Description: Solid state, class-AB power amplifier, bridgeable as monoblock. Inputs: 1 balanced (XLR), 1 single-ended (RCA). Outputs: 2 pair binding posts. Output power: In monophonic mode (as auditioned), 750W into 8 ohms (28.75dBW), 1500W into 4 ohms (28.75dBW). In stereo mode, 225Wpc into 8 ohms (23.5dBW), 450Wpc into 4 ohms (23.5dBW); Input impedance: 47.5k ohms. Voltage gain: 31dB. Frequency response (full range): 10Hz–55kHz (+0/–3dB). Crosstalk @ 1kHz: –110dB. THD (20Hz–20kHz @ 1W): 0.005%. THD (20Hz– 20kHz at 200W): 0.03%. Intermodulation distortion: <…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Rossini Apex DAC, Clock; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS; Uptone Audio EtherRegen with AfterDark Giesemann Emperor Double Crown Master Clock, Roon Nucleus+ music server, and Nordost QNET Ethernet Switch, all powered by Nordost QSource linear power supplies (2); Small Green Computer Sonore Deluxe opticalModule, Linksys mesh router and Arris modem, all powered by HDPlex 300 linear power supply; Apple 2017 iPad Pro and 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with 2.8GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM.
Preamplifier: Dan D'Agostino Momentum HD.
Power amplifiers…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed the measurements of the Simaudio Moon 860A v2 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. I initially preconditioned the amplifier by operating it at 1/8 power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes. At the end of that time, the top panel's temperature was 106.4°F/41.4°C and that of the heatsinks 132.3°F/55.8°C. I ran the amplifier for another 30 minutes at 1/3 power into 8 ohms, a level that results in the maximum heat dissipation in the output devices. The top panel's temperature had risen to 113.4°F/45.3°C and the heatsinks were now too hot to touch, at 144.0°F/62.…
My trip to the Audio Video Show 2022 in Warsaw, Poland seems to have devolved into an unanticipated journey of protests. First, we almost delayed our pre-show mini-vacation in Paris—bless you, frequent flyer miles and friends—when, in the middle of a Workers' Strike, protestors were tear-gassed one block from the apartment of our hosts in the Montparnasse District. Then, on Day One of the show, I spent 45 minutes in the cold courting pneumonia as the shuttle bus between the Stadium and the Radisson Blu Sobieski Hotel was delayed due to a non-violent protest in the street near the start of the…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
As Brian Damkroger is based on the West Coast, it made sense logistically for BD to measure the bulky, heavy Avantgarde Duo SD iTRON G3 loudspeaker and send me his test results to analyze. He used the Room EQ Wizard (REW) system (footnote 1), operating at 44.1kHz with a calibrated UMIK-1 microphone and the soundcard in his computer. A Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ processor output the REW signal via a balanced XLR cable to the Avantgarde's input, with the level set with pink noise so that the response measurements were taken at an SPL of 80dB. As it wasn't practical to raise…
Grado Labs has introduced its latest flagship headphones, the Signature HP100 SE. This new model pays tribute to the pioneering HP1 headphones released by founder Joseph Grado in the early 1990s—a product some consider the genesis of the high-end headphone market.
You can read Stereophile's review of the HP1 here.
In honor of what would have been Joseph Grado's 100th birthday, the HP100 SE blends the company's rich heritage with contemporary design. "Although Uncle Joe left us 10 years ago, he will always be a presence at Grado Labs," says John Grado, CEO and nephew of Joseph…
Bluebird Music, a distributor of high-performance audio products, has announced the release of the Weiss DAC501 MK2 and DAC502 MK2 for the U.S. and Canadian markets. Both models are built by Weiss Engineering and represent the latest in the company’s nearly four-decade pursuit of high-fidelity sound reproduction.
The updated MK2 versions replace the previous DAC501 and DAC502, improving upon their predecessors with advanced DAC chips and upgraded circuitry. The result is said to be a notable improvement in transparency and openness.
Weiss’s proprietary discrete…
Toronto, here I come! Land of the CN Tower, Canada's Wonderland, the Blue Jays, Drake's NBA-sized basketball court in his mansion, and, of course, the Toronto Audiofest, where hundreds of audio brands representing the latest, greatest audio gear and accessories are displayed for our amusement.
My reporting at this year's event is going to be logistically different from prior years. Instead of taking place at one venue, this year's edition is being held at two neighboring, parking-lot-sharing venues. These include the usual one, the Westin Toronto Airport, and, joining it, the Holiday Inn…
Masimo, Masimo . . . What’s there to say about Masimo—the company that owns Bowers & Wilkins, Marantz, Denon, Classé, among other notable brands—at this juncture that’s new? This: The California-based company is hosting three rooms at the Toronto Audiofest, one I have yet to visit, the second I visited but can’t talk about because its star product is under a press embargo until next Tuesday, so you’ll have to wait. And the third? I visited and was left impressed by its sound.
At the heart of the system was a two-channel, 250Wpc, fully balanced, MM/MC phono-equipped, dual-mono Marantz…
If the name Audio Eden conjures mental images of an unspoiled, verdant music paradise where your troubles don’t exist, then Ontario retailer Audio Eden’s room lived up to its name.
I’d never heard Nagra and Harbeth paired together before, so who knew they’d make such a perfect pair? Or a perfect trio if you squeeze in the Nordost cabling between them. Not I. But when I heard what this combination could do, I thought, “Where have you been all my life?”
The system consisted of Harbeth’s Monitor 40.3 XD ($27,000/pair) being fed by a bevy of Nagra gear, including a pair of…