Within an hour or so I had the Meridian Sooloos music server connected to one of the AVM's S/PDIF inputs, and my MacBook Air computer using Roon connected to its USB input. I had three tonearms running into three of the six Phono cards, each configured for a specific cartridge's output and loading requirements. The balanced output of my content/dcs-rossini-player-rossini-clock">…
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For the first half of my listening I ran balanced TARA Labs Zero cables from the 8.2's Solid-State Output card into my darTZeel NHB-458 monoblock power amps. For the second half, I used the Tube Output card.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Modular solid-state and/or tubed preamplifier with slots for 9 input modules slots, 3 output modules, class-A headphone output. Available modules: MM/MC phono preamplifier, asynchronous DAC with inputs (1 USB Type B, 2 coaxial S/PDIF RCA, 1 optical TosLink), supporting PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz, DSD64/128 (2.8MHz, 5.6MHz); FM, Line in (with or without tone & contour configurability), Line out, Bluetooth. Tube complement: 2 AVM 803 T dual triodes. Frequency ranges: 20Hz–100kHz (solid-state), 20Hz–30kHz (tubed). Input impedance, line: 3.4k ohms (RCA…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn turntable & Castellon stand; VPI Avenger Reference turntable & Fatboy tonearms (dual-pivot & gimbaled); Klaudio KD-ARM-MP12, Kuzma 4Point, Swedish Analog Technologies CF1-09 tonearms. Cartridges: Grado Labs Epoch (mono); Ikeda 9Gss; Lyra Atlas, Atlas SL, Atlas SL (mono), Etna, Etna SL; Miyajima Labs Infinity (mono); Ortofon MC Century Anna A95; Tedeska DST-01.
Digital Sources: dCS Rossini CD player–DAC, Lynx Hilo A/D–D/A converter, Meridian Sooloos music server, Pure Vinyl & Vinyl Studio…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the AVM Ovation PA 8.2 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Looking first at the line-level analog inputs on the Tone input module: With the AVM's volume control set to its maximum of "99,5," the maximum voltage gain at 1kHz measured 18.24dB from the solid-state balanced and unbalanced outputs, 18.2dB from the tubed balanced and unbalanced outputs, and 21.85dB from the headphone terminals. The line inputs preserved absolute polarity from all five outputs (ie, were non-inverting), and the unbalanced input…
There I was, driving through the streets of Port Townsend, dodging the dashing deer, when out of the blue, strains of Palestrina came floating by. Giving thanks to CBC Radio, which we can receive in the Pacific Northwest, I noticed immediately how my internal space had become far more peaceful after just a few bars of Palestrina's polyphonic writing for multiple voices. It was at that minute that I realized that I missed listening to sacred vocal music of the Renaissance, and that it was high time that more of it made its way on to the Stereophile.com.
French composer Antoine de Févin (ca…
If there's one thing audiophiles agree on, it's that snake oil is bad—even if they can't agree about what snake oil actually is.
In audio, snake oil means fake science or fake technology—anything that's claimed to improve the sound of a system but that looks like an obvious rip-off. For some people, expensive speaker cables and interconnects are snake oil. A few objectivists consider AC power treatments snake oil: most modern audio components, after all, can correct for AC line-voltage flaws and reject "ripple" in a power supply's output. A handful of hard-core objectivists maintain that…
With reviews of Wilson's Alexia 2 loudspeaker ($57,900/pair) in the July issue, Constellation's Centaur 500 amplifier ($55,000) in the October issue, and Tidal's Akira loudspeaker ($215,000/pair) in the November issue, my system's been inhaling some rarefied air the past few months. Accordingly, I felt I should live with some components priced within the reach of real-world audiophiles. As it happened, I was finishing up my review of the Constellation amplifier when MoFi Distribution's Lionel Goodfield e-mailed me, asking if I'd like to review the new Diamond 11.2 loudspeaker from the…
The 200Hz warble tone sounded more colored than the other bands, and when I played the half-step–spaced tonebursts on Editor's Choice there was audible coloration between 196 and 246Hz. When I listened to the cabinet walls with a stethoscope, this behavior was worse with the right-channel speaker than the left. This behavior, I suspect, was the cause of the Diamond 11.2 having a rather warm tonal balance, which was particularly noticeable with male speaking voices, as in the channel-identification and phasing tracks on Editor's Choice. But with well-recorded classic music, such as…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex (slot-loaded), stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) textile-dome tweeter, 6.5" (150mm) woofer with woven-Kevlar cone. Crossover frequency: 2.3kHz. Frequency response: 48Hz–20kHz, ±3dB. Bass extension: 40Hz, –6dB. Impedance: "8 ohms compatible." Sensitivity: 88dB/2.83V/m. Peak SPL: 96dB. Recommended amplifier power: 25–125W.
Dimensions: 14" (355mm) H by 8.7" (221mm) W by 12.7" (322mm) D with terminals. Enclosure volume: 0.47 cubic feet (13.3 liters). Weight: 19.8 lb (9kg).
Finishes: White, Blackwood, Walnut Pearl…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge.
Digital Sources: Roon Nucleus+ file server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; AQ Technologies Aqua Formula xHD, PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A converters; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter.
Preamplification: Channel D Seta L phono preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Audio Research Reference 160M, Lamm Industries M1.2 Reference (both monoblocks), Mytek Brooklyn Amp.
Integrated Amplifier: Ayre Acoustics EX-8.
…