Others, though, may still balk at the suggestion that this skinny…
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Once upon a time, in the early days of class-D amplification, the very notion that the ELAC (ELectroACoustic) Alchemy DPA-2 Stereo/Mono Power Amplifier ($1495 each) uses a class-D output stage would cause some readers to turn the page (footnote 1). But as class-D amplifiers established their pedigree as bona fide hi-fi components, audiophiles have begun to embrace the notion of a lightweight, cool-running amplifier that will not dramatically increase the electric bill and that, when properly executed, can be quite musical.
The DPA-2's utilitarian front panel includes a power button, four indicator lights, four function buttons, and a small OEL (organic electroluminescence) display that can show input choice, gain, and mode (stereo or mono) and when the 12V trigger is engaged. I didn't need to use the front-panel GAIN button, which changes some resistor values to increase or decrease gain by 6dB. Among the functions enabled by the screen's "select" button is the ability to monitor output power for both channels via a bargraph meter. (In monoblock configuration, the two bars move together.) The bars are small,…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Class-D stereo/mono power amplifier. Inputs: 1 balanced (XLR), 1 single-ended (RCA), DC trigger. Outputs: 2 pair five-way binding posts. Output power (1kHz, 1% THD): Mono: 625W into 8 ohms (28.0dBW), 420W into 4 ohms (23.2dBW); stereo: 210W into 8 ohms (23.2dBW), 325W into 4 ohms (22.1dBW). Frequency response: 5Hz–20kHz, ±0.2dB. Voltage gain (low/ high): mono, 18dB/24dB; stereo, 24dB/30dB. Input impedance: single-ended, 12k ohms; balanced, 19k ohms. THD: <0.003% (1kHz, 1W, 8 ohms); <0.1% (1kHz, 300W, 4 ohms). Signal/noise: >94dB ref. 1kHz…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Rossini SACD/CD transport, Rossini DAC, and Rossini Clock, and Network Bridge; Synology 5-bay DS1019+ NAS; Roon Nucleus+ music server, Uptone Audio etherRegen, Small Green Computer Sonore opticalModule, TP-Link gigabit Ethernet media converters (2) with multimode duplex fiber optic cables, Linksys routers (2), and Arris modem, all powered by 300W (3) four-component linear power supplies; external hard drives, SSD USB sticks, iPad Pro; 2017 Macbook Pro computer with 2.8 GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM.
Preamplifier: Dan D'Agostino…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Although the ELAC Alchemy DPA-2 is a stereo amplifier, Jason Victor Serinus auditioned it as a pair of monoblocks. (In mono mode, the signal is fed to either input and the output taken from the left channel's red binding post and the right channel's black binding post.) I therefore performed a complete set of measurements with a DPA-2 in mono mode then repeated some of the tests in stereo mode. As the DPA-2 has an output stage operating in class-D, I inserted an Audio Precision auxiliary AUX-0025 passive low-pass filter between the test load and my Audio Precision…
Jukeboxes were probably the first music servers to take a form we would recognize: a music-playing device that allows you to choose from several, or many, songs. The first commercial jukebox, Wikipedia says, was introduced in 1927 by the Automatic Musical Instrument Company, which came to be known as AMI.
For most of their history, audio servers were public things, providing entertainment in bars, diners, and pubs. Fast-forward decades to not long after the CD's introduction when CD servers appeared that could hold three, five, or 100 Compact Discs. They quickly became cheap and…
The first image that pops into my mind when I think of Focal is of the iconic Grande Utopias and how at one Montreal audio show I couldn't believe that the gentlest, sweetest music I'd heard all day was coming out of those massive speakers. I saw it as a paradox of sorts.
Founded in the City of Lights, Focal has been around since 1979, the year Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now received the Palme d'Or at Cannes and when the average annual income in America was $17,500. Focal started as a twinkle in the eye of engineer and technology journalist Jacques Mahul, who believed he'd built a…
The Arias come with cloth grilles, of which I am not a fan, but with their sturdy plastic honeycomb exoskeleton, easy magnetic stick-on placement, and handsome looks, these cloth grilles are a notch above other cloth grilles I've come across. Still, I took Bob Deutsch's word when he wrote in his review of the original 936 that they sound better with no grilles, so the grilles went back in their boxes.
Along with the Totem Skylights, the Arias were the easiest speakers I've ever set up in my listening room, owing, likely, to two factors: I'm getting better at it, and their sound was less…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, five-driver, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) aluminum-magnesium TNF inverted-dome tweeter, 6.5" (165mm) K2 sandwich-cone midrange unit, three 6.5" (165mm) K2 sandwich-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 260Hz, 3.1kHz. Frequency response: 39Hz–28kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 92dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 2.8 ohms minimum. Recommended amplification: 50–300W.
Dimensions: 45" (1150mm) H × 11.5" (294mm) W × 14.5" (371mm) D. Weight: 64lb (29kg).
Finishes: Ash Grey premium finish (from the Utopia line).
Serial…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Rega P5 turntable with RB700 tonearm and Audio MusiKraft Denon DL-103 cartridge.
Digital sources: Simaudio Moon 260D transport, Bryston BDP-1 USB Digital Player running Tidal, Bryston BDA-2 DAC.
Preamplification: Sonic Frontiers SFP-1 Signature phono preamp, Audible Illusions L3A preamp.
Amplifier: Grandinote Shinai integrated amplifier.
Loudspeakers: KEF LS50, Totem Skylight.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (USB), BIS Audio Maestro (RCA S/PDIF). Interconnect: Moon Audio Silver Dragon (RCA). Speaker: Nordost Heimdall…