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When I grew out of shopping with mom, I began fitting pipe with my father and making hay every June with my uncles. Before I drove cars, I drove tractors in Wisconsin. The fields with the cut hay were about a half-mile from the shed where the tractors were stored, which meant I drove on the paved road dragging an empty wood wagon behind me. In one of the upper gears, with the throttle partway open, I'd space out listening to the deep-volumed rap-rap-rap of power issuing from the tractor's exhaust stack while making my way slowly up and down the rolling hills. The tractor's mass was so…

More recently, SME partially reversed this decision, making their lower cost M2 series arms…

Zu Audio DL-103 Mk.II Rev B phono cartridge
I can't think of another audio component that has been in continuous production for as long as the Denon DL-103, which was first produced in 1962 or 1964 depending on which source you believe. Sure, there have been a few revivals of vintage products over the years, and you can even buy a new pair of my beloved Quad ESL 57 loudspeakers, but the Denon has never gone away in 60 years. Originally developed for use by Japan's national broadcasting company NHK, the DL-103 found its way into US retailers around 1975 and saw its first of many…

The A1 was a slim solid state design with a class-A output stage that output 20Wpc into 8 ohms. By contrast, the massive, dual-mono Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 800 integrated amplifier, which Michael Fremer reviewed for…

Listening
Prior to installing the Nu-Vista 800.2, I had been using the Audio Research I/50 I reviewed in the September 2023 issue. I wrote in that review that this tubed integrated "has a touch of that 'tube magic' but without going whole hog, as so many of the current crop of tubed amplifiers do." But with the I/50 driving the Monitor Audios, on tracks like Taylor Swift's "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)," from the album Red (24/96 FLAC, Big Machine Records/Qobuz), the low bass was overpowering. It turned out that the Platinum 300 3G's port tuning frequency coincided with that of…

Description: Hybrid integrated amplifier using nuvistors and bipolar transistors. Tube complement: 4 7586s. Output devices: 5 pairs per channel. Inputs: 4 pairs unbalanced (RCA), 1 pair balanced (XLR). Line-level outputs: 1 pair fixed (RCA), 1 pair variable (RCA). Speaker connections: 2 pairs 4mm banana plug/binding posts. Output power: 330Wpc into 8 ohms (25.2dBW), 500Wpc into 4 ohms (24dBW); 1000W peak into 2 ohms (24dBW). Output voltage: 52V RMS, 20Hz–20kHz; onset of clipping, 147V peak–peak. Output current: 120A peak–peak. Damping factor: 200. Frequency…

Digital sources: Roon Nucleus+ file server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; MBL N31 CD player/DAC; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 A/D converter; NetGear Nighthawk router.
Integrated amplifier: Audio Research I/50.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Monitor Audio Platinum 300 3G, KEF LS50.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), AudioQuest Coffee (USB), DH Labs (1m, AES3). Interconnect: AudioQuest Wild Blue (balanced). Speaker: AudioQuest Robin Hood. AC: AudioQuest Dragon Source & High Current,…

I performed a full set of measurements on the Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 800.21 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. As the amplifier is specified as having a maximum output power of 330Wpc into 8 ohms, I preconditioned it before the measurements by following the CEA's recommendation of running it at one-eighth that power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes. Following that period, the top panel was warm, at 100.1°F (37.9°C), and the side-mounted heatsinks hotter, at 130.1°F (54.5°C).

The Nu-Vista 800.2's volume control operated in accurate 0.5dB steps. At the…

When I reviewed Volti Audio's horn-loaded, 125lb Rival in June 2017, I was captivated by its lifelike, send-me-over-the-moon dynamics, its lush sound, and its ability to work well with almost any amplifier. "The Rivals played music with supreme fidelity, openness, lifelike images, transparency, impact, touch, timing, dynamics, and flat-out musical fun," I wrote. "They sang with tubed amplification and worked equally well with solid state. The Volti Audio Rivals are inspirational music-makers. Magnifico!"

Tom…

It is fitting that Johnathan Blake, an elite drummer, records on the best labels with major musicians. His last two albums, both critically acclaimed, were Trion, on Giant Step Arts, in 2019, and Homeward Bound, his debut on Blue Note, in 2021. Trion included Chris Potter and Linda May Han Oh. Homeward Bound had the…