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Recording of July 2019: <I>Takin' Off</I>

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

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 No.5805 integrated amplifier

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…

Mark Levinson No.5805 integrated amplifier Page 2

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…

Mark Levinson No.5805 integrated amplifier Specifications

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…

Mark Levinson No.5805 integrated amplifier Associated Equipment

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:…

Mark Levinson No.5805 integrated amplifier Measurements

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…

Joseph Audio Perspective loudspeaker Perspective2 Graphene

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…

Stilling Heartbreak from Weinberg

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)…

CH Precision M1.1 power amplifier

CH Precision's massive, versatile, technologically sophisticated, 165 lb M1.1 power amplifier ($54,000 configured for stereo) can easily crush your foot if you're not careful when installing it. But the more important consideration is this: Can this cool gray techno-square sing and dance without stepping on its own feet?

Unlike their playfully mischievous neighbor darTZeel, whose corporate sense of humor runs so deep that the LCD readout on their NHB-18NS preamp displays the messages foreplay and climaxed when working its on/off switch, Swiss manufacturer CH Precision is all business.…

CH Precision M1.1 power amplifier Page 2

A series of small, vertically stacked pushbuttons adjacent to the generously sized color LED screen controls all functionality and adjustability. It's a complicated but logically arranged menu system, made easier to use if you're familiar with the similar ones used in the company's other products, including the CH Precision P1 phono preamp, which I own. In most cases, setup will no doubt be performed by the dealer, though it's still a good idea to understand and learn the menu system. A virtual meter monitors power output.

The M1.1's maximum gain can be adjusted in 0.5dB steps over a…