Analog sources: VPI Aries turntable, 12" 3D tonearm, and Synchronous Drive System; Lyra Etna cartridge.
Digital sources: MacBook Air running Pure Music, Qobuz; Bricasti M1 DAC; Musical Fidelity M1 CDT transport.
Preamplification: McIntosh C2300 tube preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: McIntosh MC275 stereo tube amplifier, McIntosh MC462 Quad Balanced stereo amplifier.
Loudspeakers: Harbeth M30.2 40th Anniversary Edition
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond AES/EBU, Coffee USB; Interconnects: AudioQuest Fire, Sky; Speaker: AudioQuest FireBird…
search
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Because of the Wilson Sasha DAW's bulk and weight—as well as the fact that Sasha Matson's listening room is on the second floor of his upstate New York home—I drove my test gear the 230 miles from my Brooklyn home to measure the speakers in situ. (I also wanted to hear the Wilson speakers driven by his McIntosh MC462 amplifier, which had impressed me when I measured it for our May 2019 issue.)
As always, I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Sasha DAW's frequency response in the farfield and an Earthworks QTC-40…
High-quality playback of digital audio is evolving in two opposed directions. One is where a smart wireless loudspeaker, like the KEF LSX or DALI Callisto 6 C, needs to be connected to a simple source of data. The other is where a smart amplifier takes the data from wherever it needs and sends it to a pair of dumb loudspeakers. NAD's Masters Series M32 integrated amplifier ($4848 with its optional MDC DD-BluOS module), which I reviewed in May 2018, is a great-sounding example of the latter approach.
In the spring of 2019, NAD introduced the Masters Series M10 ($2749). At first I assumed…
When I started listening to the NAD M10, therefore, I was anticipating a marked diminution in sound quality—even veteran reviewers aren't completely immune from expectation bias. Using the KEFs, I played some reference CDs, including André Previn's performance of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No.2 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Telarc 80113) that I had auditioned with the Vandersteen speakers and amplifiers. Following the Previn performance, I cued up the DSD64 file with Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra performing the same symphony (Channel Classics 21604) with Roon. (Roon…
Sidebar 1: Trying Dirac Live Room Correction
To use Dirac Live LE with the M10, I plugged the microphone supplied with the amplifier into the 3.5mm jack on the USB adaptor, also supplied, and plugged that into the USB Type A port on the M10's rear panel. I installed the Dirac Live app on my iPad mini, after first making sure that it and the M10 were connected to the same network. When I ran the app with the M10 driving my KEF LS50s, it found and identified the amplifier, reduced the playback volume, and performed a level check. I then followed the on-screen instructions, placing the…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: Remote-controlled, network-connected D/A integrated amplifier with Dirac Live LE Room Correction, tone controls, multiroom capability, and front-panel touchscreen. Analog inputs: 2 pairs RCA (line). Digital inputs: 1 TosLink, 1 coaxial S/PDIF, 1 HDMI, USB Type A, BluOS (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth aptX HD. Supported file formats: MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, WMA-L, ALAC, OPUS, MQA, DSD, FLAC, WAV, AIFF. Supported sample rates: up to 192kHz with bit depths 16–32. Supported cloud services: Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, HDTracks, HighResAudio, Murfie, Juke…
Sidebar 3: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Roon Nucleus+ file server; Mac mini and iPad mini running Roon 1.6, BluOS apps; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP disc player, Digital Domain VSP digital format converter; PS Audio DirectStream DAC.
Integrated Amplifier: Luxman SQ-N150.
Power Amplifiers: Lamm M1.2 Reference, Vandersteen M5-HPA, both monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: KEF LS50, Rogers LS3/5a, PSB Alpha P5, Q Acoustics Concept 300.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), Esperanto Audio (S/PDIF), DH Labs (AES/EBU), generic plastic TosLink optical (15'). Interconnect:…
Sidebar 4: Measurements
I measured the Masters Series M10 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). As the NAD is a class-D design, I didn't run my usual preconditioning test of using the amplifier to drive a 1kHz tone at one-third power into 8 ohms. Nevertheless, before doing any testing I ran it for an hour at a moderate power level, to ensure that it was fully warmed up. Because class-D amplifiers emit relatively high levels of ultrasonic noise that would drive my analyzer's input into slew-rate limiting, all measurements were taken with Audio…
Upon hearing about this new product from Benchmark Media, the LA4, my mind turned to Laurindo Almeida, Bud Shank, Ray Brown, and Shelly Manne—the original L.A. Four jazz quartet. No such association was intended, however: the "4" merely designates change from previous Benchmark designs (footnote 1).
The LA4 is housed in a shoeboxy, half-rack chassis that stands apart from the contemporary hi-fi wide-and-flat norm. A large touchscreen, an engraved Benchmark logo, and a single large volume-control knob dominate the front. At the bottom left are a small on/off button and the IR sensor.…
Benchmark sent along a DAC3 B (footnote 2), which I connected to the Balanced 1 inputs of the LA4. I connected the front L/R outputs of my exaSound e38 Mk.III DAC to the Balanced 2 inputs. Independent AudioQuest Coffee USB cables from the outputs of my Baetis Prodigy X server fed both DACs. Monoblocked Benchmark AHB2s were connected to the balanced outputs.
Listening to the LA4
As soon as everything powered up, there was a big smile on my face. With the LA4 in control of the system, everything sounded right, and subtle differences among recordings, amplifiers, and speakers were clear…