Digital sources: dCS Rossini SACD/CD transport, Rossini DAC, and Rossini Clock; Synology 5-bay NAS 1019+; Roon Nucleus+ music server, Uptone Audio etherRegen, Small Green Computer Sonore opticalModule, TP-Link gigabit Ethernet media converters (2) with multimode duplex fiberoptic cables, Linksys routers (2), and Arris modem, all powered by (3) 300W four-component linear power supplies; external hard drives, SSD USB sticks, iPad Pro; Apple 2017 MacBook Pro computer with 2.8 GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM.
Preamplifier: Dan D'Agostino Momentum HD.
Power…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Esoteric Grandioso C1X's performance with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It") and checked some results with the magazine's more-recent APx555 system. The C1X's massive power supply chassis sat on the floor, as far away from the preamplifier chassis as I could arrange with the long umbilical cables. I took a complete set of tests using the balanced inputs, repeating some tests using the single-ended inputs. As set up with the Menu by JVS, the display showed the volume in accurate 0.1dB steps from –99.9dB to +12.0dB…
Change, it seems, is a byword for audio dealerships that aim to stay afloat, and Hanson Audio Video has seen its share of changes. Events and unconventional outreach are now integral to the company's approach.
I spoke with Greg Hanson and Showroom Manager Josh Gwin by phone then followed up with a (post-vaccine) visit to their Cincinnati showroom to find out what's going on there. Hanson and Gwin call the showroom an "experience center," because they want people who visit to have an experience, whether it's a new customer's first-ever high-end audio demo or a long-timer's regular check-…
In an April 2020 press release, the McIntosh Group announced that its subsidiary brand Sumiko, which was cofounded by the late Dave Fletcher and distributes Sonus Faber and Pro-Ject among other high-performance brands, had secured distribution rights for Rotel Electronics in the US and Latin America. That press release prompted memories of a Rotel RP-3000 direct drive turntable I once owned, fitted with a Lustre GST arm. On that 'table, Rotel put a massive AC direct-drive motor—not quartz-locked—fitted with a lightweight, not-particularly-well-damped platter mounted to a rudimentary wood…
The Michi amps cost about 1/10th what the darTZeels cost. How can that be a fair comparison? I was determined not to make one. I was hoping to avoid a "for the price" review where you write about the degradation followed by the "but for the price" fluff up. It was easy to avoid writing that review, because that's not what happened.
The M8 sounds like it looks inside and out: It is so sonically together that I feel certain that it was tuned at least as much by ear as it was measured by test gear. Yet, I expect it to measure well, at least into a 4 ohm minimum load, the specified minimum…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid state, mono power amplifier. Inputs: 1 balanced (XLR), 1 single-ended (RCA). Outputs: 2 pair custom binding posts. Input impedance, balanced (XLR): 100k ohms; single-ended (RCA): 12.5k ohms. Output impedance: not specified. Voltage gain, balanced (XLR): 30dB; unbalanced (RCA): 34dB. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, –0.15dB; 10Hz–100kHz, –0.5dB. Input sensitivity, balanced (XLR): 3V; unbalanced (RCA): 1.85V. THD: <0.018%. Damping factor: 200. Speaker impedance: 4 ohms, minimum. S/N ratio (A-weighted): 120dB. Continuous output power: 1080W…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: OMA K3, SAT XD-1, and TechDAS Air Force Zero turntables; SAT CF1-09, CF1Ti-09, Schröder OMA, Kuzma 4Point, and Graham Elite tonearms; HiFiction X-quisite ST, TechDAS TDC01Ti, Lyra Atlas Lambda SL, Ortofon MC Century, Anna Diamond, A95, A90, Grado Epoch3, Miyajima Labs Infinity (mono), Grado Epoch (mono), Sculpture A.3 phono cartridges.
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi One SACD player DAC; Lynx Hilo A/D-D/A converter; Roon Nucleus server; Pure Vinyl and Vinyl Studio software.
Preamplification: darTZeel NHB-18S, Ypsilon MC-10L, MC-16L,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a full suite of measurements on one of the Rotel Michi M8s (serial no 256-9511006) using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Because I don't have a test load with sufficient thermal capacity to handle the Michi amplifier's very high power, I wasn't able to perform my usual preconditioning of operating it at 1/8 power for 30 minutes, let alone the more demanding 1/3 power for 60 minutes. But with its fans and massive heatsinks, the M8 remained cool throughout the testing. The heatsink temperature was 80.0°F/26.7°C…
Sound Quality
In general, the LCD2 Classic is neutral with a slightly warming roll-off above 1kHz. My experience of the Audeze LCD line when they went to Fazors is that they lost a bit of bass heft and dynamics, but made gains in finesse and resolve. Listening to the LCD2C definitely harkens back to that earlier sound signature.
Bass response is dead flat and very well extended. I'd like a little more bass level below 120Hz, but I couldn't ask for better bass response quality. The low notes are wonderfully tight and well textured, and extend effortlessly into lowest, Adam's…
Measurements
Click on graphs image to download .pdf for closer inspection.
Click on graphs image to download .pdf for closer inspection.
Raw frequency response plots show the LCD2C is effected very little by changes in position on the head at frequencies below 1kHz, but some modest changes can be seen 1-3kHz.
Bass is ruler flat to 10Hz; a look at the 30Hz square wave and virtually non-existan bass distortion validate my experience that the LCD2C has fantastic bass response.
Midrange response is likewise flat to 600Hz and then starts a gradual and ever increasing rise to the 3.3kHz peak. This rise matches the Harman target…