No matter what I threw at it or how high I turned up the gain, the M3 always…
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When I closed my eyes, it wasn't easy to tell that I was listening to an integrated amplifier. Despite having two less output transistors, this package shared much of the 300's power, authority, dynamics, and overall sonic grace, though it didn't have the 300's bottom-end "slam" and control. It seemed ever so slightly softer in the lower bass, especially when reproducing well-recorded kick drums. But overall, I preferred the M3 to the more expensive separates because of its richer, warmer, quieter presentation.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Hybrid nuvistor/transistor integrated amplifier. Output power: 275Wpc into 8 ohms (24.4dBW). No other specifications listed.
Dimensions: Amplifier: 19.5" W by 6.5" H by 18.5" D. Weight: 65 lbs. Power supply: 14" W by 5.25" H by 10" D. Weight: 30 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: None found.
Price: $4500 (2001); no longer available (2004). Approximate number of dealers: one, sold direct only (2001). Warranty: 3 years parts & service.
Manufacturer: Musical Fidelity Ltd., 15-17 Fulton Road, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 0TF, England, UK. Tel…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Simon Yorke, SME 10, Rega P3 turntables; Graham 2.0, Immedia RPM, SME IV.Vi tonearms; Lyra Parnassus D.C.t, Lyra Helikon, Grado Statement cartridges.
Digital source: Audio Alchemy DDS•Pro CD transport and DTI•Pro 32 resolution enhancer, EAD DSP-9000 Mk.3 HDCD processor, Musical Fidelity X-Ray CD player.
Preamplification: Audio Research Reference phono section.
Loudspeakers: Sonus Faber Amati Homage, Audio Physic Rhea subwoofer.
Cables: Interconnects: Hovland Music Groove DIN/RCA. Stealth PGS, Yamamura Millennium 6000. Speaker:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
After the one-hour preconditioning period at one-third power, the M3's side-mounted heatsinks were only just too hot to touch. The chassis was warm, however. The maximum voltage gain for line-level sources (8 ohm load) was a high 44dB; 14dB of this was from the line-preamp section. The amplifier didn't invert signal polarity and the input impedance was very high at more than 500k ohms—too high for me to get anything other than an approximate measurement. (Unless otherwise noted, all measurements are for line-level inputs.)
The preamp output impedance was a…
Few people in the audio business would deny that John Curl is an audio design genius—arguably the greatest one of our generation. He designed and built the electronics for Mobile Fidelity's SuperMaster and David Wilson's (of Wilson Audio) UltraMaster tape recorders, two of the three best analog recorders in the world. (The other is Keith Johnson's home-brew unit.) He designed the JC-1 head amp and JC-2 preamplifier sold under the Mark Levinson name some years ago. He designed head amps for SOTA, Michaelson & Austin (TVA), and has done consulting work for more high-end companies than you…
The specs of the SCP-2 are impressive enough: 0.1Hz-1MHz bandwidth, 90dB of S/N ratio, 0.01% harmonic and IM distortion at 3V out. But, as usual, specs don't tell the whole story—this component's performance is astonishing!
Equipment used for my tests included the Ortofon MC-3000 cartridge in the Well-Tempered Arm, the SOTA Star Sapphire turntable (footnote 2), the Threshold FET-10HI line controller and SA-1 power amplifiers, and Sound Lab A-3 speaker system. Audio interconnects were Monster M1000, speaker cables were MIT Music Hoses, and the listening room is extensively treated with…
John Atkinson compared the Vendetta with The Mod Squad Phono Drive in January 1989 (Vol.12 No.1):
The fundamental listening tests involving The Mod Squad Line and Phono Drives were carried out in a system consisting of the VTL 100W Compact monoblock amplifiers driving Celestion SL700 and Thiel CS1.2 loudspeakers....For LP replay, the source was the fully loaded Linn LP player (Sondek/Ittok/Troika) sitting on a Sound Organisation table. Very late in the auditioning, the Ittok tonearm was replaced by an early sample of the new Linn Ekos arm ($1995), a fabulous component, in my opinion…
Thomas J. Norton compared the Vendetta with the phono stage of the Jeff Rowland Design Group Consummate preamplifier in January 1992 (Vol.15 No.1):
I compared the Consummate phono stage with one of the best such devices around, John Curl's Vendetta Research SCP-2B dedicated phono preamp (reviewed by JGH in Vol.11 No.6), which Stereophile subsequently purchased. The cartridge loading on the Vendetta, which is designed to be continuously variable, was set by ear to what turned out to be 65 ohms. The latter was measured across the Vendetta's input, then the phono stage of the Consummate was…
Robert Harley compared the Vendetta with the Audio Research PH1 phono preamplifier in November 1992 (Vol.15 No.11):
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For the past three years I've used the Stereophile-owned Vendetta Research SCP2B phono stage designed by John Curl. This $3000 phono preamp set a benchmark level of performance when it was introduced, and in my experience has yet to be equaled. Unfortunately the Vendetta is no longer in production, but a few are available on the used market. Although no longer a commercial product, it serves as a benchmark against which other phono stages can be judged. I'm also very…