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A year without an MBL fix is a year incomplete. Hence, off to the spacious MBL suite I went, to experience a complete MBL Reference Line system ($750,000; price approximate, converted from Euros). Dominated by two 101 X-Treme Mk.2 Radialstrahler loudspeakers, the setup also featured a pair of 9011 mono power amplifiers, a 6010 D preamplifier, a 1611 F D/A converter, and a 1621 A CD transport. Eagerly awaited: the new Reference Line streamer.

As much as this system was about power, it was also extremely musical. The midrange sounded gorgeous. On Tower of Power’s "Diggin’ on…

Gryphon's long-awaited pure class-A Antileon Revelation amplifier, the successor to the Antileon EVO, will hit dealer shelves late August in both stereo ($39,800) and mono ($45,500/each) versions. We used to say, “It will arrive late August if the creek don’t rise;” these days, we replace creek with tariffs.

The stereo model delivers 160Wpc into 8 ohms and 320Wpc into 4 ohms; the mono version increases that to 180W into 8 and 360W into 4 ohms. Output impedance is rated at 0.04 ohms for stereo and 0.02 ohms for mono. Power supply capacitance is 2×335,000µF for the stereo amp and…

Peter Lyngdorf has played a major role in the development of modern class-D…

The MXA-800 in stereo
I am always seeking out new and interesting music, by any means necessary. I stumbled on a fascinating new recording just as I was preparing to sit back to try to get a handle on how my system sounded with the MXA-8400. Live in Berlin, performed by Kinan Azmeh and CityBand (16/44.1 download, Dreyer Gaido 21163), is a live and lively recording of some fascinating music. In the years following the Syrian uprising in 2011, Azmeh created this music "inspired by anger, sadness, frustration, and above all the need to hold on to one's optimism, hope and creative tools…

Description: 8-channel power amplifier based on Purifi Eigentakt class-D technology. Inputs per channel: 1 XLR (balanced). 12V trigger in/out, Auto-Sense on/off. Error indication via front power LED. Input impedance: 10k ohms. Input sensitivity for rated output (High, Low): 2V, 6V. Gain (unbridged): 26.1dB (High), 16.6dB (Low). Gain (bridged): 31.7dB (High), 22.2dB (Low). Frequency response, 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.1dB. Rated output power: 400Wpc into 4 ohms, 200Wpc into 8 ohms (both equivalent to 23dBW). Rated output power (bridged): 800Wpc into 8 ohms (29dBW). THD in…

Digital sources: Custom Intel/Win11 music server running JRiver Media Center v33 and Roon 2, Merging Devices Hapi II DAC. QNAP TVS-873 NAS. Oppo Digital UDP-103 universal disc player.
Power amplifiers: Benchmark AHB2 used as a bridged monoblock, Buckeye Purifi Eigentakt 1ET9040BA monoblock.
Loudspeakers: 3 KEF Blade Two Metas with IsoAcoustics GAIA II feet.
Cables: Digital interconnects: Mogami Gold AES TD DB25-XLR0 snake. Analog interconnects: Mogami Gold AES TD DB25-XLR snake, Benchmark Studio&Stage XLR–XLR. Speaker cables: Blue Jeans…

I used my Audio Precision SYS2722 system to measure the Lyngdorf Audio MXA-8400. Although the MXA-8400 is an eight-channel amplifier, I performed a complete set of tests with one channel driven in 2-Channel mode (footnote 1), repeated some of the tests with two channels driven in this mode, then performed more tests with two channels operated in Bridge mono mode.

Because class-D amplifiers emit relatively high levels of ultrasonic noise, I inserted an Audio Precision AUX-0025 passive low-pass filter between the test load and the analyzer. This filter…

Instead of bluster, I sat through blessedly short, level-headed…

Not content to rest on its laurels, Accustic Arts has since replaced AMP V with (what else) AMP VI. The new product has a redesigned power supply that includes a new transformer and larger capacitors. US distributor Philip…

Digital's rapidly evolving technology made the next wave of DACs sound strikingly clear and quiet, with some touchy-feely hints of wetness to suggest a more natural transparency. Unfortunately, most of these…