Analog Sources: Kuzma Stabi S turntable & Stogi S tonearm; Thorens TD 124 Mk.I turntable and Jelco 350S tonearm; Denon DL-103, Hana EL, Ortofon Quintet Bronze cartridges.
Digital Sources: Sony VAIO laptop running Qobuz and Tidal. Tascam CD-200iL CD player. Border Patrol DAC SE, Halide DAC HD, Western Digital T2 Mirror Drives (2).
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 A23 MC step-up transformer, Luxman EQ-500 phono preamplifier, Shindo Laboratory Allegro preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion.
Integrated Amplifier: Heed…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Herbie Hancock: Takin' Off
Herbie Hancock, piano; Freddie Hubbard, trumpet; Dexter Gordon, tenor saxophone; Butch Warren, double bass; Billy Higgins, drums.
Blue Note Records 84109 (LP), 1962, 2019. Alfred Lion, prod.; Rudy Van Gelder, eng.; Don Was, Cem Kurosman, reissue prods.; Kevin Gray, reissue eng. AAA. TT: 39:01
Performance ****
Sonics ****½
Herbie Hancock, piano; Freddie Hubbard, trumpet; Dexter Gordon, tenor saxophone; Butch Warren, double bass; Billy Higgins, drums.
Blue Note Records 84109 (LP), 1962, 2019. Alfred Lion, prod.; Rudy Van Gelder, eng.; Don Was, Cem Kurosman, reissue prods.; Kevin Gray, reissue eng. AAA. TT: 39:01
Performance ****
Sonics ****½
From 1962 until now, and counting all formats except downloads, there have been no fewer than 62 releases of Herbie Hancock's debut album, Takin' Off—more than any of his other albums except Maiden Voyage (1965) and Head…
Mark Levinson isn't known as a budget brand, and most people would not consider $8500 a budget price for anything short of a new car. One could argue, though, that Levinson's new No.5805 integrated amplifier ($8500 with DAC and phono stage) is a budget component—combining high performance and build quality with a price tag that's moderate by hi-fi standards. Plus, there's a lot of functionality in one box.
Say you want to build a very good audio system in the fewest possible steps and boxes. The 5805 includes a digital source, MM+MC phono stage, a preamplifier, an amplifier, and a…
Noticing that I'd lately been using tracks from Nojima Plays Liszt (176.4/24 download of Reference Recordings RR-25), recorded by Keith Johnson, for auditioning preamps, John Atkinson gave me a copy of his own Liszt recording (footnote 3) Sonata (CD, Stereophile STPH008-2), with Robert Silverman playing a program that, like the Nojima, includes the Sonata in B-minor. I ripped the CD and saved it to my Roon ROCK server.
I love the way Nojima sounds, but, with apologies to Dr. J, John's recording sounds more natural—more like a Steinway sounds from really good seats in a smallish hall. And…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel solid-state integrated amplifier with DAC and MM/MC phono stage. Analog inputs: 1 pair balanced, 2 pairs unbalanced. Phono: separate MM and MC (only one can be connected). Digital inputs: 1 asynchronous USB 2.0 B Audio, 2 optical, 1 coax (S/PDIF). Outputs: 1 pair variable line-level outputs (RCA), 1 pair loudspeaker outputs via high-current binding posts with banana sockets that accept spade lugs with ¼" spacing. Control inputs: Ethernet, RS232, and USB A. Input Impedance: 20k ohms (balanced) 10k ohms (single-ended). System gain from…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Thorens TD 124 turntable (reconditioned by Schopper AG), Thomas Schick 12" tonearm; Ortofon Xpression cartridge.
Digital Sources: Intel NUC computer with SSD drive running Roon Optimized Core Kit; PS Audio DirectStream DAC.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Standard step-up transformer, EAR 834P phono stage, PS Audio BHK Signature preamplifier, Pass Labs XP-22 preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Pass Laboratories XA60.8, PS Audio BHK Signature 300 (all monoblocks).
Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima2 Salon2.
Cables: Digital:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
For logistical reasons, I measured a different sample of the Mark Levinson No.5805 integrated amplifier (serial number 0951) than the one auditioned by Jim Austin (serial number 0906). There were some setup issues with this early sample—the firmware was version 1.36—but these were generally solved by rebooting. I measured the Mark Levinson No.5805 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"), and before performing any testing, I ran the amplifier for an hour at one-third power into 8 ohms. (Thermally, this is the most stressful…
John Atkinson reviewed the Joseph Audio Perspective2 in July 2019 (Vol.42 No.7):
Five years ago, in our July 2014 issue, I reviewed Joseph Audio's Perspective loudspeaker, a reflex-loaded, floorstanding, two-way design with two SEAS Excel magnesium-alloy–cone woofers and a SEAS Excel Millennium tweeter using a 1" Sonatex, impregnated-fabric dome. I summed up my thoughts by writing: "The Perspective is definitely a full-range loudspeaker, with impressive low-frequency extension and weight for a speaker with a relatively small footprint. It is also one of the more beautiful-looking speakers…
Lithuanian conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla's (b. 1986) rendition of Polish-Jewish composer Mieczysław Weinberg's (1919–1996) final symphony, which is dedicated "to the memory of those who were murdered in the Warsaw Ghetto," has all the earmarks of a life-affirming Record to Die For. Rarely have I heard such hallowed silence, absolute control, and reverence for life and beauty from a conductor so young. For those willing to explore the mysteries of exquisite sadness amidst suffering, this recording cries out.
Weinberg's six-movement, 54-minute Symphony No. 21, "Kaddish," op. 152 (1991)…