M.I.A.'s mashup of global influences, styles, and rhythms came together on her debut Arular (CD, Interscope/XL Recordings B0004844-02), which sprung to life in 2005 full of flavor and color. I cued up "Sunshowers," a single released ahead of this studio album, which was derived from "Sunshower" by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, cofounded by Kid Creole. A distant, high-pitched hand drum precedes the vocals. Driven by the LTA, the LCD-5 provided a tactile rendering of that drum's skin, its sense of boingy bounce and its timbral variations. As the catchy, punchy tune bubbles over…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: over-ear, open-back, planar-magnetic headphones. Transducer size: 90mm. Impedance: 14 ohms. Sensitivity: 90dB/mW, measured at Drum Reference Point. Frequency range: 5Hz–50kHz. THD: <0.1% @ 100dB. Maximum power handling: 5W. Minimum power: 100mW. Recommended power: 250mW. Maximum SPL: >130dB.
Weight: 0.926lb (420gm).
Serial number of unit reviewed: 5-2029. Designed and manufactured in California.
Price: $4500. Approximate number of US dealers: 156, also sold online. Warranty: three years for drivers, one year for everything else.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Clearaudio Performance DC Wood turntable with Tracer tonearm and Talismann v2 MC cartridge; MoFi Electronics UltraDeck turntable with tonearm and UltraTracker MM cartridge and weight. MoFi Electronics StudioPhono phono pre.
Digital sources: MBL N31 DAC/CD player, MacBook Air (M1, 2020) as Roon Server, Mytek HPA AAA Liberty DAC.
Amplification: Original Mytek Brooklyn Bridge, Linear Tube Audio (LTA) Z10E. PS Audio Sprout100.
Cables: Analog interconnects: Ansuz Acoustics Signalz D2; Morrow Audio MA-3 and MA-6. Digital interconnect (…
One of the finest chamber music performances I have ever attended took place this past August under far from ideal circumstances. The venue was one-month-old Field Hall in Port Angeles, Washington, a city of fewer than 20,000 people known more for its port and proximity to the Olympic National Forest than for its rich culture. Perhaps that reputation will soon change, because the performers in the concluding concert of the Music on the Strait chamber music festival (footnote 1) included its two local founders, violinist James Garlick of the Minnesota Orchestra and violist Richard O'Neill, the…
Dominating the front panel are an LED bargraph, which displays output power calculated from voltage, and a digital power meter that shows actual output power. I did as Inokuma suggested and watched the output power at my normal listening levels. It rarely exceeded 62.5W, the power at which the amplifier switches from class-A to class-AB with a nominal 4 ohm load like the Wilson Alexia V.
Beneath the meters is a Standby/On button. When you turn the amplifier on, the outputs mute for about five seconds to allow the circuit time to stabilize. The power button is framed by a panel-…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid state, class-A (into 8 ohms) mono power amplifier. Inputs: one each balanced (XLR), single-ended (RCA). Output: 2 pairs loudspeaker binding posts per channel, RCA and XLR outputs for bridging and biamping. Rated output power: 125W into 8 ohms, 250W into 4 ohms, 500W into 2 ohms, 1000W into 1 ohm (all 21dBW). Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz (+0, –0.2dB) at full rated power; 0.5Hz–160kHz (+0, –3dB) at 1W. Input impedance: 40k ohms balanced; 20k ohms single-ended. Signal/noise ratio (A-weighted, input shorted): 130dB with Gain switch set to MAX,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC, Vivaldi Upsampler Plus, Vivaldi Master Clock; 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 QSource linear power supplies (2); HDPlex 300 linear power supply; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS powered by Ferrum Hypsos linear/switching hybrid power supply; Linksys mesh router and Arris modem; 2017 Apple iPad Pro, 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with 2.8GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM.
Preamplifier: Dan…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a complete set of measurements on one of the Accuphase A-300s (serial number L2Y188) in its Normal mode with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. I preconditioned the A-300 by following the CEA's recommendation of running it at one-eighth the specified power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes. At the end of that time, the temperature of the top panel was 97.6°F (36.4°C) and that of the side-mounted heatsinks 120.4°F (49.1°C).
As auditioned by JVS, the balanced input was wired with pin 2 negative, the opposite of the AES standard. (A rear-panel switch…
I've been watching Estelon since they came on the market in the US. Their striking appearance grabs the eye, but, preoccupied with other brands and reviews, I was able to deny them serious attention until now.
I had my reasons—especially price. The prices of those earlier Estelons were a poor fit for my budget. I was also troubled by the fact that, despite rhetoric about driver and component choice, advanced cabinet materials and construction, and fastidious engineering, Estelon has been stingy with details and specifications—not a complete disqualifier but rather a missed opportunity to…
Hankering for a recording with a greater sense of space and place, I moved to another recording by Les Siècles, one that has become a favorite of mine, Fauré's Requiem Op.48, which adds the vocal group Ensemble Aedes to the mix, both ensembles conducted by Mathieu Romano (24/96 FLAC, Aparté AP201). This piece was recorded in Abbaye de Lessay, in Manche, which offers a warm acoustic without loss of detail. From the first, defining pedal, everything was sweet and clear, and the AURAs delivered the voices and instruments distinct from the enveloping ambience. However, I heard less of the…