Similarly, I watch a lot of DIY and audio review videos on YouTube. I especially love watching my friend Steve Guttenberg's Audiophiliac "Viewer System of the Day" videos (footnote 1), which provide a global view of the gear choices real people in normal houses have made. I am especially fascinated by how these diverse audiophiles place their components in…
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I stalk a few audio forums because the chatter shows me what different varieties of audiophiles are thinking about, what's pleasing them, what's making them angry, and—potentially—what issues reviewers like me are failing to address.
Impressively, "Bonaparte's Retreat" showed me upfront what Fern & Roby's Amp No. 2 was capable of, at least as far as powering my 15 ohm Falcons. While playing Stepp's "Bonaparte," it showcased its talent for spirited rhythm keeping and tone truthfulness. Instrumental and vocal textures were marginally less pronounced and less contrasty than I experience with Elekit's TU-8900 or the Parasound Halo A 21+ amplifier driving the same speakers. But this does not mean the No. 2 plays dull or blurred; it does not. Its demeanor is crisp, naturally focused, and superathletic, with excellent…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: JFET-input, class-AB integrated amplifier, biased to 5W in class-A. Maximum power, 25Wpc into 8 ohms (14dBW). Line-level inputs: 2 pair single-ended (RCA), 1 pair balanced (XLR), Phono (RCA; internally switchable MM/MC). Outputs: Subwoofer (RCA), two pair solid-copper loudspeaker terminals.
Dimensions: 4" (101mm) × 17" (432mm) × 14.5" (368mm). Weight: 23.9lb (10.8kg).
Finishes: Walnut or blackened ash.
Serial number of unit reviewed: N2003. Manufactured in Virginia.
Price: $8500. Approx. number of US dealers: Direct sales only.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable with EMT 912-HI tonearm and EMT JSD 6 moving coil cartridge, Sorane SA-1.2 tonearm with a Dynavector XX2 moving coil and Ortofon 2M Black moving magnet cartridges; Lenco L75 turntable with Denon DL-103 moving coil cartridge; MoFi MasterPhono and Prima Luna EVO 100 phono stages; Sutherland Engineering SUTZ transimpedance MC headamp and Hagerman Zero transimpedance MC headamp.
Digital sources: Denafrips Terminator Plus, HoloAudio Spring 3, dCS Lina (with Master Clock) DACs; Onkyo C-7030 CD player.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
When I unpacked the Amp No. 2, the volume control knob was loose in the box. I reattached it, but its operation was intermittent. I controlled the amplifier's volume with the supplied Apple remote for the testing.
I measured the Fern & Roby Amp No. 2 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, checking some of the test results with the magazine's APx555. Fern & Roby specifies the amplifier's maximum power as 25W; that presumably is into 8 ohms. I preconditioned the Amp No. 2 before the measurements by following the CEA's recommendation of running it at…
Manufacturer's Comment
We want to thank the team at Stereophile for reviewing Amp No. 2. We are very pleased to have earned high praise and approval from Herb Reichert, and we're grateful for the technical analysis from John Atkinson. There is always something valuable to be learned, and an opportunity to improve a design, when someone else runs your product through a rigorous independent analysis. All the items in the technical review have already been addressed in our production units.
We are committed to delivering the highest-quality experience in every way possible for our…
John Atkinson returned to the PS Audio DirectStream MK2 in July 2024 (Vol.47 No.7)
When I reviewed the new version of PS Audio's classic D/A processor (footnote 1) in the June 2023 issue, I enjoyed its sound quality, but some aspects of its measured performance concerned me. The impulse and frequency responses, the behavior of the reconstruction filter, the channel separation, the low intermodulation distortion, and the balanced and single-ended output impedances were all beyond reproach, and though harmonic distortion was higher in level than I was expecting, it was still sufficiently…
The Jazz House All-Stars. All Photos: John Abbott Photography c/o Jazz Cruises
Jazz leads a hand-to-mouth existence. It was born in the red light district of New Orleans in the early 20th Century, and has never fully overcome its disreputable origins. Jazz lacks the support from governments, foundations, and rich donors that other, more decorous art forms enjoy. Jazz is too much of the street to be considered high culture, yet its audience is tiny compared to the masses who consume popular music. Pop stars like Taylor Swift perform in huge stadiums. Important jazz musicians play the Bar…
(L to R) John Clayton, Ada Rovatti, Victor Goines, Steve Wilson, Patrick Bartley, Gary Smulyan
Mark Turner's profile has never been higher. He is now an ECM recording artist, and he finished in the top 10 in the tenor saxophone category of the 2023 Downbeat Critics Poll. But he told me, "Most of my career has been as a sideman. It's how I make my living. I'm a hired gun. When I work as a leader, my income takes a hit. But my wife and I will be empty nesters soon, and I want to do more of my own projects and make more of my own records."
Turner's last two albums were…
Sidebar: Recommended Listening
Billy Hart Quartet: One Is The Other (ECM)
Ethan Iverson: Technically Acceptable (Blue Note)
Mark Turner Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard (Giant Step Arts)
Anat Cohen: Clarinetwork: Live At The Village Vanguard (Anzic)
Artemis: In Real Time (Blue Note)
Christian McBride & Inside Straight: Live At The Village Vanguard (Mack Avenue)
Kenny Barron/Dave Holland Trio: Without Deception (Dare2)
Joe Farnsworth: In What Direction…