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Wharfedale Diamond 11.2 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the right-hand sample of the Wharfedale Diamond 11.2's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield and spatially averaged room responses.

My estimate of the Diamond 11.2's voltage sensitivity was 89dB(B)/2.83V/m, or 1dB higher than the specified 88dB. The Diamond 11.2's impedance is specified as "8 ohms compatible." However, the magnitude drops below 6 ohms in the midrange and the high treble. The minimum magnitude is 3.7 ohms at 215Hz (fig.1,…

Dealer Event in Chicago Saturday

On Saturday, December 8, from 2:00pm to 4:00pm, Gryphon Audio Designs' new Zena preamplifier will be demonstrated at Kyomi Audio, 4454 West Berteau Avenue, Chicago, IL 60641. The demonstrations will be conducted by Philip O'Hanlon of Gryphon's US Distributor, On A Higher Note, and by Kyomi Audio's George Vatchnadze, a noted concert pianist and recording artist. Among the music featured will be selections from the upcoming release, on Decca, of Vatchnadze's recording of Kancheli's 33 Piano Miniatures and other selections.

As space is limited, those who wish to attend are encouraged to…

Dealer Events in Virginia Thursday & Florida Saturday

Thursday, December 6, 4–8 pm, Command Performance (115 Park Avenue, Ste 2, Falls Church, VA 22046) will be hosting a Naim Audio "500 Event." Saturday, December 8, 12–5pmm, Audible Images (1610 Pineapple Avenue, Melbourne, FL 32935) are holding their annual "Music Appreciation Event."

At the Command Audio event, Naim will have its East Coast premiere of its all-out assault on music streaming and playback, the ND 555 Network Streamer. The ND 555 will be played-back through the NAC 552 preamplifier and NAP 500 DR power amplifier. Refreshments will be served. RSVP to (703) 532-7239 or by e-…

ATC CDA2 Mk2 CD player-preamplifier

In the early 1990s, the Compact Disc was all the rage, and vinyl records were being executed en masse. Thirty years later, and oh, how our tables have turned. Mint first pressings of tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley's 1957 album Hank Mobley (Blue Note BLP 1568), which once could be had for $40, now bring upward of $8000. Each. Vinyl continues to enjoy a global resurgence of popularity, while CD sales have plummeted to all-time lows.

What happened? Apparently, yesterday's pops and ticks are today's "warmth," Record Store Day exclusives, and skyrocketing vinyl values. All things old . . .…

ATC CDA2 Mk2 CD player-preamplifier Page 2

To test the ATC's CD-playing abilities, I used a pair of Auditorium 23 XLR-to-RCA interconnects from the CDA2 Mk2's balanced outputs into my Shindo Laboratory Allegro preamplifier's single-ended inputs. (I started the auditioning with single-ended Dimarzio interconnects, which have screw-down RCA plugs. Unfortunately, these became frozen on the CDA2 Mk2's RCA jacks and when I unplugged the cables I dislodged the collars from the player's RCA jacks.) When I evaluated the ATC as a CD player and preamplifier, a pair of Shindo XLR-to-RCA interconnects joined the ATC's balanced outputs to the…

ATC CDA2 Mk2 CD player-preamplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: One-box CD player with volume control and analog and digital inputs. CD player: Distortion: 1kHz, <0.0015% (–96dB); 10kHz, <0.003% (–90dB). Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.2dB. Preamplifier: Frequency response: <2Hz–280kHz, –3dB. Distortion: 1kHz, <0.0008%/102dB. Input sensitivity for 2V output: Aux inputs, 600mV; 3.5mm inputs, 400mV. Maximum output level: RCA, 9.2V RMS; XLR 18.4V RMS. Overload capacity: 13dB. Input impedance: 14k ohms. Output impedance: 10 ohms. Signal/noise: wideband, >96dB; DIN, >108dB; IEC "A," >112dB.…

ATC CDA2 Mk2 CD player-preamplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: Kuzma Stabi S & Stogi S turntable & tonearm, Thorens TD 124 turntable & Jelco TS-350S tonearm; Denon DL-103, Ortofon Quintet Bronze cartridges.
Digital Sources: Apple MacBook computer running Audirvana Plus; Halide DAC HD, PS Audio NuWave DACs; LG BD550 BD player; Western Digital T2 Mirror Drives (2).
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 A23 moving-coil step-up transformer, Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, Shindo Laboratory Allegro preamplifier, Schiit Audio Valhalla 2 headphone amplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Mytek Brooklyn Amp, Shindo…

ATC CDA2 Mk2 CD player-preamplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I measured the ATC CDA2 Mk2 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Looking first at its performance as a CD player, the CDA2 Mk2 had the best error correction I have ever encountered, playing every track on the Pierre Verany Digital Test CD without glitches. This included the track with a single 4mm gap per revolution in the data spiral, and the track with repeated 3mm gaps! (The Compact Disc standard, the so-called "Red Book," requires only that a player cope with gaps of up to 0.2mm.)

As the output RCA jacks had…

Listening #192: Koetsu, Ortofon, EMT

Although my house is now home to a borrowed pair of DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93 loudspeakers—a loan I gratefully accepted early this year, when my 1966 Altec Flamencos proved a bit too large for my new listening room—it's a matter of pride that I own almost everything else in my playback system, cables included. So it's with no small discomfort that I acknowledge having nearly $30,000 worth of borrowed phono cartridges scattered around my living and dining rooms. (The former is where I listen to them, and the latter—the sunniest room in the house—is where I install them.)

Being…

Listening #192: Koetsu, Ortofon, EMT Page 2

The SPU Wood A transcends that unfortunate event by having its body custom-machined, in Japan, from solid hardwood, then given its own thick finish of urushi lacquer; the result is the most physically beautiful SPU since the line's earliest days. (The Wood A also has the best, snuggest-fitting stylus guard of any SPU—perhaps another windfall of such precise machining.) It was while admiring the SPU Wood A's build quality that I noticed that it's very slightly larger than earlier A-style Ortofons, while preserving the 30mm stylus-to-socket dimension. Other specs include a spherical stylus…