Over and over, we see mismatches between the size of the speakers and the size of the room. Consider the exhibit space before deciding which equipment to demo, especially speakers. You may have a big new…
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Dear audio show exhibitors: This one's for you. As members of the press who have spent decades covering audio shows, we've developed a clear sense of what works for us and—we think—for other show attendees. We ask your indulgence as we share our observations about how to mount a successful exhibit and get the best coverage possible from Stereophile and, presumably, other publications.
Van Halen: Van Halen
Warner Bros./Mobile Fidelity UD1S 2-032 (2 45rpm LPs). 1978/2023. Ted Templeton, prod.; Donn Landee, Krieg Wunderlich, engs.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Warner Bros./Mobile Fidelity UD1S 2-032 (2 45rpm LPs). 1978/2023. Ted Templeton, prod.; Donn Landee, Krieg Wunderlich, engs.
Performance ****½
Sonics ****½
Never Mind the Bollocks was out, on a major label. A few months before, the Ramones had released their third album, Rocket to Russia. Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True had been out for a while, but it was still a game changer. Soon, Darkness on the Edge of Town and Some Girls would all be vying for attention. That was college radio circa 1978. And amongst all this progressive talent was even a flash of…
When Editor Jim Austin asked me to review the new Rogue Audio DragoN monoblock amplifier, my first thought was, "Isn't that Herb's beat?"
A quick scan shows that Rogue Audio has been prominent in Stereophile. The magazine has reviewed quite a few Rogue Audio products, including the RP1 preamplifier, the several versions of the Sphinx integrated, the Pharaoh II integrated, and the Stereo 100 power amplifier. Indeed, Rogue has had a near-continuous presence over the past decade on Stereophile's coveted "Recommended Components" list. That's an impressive track record, and accessibly priced…
Standby
Following the user manual's order of power-on operations, I turned on my sources, my preamp, and then both DragoNs. Following a warm-up period, I heard two loud "pops" from the loudspeakers. It was not subtle. Since there didn't seem to be any other issue while streaming the local classical station during the roof work, I left them alone. After the first night, I powered down like normal. The next morning, I followed the same startup procedure and heard two more pops, one from each speaker. It happened again on the third morning. I did what people do these days: I made a video. I…
Following the user manual's order of power-on operations, I turned on my sources, my preamp, and then both DragoNs. Following a warm-up period, I heard two loud "pops" from the loudspeakers. It was not subtle. Since there didn't seem to be any other issue while streaming the local classical station during the roof work, I left them alone. After the first night, I powered down like normal. The next morning, I followed the same startup procedure and heard two more pops, one from each speaker. It happened again on the third morning. I did what people do these days: I made a video. I…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Hybrid tube/class-D (Hypex NCore) monoblock power amplifier. Tube complement: 1 ECC802. Output power: 325W into 8 ohms (25.1dBW), 525W into 4 ohms (24.2dBW). Frequency response: 20Hz– 20kHz, ±1dB. THD: <0.1% typ., <1% at rated power. Input sensitivity: 0.75V RMS. Input impedance: 30k ohms.
Dimensions: 12.5" (317.5mm) W × 5.5" (140mm) H × 19" (483mm) D. Weight: 33lb (17.7kg).
Finish: Black steel chassis with black or silver faceplate.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 0550, 0551. Designed and built in Pennsylvania.
Price: $5995/…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Thorens TD 125 MKII turntable; Jelco TS-550S tonearm; Zu/Denon DL-103 and stock Denon DL-103 MC cartridges; Auditorium 23 step-up transformer.
Digital sources: Oppo BDP-83 universal player; Denafrips Ares II DAC, iFi Zen Stream.
Preamplifiers: Linear Tube Audio microZOTL, Parasound Zphono MM/MC phono preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: Linear Tube Audio ZOTL40 Reference+.
Loudspeakers: ESS Transtatic I.
Cables: Interconnects: Auditorium 23, AudioQuest Black Mamba II, Kimber Kable Hero (XLR). Speaker: AudioQuest Rocket 44.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a complete set of measurements on one of the Rogue DragoNs (serial number DRAM-0551) with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system.
As the DragoN has a class-D output stage, I inserted an Audio Precision AUX-0025 passive low-pass filter between the test load and the analyzer. This filter mitigates noise above 80kHz and eliminates noise above 200kHz that would otherwise drive the SYS2722's input circuitry into slew-rate limiting. Without the filter, there was 408mV of ultrasonic noise with a center frequency of 416kHz at the amplifier's output terminals…
A different kind of stream: Route 140 Wrentham at Pendleton Road Eagle Brook; image by Ernst Halberstadt, 29 March 1973, Wikimedia Commons
I recently received a letter (not yet published) suggesting a need for a glossary of newer hi-fi terms (footnote 1). Some audiophiles raised on physical media, it seems, are perplexed by descriptions of the new streaming landscape. Just yesterday, all we had to worry about was DACs and transports. Today we have servers, streamers, players, streaming DACs, and all that. That immediately struck me as a good idea, allied with a second reason: To avoid…
Back in August, I received an email from Editor Jim Austin. Subject line: "Want to do a big review?" He had my attention. Jim wrote that he had visited Bowers & Wilkins parent company Masimo Consumer in Carlsbad, California, for a demo of the brand-new B&W 801 D4 Signature and 805 D4 Signature loudspeakers. (That visit was chronicled by Jim in the September 2023 Industry Update section.) B&W had offered Stereophile the first US review of both products—look for John Atkinson's review of the 805 D4 Signature in the coming months—and Jim thought the big 801s would be "right up my…
Víkingur Ólafsson: From Afar
Víkingur Ólafsson, grand and upright pianos
DG 4861681 (24/192 WAV, available on 2 CD, 2 LP). 2022. Christopher Tarnow, prod. & eng.
Performance *****
Sonics ****
Víkingur Ólafsson, grand and upright pianos
DG 4861681 (24/192 WAV, available on 2 CD, 2 LP). 2022. Christopher Tarnow, prod. & eng.
Performance *****
Sonics ****
From Afar seems on its face like a dream recording for audiophiles and music lovers. The 2-CD, 44-track project spotlights Víkingur Ólafsson, the sensitive, 38-year-old Icelandic pianist, performing a captivating program of short pieces twice on dissimilar pianos with very different sound: a concert grand and an upright. The very different performances are dictated by Ólafsson's…