Description: Digital-to-analog processor with remote control of upsampling and some digital inputs. Digital inputs: 2 asynchronous USB 2.0 Type B; 4 HDMI (all HDMI 1.4a compliant; input 4 also HDCP 2.2 compliant), 2 S/PDIF electrical (1 BNC/coaxial wire, 1 RCA); 1 optical (TosLink); 1 AES/EBU (XLR). Digital input sample rates accepted: 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.2, 192, 352, 384kHz PCM (S/PDIF, AES/EBU); DSD64 (HDMI, USB), DSD128 to DSD256 (USB only). USB audio drivers for computer sources: Microsoft Windows USB Audio Driver v3.23.0 required; no driver required…
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Sidebar 3: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ittok tonearm, Spectral cartridge; Day-Sequerra 25-year Anniversary FM Reference tuner.
Digital Sources: Bryston BCD-1 CD player & BDP-2 media player with IAD sound board; Oppo BPD-103 universal Blu-ray player; Sony SCD-C555ES SACD/CD player; Lenovo P50 computer running Windows 10 Professional (64-bit), Bryston USB driver, JRiver Media Center 22.
Preamplifiers: Bryston BP-26, Mark Levinson No.526.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.334 (stereo) & No.536 (monoblocks…
Sidebar 4: Measurements
I measured the Bryston BDA-3 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 As We See It"). As well as the Audio Precision's digital outputs, I used WAV and AIFF test-tone files sourced via USB from my MacBook Pro running on battery power with Pure Music 3.0. Apple's USB Prober utility identified the Bryston DAC as "BDA3 Audio 2.0" from "Bryston," and revealed that its USB port operated in the optimal isochronous asynchronous mode. Apple's AudioMIDI utility revealed that, via USB, the BDA-3 accepted 24-bit integer data sampled at all rates from 44.1…
If I told you that Pass Laboratories' INT-60 integrated amplifier ($9000) was engineered by meth-lab trolls, its faceplate was wonky, its transformers buzzed, and it made every instrument sound like a tambourine, you'd think I was a crackpot with some kind of axe to grind, right? Because I suspect that, like me, you've never experienced or even read about a Pass Labs amp that didn't sound good.
What if I said that the Pass INT-60 is a reference-quality stereo integrated amplifier that reproduces recordings in a manner refined and sensuous? That it has a nicely sculpted enclosure that…
Over and over for two days, I played The History of Rock Instrumentals, Volume 2 (LP, Rhino RNLP 70138), and all I had was fun as I tried to decide which track on this extravaganza of Guild, Gibson, and Fender guitars was the most grungy and proto-punk. Link Wray & His Ray Men's "Rumble" used hard twang and long reverb to serve up raw, Eisenhower-era ominousness. Duane Eddy's "Rebel-'Rouser" and Bill Justis & His Orchestra's "Raunchy" both feature grungy, deep-textured sax. But it was the sounds of the piano and plucked double bass in the Wailers' (no, not those Wailers) "Tall Cool…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state, class-AB stereo integrated amplifier with remote control. Inputs: 4 line-level (2 RCA, 2 XLR/RCA). Outputs: 2. Power output: 60Wpc into 8 ohms (17.8dBW), 120Wpc into 4 ohms (17.8dBW) (class-A to 30W). Voltage Gain: 29/35dB (selectable). Frequency response: –6dB at 80kHz. Input impedance: 45k ohms. Volume control: 63dB in 1dB steps. Distortion at 1kHz, full power: 1%. Damping factor: 150. Slew rate: 50V/µs. Output noise: <250µV. Input CMRR: –60dB. DC offset: 0.05V. Operating temperature: 127.4°F (53°C). Power consumption: 375W.
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Linn LP12 Valhalla turntable, SME M2-9 tonearm, Dynavector DV20X2L cartridge; Roksan Radius 7 turntable & tonearm & Corus Silver cartridge; Rega Research Planar 3 turntable & RB330 tonearm & Elys 2 cartridge.
Digital Sources: Integra DPPS-7.2 DVD-Audio player, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC.
Preamplification: Dynavector P75 Mk.3, Lounge Audio LCR Mk.III RIAA, Parasound Halo JC 3+ phono preamplifiers; Bob's Devices CineMag 1131, Dynavector SUP-200, Lounge Audio Copla step-up transformers.
Power Amplifiers: First Watt…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a full set of measurements on the Pass Laboratories INT-60 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). I preconditioned the amplifier by running it with both channels driven at one-third power into 8 ohms for 60 minutes. This is, thermally, the worst situation for an amplifier with a class-B or -AB output stage, as one-third power is when the output transistors dissipate the most heat. At the end of the hour, the highest temperature on the side-mounted heatsinks was 114.7°F (45.9°C), and that on the top panel, which…
Was there ever a more stressful election season?
I wished for more choices: choices with less money behind them, choices I wasn't merely expected to make, alternative choices that stood a chance of winning.
I wished for a better sense of the world around me: Why hadn't I strayed outside my comfort zone a little more often? Why hadn't I tried harder to listen as others do?
Most of all, and simplest of all, I wished for more time: Damn it all, I'm too busy! Why can't I have another month to make up my mind?
But no. John Atkinson was insistent: "Please don't abstain…
Loudspeaker of the Year
Wilson Audio Specialties Sabrina ($15,900/pair; reviewed by Robert Deutsch, May 2016, Vol.39 No.5 Review) The accordance of such an honor to a Wilson Audio loudspeaker may not be a shock on the order of seeing Ned Stark get his head lopped off at the end of season one of Game of Thrones, but this well-deserved win by the company's new floorstander is nonetheless noteworthy: at $15,900/pair, the three-way Sabrina is now the company's entry-level loudspeaker; adjusted for inflation, it is perhaps Wilson's most affordable speaker ever—and I can think of at least a…