Analog sources: VPI Avenger Direct turntable with VPI Fatboy tonearm, VPI Shyla cartridge. Thorens TD 124 turntable with The Wand tonearm, Luxman LMC-5 MC cartridge.
Preamplifiers: Marchand Electronics LN 110 (phono), Aurorasound Vida MKII (phono), Sugden LA 4.
Integrated amplifiers: PrimaLuna EVO 400, Triode Labs 45 EVO (in for review).
Power amplifiers: LKV Research PWR-3, Shindo Haut Brion, Pass Labs XA-25.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity O/baby, Heretic AD614, Volti Audio Razz.
Cables: Interconnects: AudioQuest Mythical Series Pegasus…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
There's something about Black Ice Audio (formerly Jolida) that puts me in the frame of mind to enjoy some great tunes. It could be CEO Jerred Dunkerson's welcoming demeanor, or it could be the way the company's tube-centric gear renders smooth, eminently listenable sound without costing a fortune.
The demo system in this room featured two sources: On the analog side, a Pure Fidelity Harmony v.2 ($7995) with a Pure Fidelity Stratos cartridge ($1995) fed a Black Ice Audio F159 phono stage ($1875); on the digital side was the Bel Canto Stream 2 network bridge/DAC ($1999). Both were…
There are always a few truly eccentric rooms at audio shows. And at FIAX 2024, the Davina Loudspeaker commanded one.
I first became aware of this speaker system because my hotel room was adjacent to it, and I noticed the unusual intensity of the sound coming through the walls. My first thought was "so this is what it's like to have a bass addict as a neighbor." I am usually the offender when this happens, but I wasn't in Tampa. Anyway, I am drawn to good bass when I hear it, like bugs to a lightbulb.
Once I saw the speaker system and grasped the concept, I knew I had to…
When standalone digital/analog processors made an appearance a quarter-century ago, they were limited to the CD medium's 16 bits of resolution—at best. These days, almost every DAC can process at least 24 bits, and many models offer between 20 and 21 bits of real-world resolution. Modern models from Benchmark, dCS, Merging, Mola Mola, Okto, and Weiss illustrate not just the skill of the circuit designer but also that of the engineer who laid out the printed circuit board.
One of the first digital processors I encountered that offered 21 bits of resolution was the Weiss DAC202, which Erick…
The clarity of the soundstage was just as superb, as I remember from my time with the DAC502. This was particularly evident on a new album of jazz duets produced by erstwhile Stereophile writer Michael Fremer: Rufus Reid Presents Caelan Cardello (16/44.1 WAV files, Liam Records), one of the last albums mastered by Bob Ludwig before he retired. Reid's round-toned double bass and Cardello's Fazioli piano were palpably present in the rather dry club acoustic, the instruments superbly well-defined in both space and tonal balance.
As I was finishing writing this review a few days…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Roon-Ready, two-channel, digital/analog converter with volume control, color LCD touchscreen, DSP, and remote control. Digital inputs: AES3 on XLR, S/PDIF on RCA jack and TosLink optical connector, USB Type A, USB Type B, Ethernet on RJ45 jack. PCM sample rates supported: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz, 352.8kHz, and 384kHz, plus DSD64 and DSD128 (not all frequencies are supported with all inputs). Maximum input word length: 24 or 32 bits depending on input. Analog outputs: 1 pair balanced XLR, 1 pair single-ended RCA, all short…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Roon Nucleus+ music server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; MBL N31 CD player/DAC; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 A/D converter.
Integrated amplifiers: Audio Research I/50, NAD M10.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: GoldenEar BRX, KEF LS50, Q Acoustics 5040.
Headphones: Audeze LCD-X.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet). Interconnect: Ayre/Cardas Reference (balanced). Speaker: AudioQuest Robin Hood. Headphones: Nordost Heimdall 2. AC: AudioQuest Dragon Source & High Current,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Weiss Helios with my Audio Precision SYS2722, repeating some of the tests with the higher-resolution APx555. All the measurements were performed with the Helios's DSP bypassed. Apple's USB Prober utility identified the Helios as "Helios" from "Weiss_Engineering_Ltd." with the serial number string "0.0.1." The USB port operated in the optimal isochronous asynchronous mode, and Apple's AudioMIDI utility revealed that the Helios accepted 32-bit integer data sampled at all rates from 32kHz to 384kHz. The AES3 and coaxial S/PDIF inputs accepted data…
Shunyata Research’s Richard Rogers showed me one of my favorite rooms of the show, a smallish rig that made very biggish sounds.
The source was an Aurender A20 Music Server ($15,000) with a Lumin P1 Network Player ($10,000), a Lumin L2 Music Library ($3500), and a Hegel Viking CD Player ($5000). A Hegel 600 Integrated Amplifier ($12,5000) drove a pair of Clarisys Audio Minuet loudspeakers ($46,000/pair).
The Clarisys ribbon speakers played with excellent timing, naturalness, and lifelike buoyancy and drive that bowled me over then propped me up again, weary as I was on day…
Jim Austin wrote about the CH Precision M1.1 in March 2024 (Vol.47 No.3):
At Stereophile, every reviewer takes a different approach to reviewing, and so they inevitably reach varied conclusions. Our work, though, is partly based on shared principles. As in reviewing wine, for example, our own tastes matter—a lot—but certain universal (though subjective) principles matter, too. This fact becomes especially interesting in follow-up reviews, in which shared principles hold even as personal preferences collide.
As long as it's done by a different reviewer, a follow-up review always…