On the outside, the Zesto Leto Ultra II line preamplifier ($10,900), which Ken Micallef reviewed earlier this year, looks a bit different than most other audio components. The designs on its faceplate resemble ocean waves. Waves are also evoked by the bending mirrored plate above, which obscures transformers and other electronics and, in dim light, reflects the Leto's gently glowing 12AU7 and 12DW7 tubes. Otherwise, the Leto's only important features are three front-panel knobs: one for volume, one for…
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Jim Austin auditioned the Ultra II's Presence control in September 2021 (Vol.44 No.9):
German manufacturer Canton Elektronik has a strong presence in Europe, but distribution of its loudspeakers in the US has been sporadic. Consequently, the most recent review in Stereophile of a Canton speaker, the Reference 3.2 DC, was in 2010. When we heard, in December 2020, that Bluebird Music would be bringing Canton back to North America, we were eager to review a Canton loudspeaker. Balancing performance and price, we selected the Reference 7K, which costs $6995/pair.
Description
The Reference 7K is a handsome three-way tower, 1m tall and finished in high-gloss lacquer—black…
The half-step–spaced tonebursts on Editor's Choice spoke cleanly and evenly down to 32Hz, the frequency of the lowest one. Listening to the enclosure with a stethoscope while these tonebursts played, I could hear very little liveliness, though I could hear some low-level mechanical buzzing in the low bass from inside the speaker with serial number 100726.
I took part in a number of blind listening tests of loudspeakers in the 1980s in which one of the test signals was my Fender Precision bass guitar, played live. The sound of the bass, with its combination of a sharply defined…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: vibration-damped 1" (25.4mm), aluminum-ceramic-oxide dome tweeter; 7" (180mm) TCC ceramic-tungsten cone midrange unit with wave surround; two 7" (180mm) TCC ceramic-tungsten cone woofers with wave surrounds. Crossover frequencies: 220Hz, 3kHz. Frequency range: 22Hz– 40kHz. Nominal impedance: 4–8 ohms. Sensitivity: 88.5dB. Power handling: 170W nominal, 340W music power.
Dimensions: 39.4" (1000mm) H × 11.4" (290mm) W × 16.5" (422mm) D. Weight: 72.6lb (33kg) each.
Finish: Black…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge, Channel D Seta L phono preamplifier.
Digital sources: Roon Nucleus+ file server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A processor and MBL N31 CD player/DAC, Ayre Acoustics QA-9 A/D converter.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), AudioQuest Coffee (USB), DH Labs (1m, AES/EBU), Interconnect: AudioQuest Wild Blue (balanced). Speaker:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Canton Reference 7K's frequency response in the farfield. My reference axis for the measurements was level with the center of the midrange unit, which is 36" from the floor, the height of my ears in my listening chair. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield and in-room responses and Dayton Audio's DATS V2 system to measure the impedance.
Canton specifies the Reference 7K's sensitivity as 88.5dB, presumably for 2.83V at 1m, which was confirmed by my measurement.…
The Air Force Zero turntable is very large for a turntable, but it is not as large as a house. At $450,000 for the base model, it does, however, cost as much as many houses and more than many others (footnote 1).
This observation will set off howling among some audio enthusiasts of a sort that never happens in the wine world, for instance, where well-heeled oenophiles routinely spend large sums for a short-lived thrill.
Yes, I know, some people are homeless. Others are hungry. Isn't it wrong to spend the equivalent of a suburban home on a means of playing records? It's a…
The Zero can accommodate two 9"–12" tonearms mounted on massive titanium armboards drilled for your choice of arms. The review sample was supplied with two standard titanium armboards drilled for the Graham Elite and SAT CF1-09 tonearms.
Easy to use, little required maintenance
Once the dealer setup was accomplished, the Zero was practically maintenance free for the six months it spent in my listening room. You turn it on by turning a single knob, and then a screen tells you if air is required and where. The easily activated pump with attached air hose lets you "top up" the feet as…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Belt-drive, air-suspension turntable with vacuum hold-down and electronically controlled AC synchronous motor. Speeds: 33 1/3 & 45rpm. Motor type: synchronous AC (Papst). Bearing type: Air. Number of tonearm fittings: 2. Dust-cover: none. Accessories supplied: 2 titanium bases, 1 disc stabilizer, 1 platter cover. Power supply: 115/230V, 50–60Hz.
Dimensions: Turntable: 35.5" (902mm) W × 26.6" (677mm) D × 13.18" (335mm) H. Weight: 750lb (340kg). Power supply/air units (3): 16.9" (430mm) W × 14.3 (365mm) D × 8" (205mm) H. Weight: 33lb (15kg),…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: OMA K3, SAT XD-1 turntables; SAT CF1-09 and Graham Elite tonearms; X-quisite ST, Lyra Atlas Lambda SL and Etna Lambda SL, and TechDAS TDC01 Ti 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, and MC-20L and X-quisite SUT X-20 step-up transformers; Ypsilon VPS-100, CH Precision P1 with X1 PSU.
Power amplifiers: darTZeel NHB-468 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio…