Description: Line-level hybrid (tubed/MOSFET) preamplifier and headphone amplifier. Tube complement: four 12AU7/ECC82. Frequency response: 1Hz–100kHz, ±1dB. Line-level inputs: 3 unbalanced (RCA), 2 balanced (XLR). Variable outputs: 2 unbalanced (RCA), 2 balanced (XLR). Maximum gain, line stage: 14dB unbalanced, 20dB balanced. Output impedance: 50 ohms (1kHz).
Dimensions: 18.5" (470mm) W by 4.5" (115mm) H by 17" (430mm) D. Weight: 30 lb (13.6kg) net, 45 lb (20.4kg) shipping.
Serial number of unit reviewed: RP7-0559.
Price: $4995. Approximate number of…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable, Jelco 850L tonearm; AMG Giro G9 turntable & 9W Turbo tonearm; AMG Teatro, EMT TSD 75, Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue, Hana SL, Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum, My Sonic Lab Ultra Eminent Ex moving-coil cartridges; Kenwood KT-990D FM/AM tuner.
Digital Sources: Mac mini computer running Audirvana Plus 3.2; HoloAudio Spring "Kitsuné Tuned Edition" Level 3, Mytek Brooklyn DACs; JVC X-Z1010 CD player (used as transport).
Preamplification: Tavish Design Adagio phono preamplifier; Pass…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Rogue RP-7 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). The RP-7's volume control operates in 0.5dB steps, with the maximum level indicated as "192" on the front-panel display. All of its outputs—balanced, single-ended, and headphone—preserved absolute polarity (ie, were non-inverting). The balanced input impedance measured a very high 174k ohms at 20Hz and 1kHz, dropping very slightly to 162k ohms at 20kHz; the unbalanced input impedance was lower, at 24.5k ohms at 20Hz and 1kHz, and 21k ohms at 20kHz. The RP-7's…
As Stereophile's lone New York City bachelor, I sometimes search for amore on Internet dating sites. One such encounter led me to Park Slope, Brooklyn, where I met a woman who, I soon learned, was at the top of the food chain of Manhattan's gold-encrusted arts community.
The single child of an upper-Westchester family, Jane So (not her real name) assists her employer in curating fine art for the city's premier galleries and museums. Her job also includes gifting her employer's millions to charitable organizations and the like. But in her off hours, when the boss isn't watching, Jane…
Case in point: Whether playing, via the Parasound Halo HINT 6 ($2495) the Police's Ghost in the Machine (LP, A&M SP 3730), or Karl Berger and Dave Holland and Ed Blackwell's Transit (LP, Black Saint BSR 0092), or Willie Hutch's funk classic Fully Exposed (LP, Motown M 784V1), the A7s delivered the low-down, throbbing, subterranean heart of every recording exceptionally well and without exception. Sting's rich e-bass had never resounded so weighty and whole. The clarity of Dave Holland's double bass on Transit was a veritable master class in walking bass. And the titanic tonnage of…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: ¾" (22mm) wide-surround dome tweeter with fluid cooling, 7.1" (180mm) polymer-cone midrange-woofer. Crossover frequency: 3.7kHz. Frequency range: 32Hz–25kHz. Sensitivity: 88dB. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal. Power handling: 25–200W. Terminals: four-way binding posts (single-wired).
Dimensions: 36.8" (934mm) H by 7.1" (180mm) W by 12" (305mm) D. Weight: 39.7 lb (18kg).
Finishes: Black Ash, Cherry, Natural Oak, Dark Walnut, Satin White.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 334A00011/…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Kuzma Stabi S turntable & Stogi S tonearm; Thorens TD 124 turntable & Jelco TS-350S tonearm; Denon DL-103, Hana EL, Ortofon Quintet Bronze cartridges.
Digital Sources: Apple MacBook computer running Audirvana Plus; Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, BorderPatrol DAC, DACs; LG BD550 BD player; Western Digital T2 Mirror Drives (2).
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 A23 moving-coil step-up transformer, Luxman EQ-500 phono stage, Shindo Laboratory Allegro preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Mytek Brooklyn.
Integrated Amplifiers: Heed Audio…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Spendor A7's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield responses. The Spendor's specified sensitivity is 88dB/2.83V/m; my estimate was close, at 87.1dB(B)/2.83V/m. The specified impedance is 8 ohms. Fig.1 shows that the A7's impedance magnitude (solid trace) remains above 8 ohms for the entire treble and most of the low bass. The minimum magnitude was a still-high 6.1 ohms at 228Hz, and while the electrical phase angle is sometimes high,…
I'm not sure what possessed me to listen to young Edgar Moreau's Erato recording, Offenbach & Gulda: Cello Concertos, with Les Forces Majeures conducted by young Raphaël Merlin. Was the moon in that phase when it appears to be laughing at we earthlings? All that is certain is by the time I had heard but a minute of the first movement of cellist/composer Offenbach's concerto, it was clear that I'd be laughing through at least half of the notes that lay ahead.
Mind you, there are a lot of notes, in both concertos. If you want to hear the cellist's equivalent of guitar shredding, if only…
The news broke on Facebook yesterday that Mark Hollis had died, aged just 64. I was late to appreciate Hollis's work, including his extraordinary solo album from 1998 (above). But since Stephen Mejias turned me on to him, Mark Hollis's music, both solo and with the band Talk Talk, has been in heavy rotation. (You can find my review of Talk Talk's final album, Laughing Stock, here—scroll down the page.) Fellow fan, Michael Vamos of distributor Audio Skies, asked if he could share some thoughts.—John Atkinson
It's a day of mourning for music lovers everywhere—ingenious lead singer,…