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Culshaw's Rheingold, made in 1958, was the first recording to exploit stereo technology's ability not only to reproduce the spatial characteristics of a recorded performance, but to re-create, for the listener, spatial effects created entirely in the studio, including the singers' relative positions on an imaginary stage and their movements across that stage as they perform. Through the Air Tight, that stage was notably larger than through most amps; indeed, it was considerably larger than with other tube amps of my experience that use negative feedback—something I associate with amps whose…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: (100V version): Tube complement: two 300B, two 12AU7, two 12BH7, one 5U4BG. Power output: 9Wpc at 5% THD (9.54dBW). Input sensitivity: 290mV at full output. THD: <1% (1kHz/1W/8 ohms). Damping factor: 7 (1kHz/1W/8 ohms). Frequency response: 25Hz–40kHz, –1dB/1W.
Dimensions: 16.9" (430mm) W by 9.65" (245mm) H by 10.8" (275mm) D. Weight: 54 lb (24.5kg).
Serial number of unit reviewed: 30005D.
Price: $16,995 with Electro-Harmonix 300B tubes; $19,995 with Takatsuki 300B tubes; $15,995 without 300B tubes. Approximate number of dealers: 18.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Garrard 301, Thorens TD 124 turntables; EMT 997, Sorane ZA-12 tonearms; EMT TSD 15, Ortofon SPU A Wood, Shindo SPU pickup heads; EMT TSD 15 N sph, Koetsu Onyx Platinum, Denon DL-103 cartridges.
Digital Source: Sony SCD-777 SACD/CD player, Mytek Liberty D/A processor.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 & T2 step-up transformers, Shindo Laboratory Monbrison (2017) preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Cary Audio CAD-805RS monoblocks, Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93.
Cables:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Air Tight ATM-300R with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Before doing any testing, I checked the ATM-300R's front-panel meter to ensure that the bias was correctly set for the two 300B output tubes.
The Air Tight's maximum voltage gain into 8 ohms from its High (8 ohm) output-transformer tap, which was how Art Dudley listened to the amplifier, was a high 29.5dB; from the Low (4 ohm tap) it measured 26.9dB. Both output taps preserved absolute polarity (ie, were non-inverting). The input impedance was a…
There are many ways to talk about the remarkable Symphonies Nos.1 & 4 Jeux vénitiens of Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski (1913–1994). You could, for example, approach them as does Kimmo Korhonen, whose extremely detailed and well-thought-out liner notes for the recent Ondine SACD of these works from Hannu Lintu and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra examine the evolution of Lutoslawski's tonal language and explain that they basically represent the beginning (Symphony No.1, 1947), middle (Venetian Games, 1960–1961) and end (Symphony No.4, 1992) of his arc as a mature composer. Or you…
Every time I fly to California, my brain gets stuck on the lyrics of that Arlo Guthrie song: "Coming into Los Angeles / bringing in a couple of keys . . ." Even landing in San Francisco, I'm always smiling, because I've never been busted in California.
Which means that I'm a lucky guy. In this life I have acquired nothing of material value, but I did see Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter in Chicago in 1962, at Theresa's. I spent the whole Summer of Love (1967) in San Francisco listening to music. And because I lived only a few blocks away, I witnessed the Ramones' first gig at CBGB, in 1974…
One of the many pleasures of the Burning Amp Festival is that everyone goes home with free gifts worth more than the cost of admission. Pass had made up a small batch of H2 generators, stuffed and calibrated, to hand out at the Festival. He even included a wall-wart power supply. I got one for testing.
Siegfried Linkwitz
At Burning Amp, Nelson Pass and his friend Laurie Fincham delivered quiet memorials to loudspeaker designer Siegfried Linkwitz (1935–2018), who died September 11. Fincham read a poem he'd written, "Siegfried's Saga."
I'd known Linkwitz a little, and loved…
In the late 1980s, when I began reviewing high-end subwoofers, they were big and heavy, difficult to move or find space for in a room. Their controls were always on an inconveniently positioned rear panel, and there were no built-in automatic room-optimization options or parametric equalizers. Velodyne's 105-lb, downfiring ULD-18 ($2570), ca 1989, was typical: Two people were needed to unpack and move it; it was powered by an outboard 400W amplifier, connected inconveniently with a speaker cable and an RCA-terminated interconnect for its servo control; and its controls were on the bottom of…
All of this took some time, but after I'd replaced the defective wireless receiver, it went smoothly. The only inconvenience was that I had to switch one app off before running the other, so that the two apps wouldn't interfere with each other. Otherwise, the apps would inevitably fail to discover both subs.
Comparing wired vs wireless signal connection, I could hear no differences in levels of background noise or bass power, or in pace, rhythm, pitch definition, solidity, or tightness. Nor did I ever have any problems with dropouts because of interference with the wireless signal. Once…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Powered subwoofer with sealed cabinet. Drive-unit: 10" polypropylene-cone unit with 2" voice-coil. Inputs: Left- & right-channel line level and LFE (RCA); (5–24V DC) 12V trigger (3.5mm); left- & right-channel speaker-level (banana); ARC firmware update (Micro-USB); optional SWT-X wireless receiver. Internal amplifier: 120W RMS, 240W peak. Input impedance: 8.3k ohms unbalanced (RCA), 2k ohms speaker level (banana). Frequency response: 24–200Hz, ±3dB; anechoic in LFE mode. Power draw: 30W typical, 150W max, 4W idle, 0.5W standby.
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