Now, on to this month's column: Revisiting an updated product from a small company can be a rewarding experience. For startups in our competitive, niche marketplace, just remaining in business is a challenge. Many under-capitalized startups founded by well-meaning idealists/hobbyists disappear in just a few…
search
First, a power update: The generator and transfer switch bypass plan has been solidified, the town permit has arrived, and the work will commence soon. I'm pretty sure what I've learned through this debacle will help other audiophiles improve both their power and their system's sound.
The third and fourth toggle switches, located in a box labeled "Equalization," let you choose the desired EQ curve. The left-hand, three-position switch labeled "G2-RIAA-G1" selects RIAA in its center position and either G1 (pre-RIAA) or G2 (pre-RIAA 78) in the two other positions. Once in either G1 or G2 position, the rightmost toggle switch lets you choose between EQ1 (Columbia) and EQ2 (Decca/ffrr).
That's five equalization choices (RIAA and four additional ones). DSA should include a handy card describing all this that can be kept under the unit.
The instruction manual…
Last week, I had a puzzling dream. When I woke, the vision remaining from the dreamscape was of a single thread of conversation, almost oracular, with no context. Ringo was telling me, "That was actually John singing on that one, mate."
I searched for a hidden message. Maybe it was one of those naked-in-public dreams, the Beatles drummer chastising me for misidentifying the singer in some review I wrote. I soon forgot about it.
Then, out of the blue, I was sent a copy of the 50th anniversary edition of John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band: The Ultimate Collection, Lennon's first post-…
In my world, the quiet ritual of choosing a record and placing it carefully on the platter is always followed by a sequence of three rough sounds.
With the volume at listening level, I hear the bristle-by-bristle rasping of my stylus brush as it drags across the exposed tip of the cartridge cantilever. Next, as I dip the diamond in Onzow gel, I hear a little suction cup pop and feel the compliance of the cantilever's rubber-tire suspension. Finally, my brain registers that sizzle sound as the stylus contacts the grooved surface. These sounds are tattooed on my brain. They "cue up" my…
The spherical-tipped Zu/DL-103 sounded less refined than the Koetsu or My Sonic Lab cartridges, but it compensated by making recordings sound bigger and bolder and perhaps even more exciting. It sounded less refined because its spherical stylus profile recovered less nanodata, and because it glared some in the presence region.
This presence-region brightness disappeared almost completely when I reduced the load to 100 ohms. But that wasn't all: Soundspace volume and midrange acuity increased dramatically. At 100 ohms, the Denon could stomp and breathe deeply. At that setting, Evensong…
Founded in 1995 by Uwe Bartel, Vincent Audio is owned by Sintron Distribution GmbH. Vincent launched its LS-1 preamplifier and D-150 hybrid stereo power amplifier the year the company was founded.
Vincent "offers two 'electrical concepts,'" states the Vincent website. "One side is solid state transistor products. The other is a hybrid technology featuring vacuum tubes on the input stages combined with solid state transistors in the output stage."
The Vincent Audio SV-737 integrated amplifier ($3499.95) is on the hybrid side. It has a "class-A/AB" output stage—biased to deliver 10W…
Well, not so fast: First, some fine-tuning of the setup was necessary. Out of the box, the Vincent wowed with crisp transients, detailed treble, neutral upper mids, rich, lush lower midrange, and powerful bass.
At first, in fact, the bass was too much of a good thing; with the Vincent in the system, room modes in my smallish room were excited more than usual. I sorted that, mostly, with a bit of repositioning and some well-placed absorption. Three A/V RoomService 2"-square Equipment Vibration Protectors (EVPs) under amp and speakers helped further focus the low end; four more under the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel, hybrid (tube input, solid state output), "class-A/AB" integrated amplifier with tone controls, headphone output, and D/A module. Tube complement: 2 × 6N1P, 2 × 6N2P, 1 × 85A2. Analog inputs: 6 pair single-ended line-level (RCA); 1 pair single-ended amplifier-in (RCA). Digital inputs: 3 S/PDIF: 1 optical, 2 coaxial; Wi-Fi; Bluetooth (antennas). D/A chip: Burr-Brown PCM5102. Outputs: 1 pair single-ended stereo pre-out (RCA), 1 pair stereo rec out (RCA), 4 pair speaker terminals, 1 ¼" headphone jack. Power output: 180Wpc into 8 ohms (22.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Kuzma Stabi R turntable & Kuzma 4Point 11" tonearm; Koetsu Rosewood MC phono cartridge. Thorens TD 124 turntable, Jelco TS-350S 9" tonearm, Denon DL103 MC cartridge. Tavish Design Adagio phono preamplifier.
Digital sources: Asus laptop running Roon and Tidal, Wyred4Sound µLink, Denafrips Ares II DAC, Tascam CD-200iL CD player.
Integrated amplifier: Parasound Halo Hint 6.
Loudspeakers: Golden Ear BRX, Klipsch Forte III, Spendor BC-1.
Cables: Interconnect (RCA): Triode Wire Labs Spirit II, Shindo Laboratory. Digital:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I tested the Vincent SV-737 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). I first preconditioned the amplifier by following the CEA's recommendation, operating it at one-eighth the specified power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes. At the end of that time, the top panel was warm, at 104.6°F (40.3°C), and the heatsinks hotter, at 113.9°F (45.5°C). I then performed my usual thermal stress test by running the amplifier at one-third power into 8 ohms for an hour. At the end of this time, the heatsinks' temperature had risen to 121.3°F (49.6°C…