Description: Giro MK II: Nonsuspended, mass-loaded, belt-driven turntable; speeds: 33 1/3 rpm, 45rpm; platter: 12" (304mm) diameter, 1.97" (50mm) thick, 12.3lb (5.6kg); motor: DC; wow and flutter: not specified. 9W2: dual-pivot bearing aluminum tonearm; effective length: 229mm; pivot-to-spindle distance: 211mm; overhang: 18.1mm; offset angle: 24.07°; effective mass: 9.1gm. Benz Micro SLR Gullwing: moving coil phono cartridge with brass body; output voltage: 0.34mV at 3.54cm/s; cantilever: boron rod; compliance: 15cu; stylus: nude, line-contact "Micro Ridge"…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Roksan TMS, SME 30/2, Brinkmann LaGrange, Garrard 301, Thorens TD-124, Linn Sondek LP12, Technics SL-1000 Mk2A turntables. Graham Model 2.2; SME Series V, IV/Vi, 309, 3009; Brinkmann 12.1; Breuer Dynamic Type 8; Technics EPA-100; Linn Ittok LVII; Fidelity Research FR-64S; Eminent Technology ET2 tonearms. Dynavector DRT XV-1s, Grado Legacy Epoch, Ortofon Cadenza Blue, Koetsu Urushi and Rosewood, Linn Troika, Kiseki Purple Heart, Red Rose Petal 2, Denon DL-103, Audio Note IQ3 phono cartridges. Technics RS-1520 reel to reel. Nakamichi Dragon…
Photo By Robbie Jeffers
Tyler Chester was headed south on the I-5 to San Diego, where he would join indie-rock eminence Andrew Bird's road band for a brief tour. Touring is an activity Los Angeles–based Chester pursues with decreasing frequency, he told me in a recent phone chat. After years as a busy sideman and recording-session musician—he is equally proficient on bass, guitar, and keyboards—Chester finds himself spending less and less time as a player and more as a producer. His rapidly expanding clientele includes Sara Bareilles, with whom he produced the album More Love in 2020, and…
Photos By Joel Bernstein
My wife saw me putting on my new LP of Joni Mitchell's great For the Roses album and said: "Oh, our breakup album!" Never mind the confusing details—we're obviously still (or again) together—that's how intense the bonds are for many people with Joni's music: We people of a certain age set the clock of our lives by her recordings.
Enough time has passed now in the history of music that succeeding generations can connect with music that was new when their parents or even grandparents were young. This tends to happen with the best of the popular recorded…
Sometimes it's good to step outside your comfort zone. In fact, I relish new and novel experiences. It's a major reason I enjoy attending hi-fi shows and events: for the chance to see and hear new things—new hi-fi equipment, especially equipment that's groundbreaking or unusual.
Sometimes a component speaks to you visually first. It reminds me of an expression about food presentation that loosely translates to "You eat with your eyes first" (footnote 1). Sometimes, you listen with your eyes first, too.
Love at first sight is too strong, but the first time I laid eyes on the HiFi…
I tried to employ the app but ran into problems. It's incompatible with Google network extenders, which don't allow you to manually choose between 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands; the RA180 manual makes it clear that it doesn't support dual-band or 5GHz connections. I was able to connect my iPhone 13 Pro and the amplifier to the same network, but only sometimes and only briefly. Even after I installed a new router, which allowed separate connection of the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, I continued to experience such issues. Finally, after reinstalling the app, I was able to make the connection, but the only…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid state integrated amplifier with four stereo channels of GaN FET–based class-D amplification, built-in phono preamplification (MM and MC), variable phono-EQ, and a variety of other features. Amplifier output: 4 × 200Wpc into 8 ohms (23dBW) or 4 ohms (20dBW) or 2 × 400Wpc into 8 ohms (26dBW) bridged. Input sensitivity: 2V (balanced), 1V (unbalanced) for maximum output. Phono input: 5mV (MM), 0.5mV (MC). Input impedance: 44k ohms (balanced), 47k ohms (unbalanced and phono, MM and MC). Frequency response: 10Hz– 90kHz ±1dB. THD (balanced and…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Clearaudio Performance DC Wood turntable with Tracer tonearm and Talisman V2 MC cartridge; MoFi Electronics UltraDeck turntable with tonearm and UltraTracker MM cartridge and weight.
Digital sources: MBL N31 DAC/CD player, MacBook Air (M1, 2020) as Roon Core.
Loudspeakers: MBL 120, Triangle Antal 40th Anniversary.
Cables: Power: AudioQuest Monsoon and NRG-Z3, Ansuz Acoustics. Ethernet: AudioQuest Vodka. Interconnect: Morrow Audio MA-3 and MA-6, Ansuz Acoustics. Loudspeaker: Ansuz Acoustics, Morrow Audio SP-6.
Accessories:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
For logistical reasons, I measured a different sample of the HiFi Rose RA180—serial number ESL203AB000182—from the one auditioned by Julie Mullins. I performed the measurements with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, examining the amplifier's performance in both normal mode and in bridged ("BTL") mode, following the instructions in the excellent manual. As Julie Mullins found, the RA180 doesn't recognize 5G Wi-Fi networks, but I was able to connect it to my Netgear NightHawk router's 2.4GHz network. I could control the RA180 with the RoseAMPConnect app on my…
Summer 1959. The concert under the stars in the Wellfleet, Massachusetts, town parking lot was over. Pete Seeger was packing up his banjo as I approached him gingerly—I was 6 years old. I stuck out the notepad I'd been careful to bring. "Can I have your autograph?"
Towering over me, six-three to my three-eight, Seeger said in exasperation, if not outright coldness, "I don't give autographs. I'm not some goddamned star."
Terrified, I stood my ground.
"Oh, all right," he said. Pete Seeger was a talented draftsman. In seconds, he dashed off a perfect cartoon of a banjo, his…