In 1998, while developing the eight-channel A/D and D/A DSD converters still used to create most SACDs, Ed founded EMM Labs (footnote 1) and became head of design, with…
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Edmund (Ed) Manfred Meitner's name and reputation have long been synonymous with pioneering achievements in the fields of digital audio, especially DSD. In 1971, after designing the first fully automated studio console, Ed identified what he calls "the jitter problem." He worked with Sony and Philips to help create and refine SACD and subsequently designed the first complete six-channel DSD playback system for home use.
The sound
Of all the amps I've reviewed in recent memory, the MTRS immediately and continually struck me as the most honest and neutral of the lot. It neither glamorized nor warmed the sound. Every acoustic instrument sounded as I knew it to sound; every distinctive voice sounded unique and timbrally true. The inherently sweet sounded sweet; rasping rasped; emphatic exclamations resounded with force.
Music intended to tug at the heart or break it open, such as the Adagietto from Mahler Symphony No.5 is wont to do, did precisely that. When I played Rafael Payare and the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid state class-AB power amplifier with custom Kimber Kable PK10 Ascent 30A power cable. Inputs: 1 pair each balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA). Output: 2 pairs Furutech loudspeaker binding posts. System: RS-232 communication port. Rated output power: 400Wpc peak power, 330W RMS continuous power per channel into 4 ohms (22.18dBW). Voltage gain: 30dB. Frequency response: 0.1Hz– 200kHz (full rated power). S/N ratio: >120dB (A-weighted). Both THD+N and IMD: <0.01% (20Hz–20kHz at full rated power). Slew rate: >100V/µS. Damping factor: >…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi Apex, Vivaldi Upsampler Plus, and Vivaldi Master Clock; EMM Labs DV2 Integrated DAC; Innuos Statement Next-Gen Music Server; Small Green Computer Sonore Deluxe opticalModule; Uptone Audio EtherRegen with SOtM sCLK-OCX10 Master Clock and sPS-500 power supply; Nordost QNet Ethernet Switch; Nordost QSource (2); Sonore Audiophile Linear Power Supply; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS with Ferrum HYPSOS linear/switching hybrid power supply; Linksys MR9000 mesh router and Arris modem; Apple 2023 iPad Pro and 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with 2.8GHz…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I examined the EMM Labs MTRS's measured behavior with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. After connecting the amplifier to the wall supply with the supplied Kimber Ascent cable, I preconditioned the MTRS, following the CEA's recommendation of running it at one-eighth the maximum power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes. At the end of that time, the temperature of the top panel was 80.6°F (27.0°C) and that of the heatsinks 94.4°F (34.7°C). Given the relatively low heatsink temperatures and the amplifier's massive size, I subsequently ran it for an hour at one-third the…
Von Schweikert Ultra 55 speakers ($120,000 in Porsche Oslo Blue) are the company's smallest flagship-level offering, but still reference in capability with a response specification of 20Hz-40kHz. In practice, they delivered a completely enveloping and absorbing musical presentation at the recently concluded inaugural Southwest Audio Fest.
The front end digital source components by Ideon are interesting for how the Greek company overbuilds its gear, with a philosophy that digital audio equipment should be built like an amplifier. Its Absolute Epsilon DAC ($49,500) notably uses 17 separate…
In the early 1980s, I worked in a pop band playing AM radio hits, grooving behind my Yamaha drums and Zildjian cymbals as sweat drenched my body and my ears rang. We danced. We pranced. My shiny silk jumpsuit led upwards to a 2"-high afro, which women ran fingers through in hopes of finding contraband smokes.
I was not proud. Our band was hot, booked year-round in hotel lounges and standalone clubs from Florida to Virginia Beach.
"Beach music" was a popular southeastern style then, an R&B variation on '40s swing and doo-wop, with close vocal harmonies, popping brass, and…
After aligning the EMT cart with my Feickert Universal Protractor, I slid the aluminum counterweight over the aft stub of the tonearm and set the tracking force using my Riverstone Audio Precision Record-Level VTF Gauge. A small auxiliary weight was supplied for use with heavier carts; it cleverly screwed directly into the butt end of the tonearm. Technics also supplied their classic thick rubber mat; I felt no need to experiment. I did, however, replace the flimsy interconnects provided with a pair of Triode Wire Labs Spirit II RCA interconnects, which fit very loosely on the GR2's gold…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Direct drive turntable with 5.51lb (2.5kg), 13 5/64" (332mm)–diameter two-layer die-cast aluminum platter; two-layer vibration-damped plinth, iron-coreless, brushless AC motor running at 33 1/3, 45, 78rpm; "S" shaped gimbal tonearm, detachable bayonet headshell. One pair RCA jacks, ground terminal. Speed adjustment range: ±8%, ±16%. Starting torque: 2.2kg-cm, adjustable. Build-up characteristics: 0.7s from standstill to 33 1/3 rpm. W&F: 0.025% WRMS. Power consumption: 11W in use, approx. 0.3W on standby. Included in the box: turntable, tonearm,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Thorens TD 124 MKII turntable; The Wand tonearm; Dynavector DV-10X5 MKII, EMT TDS 15N, Kuzma CAR-30, and Luxman LMC5 cartridges.
Preamplifiers: Aurorasound Vida MKII phono, Manley Chinook phono, Tavish Audio Design Adagio phono.
Integrated amplifiers: PrimaLuna EVO 400, Triode Lab EVO 45.
Loudspeakers: Devore Fidelity O/baby, Heretic AD614, Volti Audio Razz.
Cables: Interconnects: AudioQuest Pegasus RCA, Analysis Plus Silver Apex RCA, Triode Wire Labs Spirit II. Speaker: AudioQuest Robin Hood. AC: AudioQuest NRG Z, Triode…