can be downloaded.
Like almost all of the D-Premier's input and…
I first became acquainted with Lindsay Dobbin’s work in 2010, when she released, under the name Broken Deer, a limited-edition cassette on Al Bjornaa’s Scotch Tapes label. The music sounded like it came from some other, remote time and place—hushed, fragile, inspired by dreams and memories.
Dobbin then released a track called “White Woman,” said to be from her forthcoming album, Polaraura, planned for release on the more or less defunct 8-track format. I’m not sure what came of that; Dobbin only says that events in her personal life delayed the album’s release. In her words, “It’…
In April of 2011, after watching one of the many iterations of The Due Diligence perform at Silent Barn, the soundman made an announcement: “We have a bunch of old music gear for sale in the venue’s basement.” I jumped from my seat.
Dusty guitar amps, dirt-speckled stage light fixtures, and busted drivers piled atop each other on a series of shelves. I inspected each piece of gear carefully. Atop the highest shelf, I found them. Though covered in scratch marks and gum, the logo was clear: Polk Audio. The “i" was dotted with a little heart. I fell in love.
I asked to test them…
Luke Manley at Manhattan's Innovative Audio (Photo: John Atkinson)
Jonathan Scull: How long has VTL been in business, Luke?
Jonathan Scull: How long has VTL been in business, Luke?
Luke Manley: My dad, David Manley, and I co-founded VTL in June of 1986. We started small on the East Coast, and soon after we moved to California.
Scull: Is it because you're really a West Coast kind of guy?
Manley: [laughs] You bet! There's a lot of supporting industries out there; a big base of electronics manufacturers, for example.
Scull: What, in the San Francisco area?
Manley: No, I'm speaking about Los Angeles. Even though…
T.H.E. Show Newport Beach will be held May 31 through June 2, at the Hilton and Atrium hotels, near Orange County Airport, in Irvine, California. John Atkinson and Jason Victor Serinus will cover the show for Stereophile.com, while Tyll Hertsens and Michael Fremer will represent for InnerFidelity and AnalogPlanet.
Jason asked if I would send him a flash drive carrying a few demo tracks that he might use to audition systems at the show—a fun idea, however one that I can’t successfully realize: At this time, I have no real library of high-resolution (or even CD-quality) digital…