Measurement-wise, Conrad-Johnson's Premier 16LS was very similar to C-J's Premier 17LS, which Brian Damkroger reviewed for Stereophile in May, in that many of its "static" parameters varied with the setting of the volume control. Fortunately, because of the very high voltage gain—a maximum of 26.6dB, due to the lack of loop negative feedback—the volume control will be used in a position where things are basically okay. Fig.1, for example, shows how the high-frequency rolloff changes from when the volume is set to its maximum, "99" (lower traces), and to the unity-…
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Jonathan Scull wrote about the Series 2 Premier 16LS in April 2002 (Vol.25 No.4):
Conrad-Johnson's Premier 16LS preamplifier and Premier 15 phono stage were recently upgraded to Series status. Like the Series 2 Premier 15 that I reviewed in our March 2002 issue, the changes to the 16LS include the use of faster diodes in the main power-supply rectifier and the main regulators are replaced with higher-current jobbies with a quarter of the "on" impedance, according to C-J's Lew Johnson. In addition, resistors that C-J had felt to be "noncritical" with respect to sound quality were found to…
Since 1992, Stereophile has recognized components that have proved capable of giving musical pleasure beyond the formal review period by naming its "Products of the Year." These are the components that can be recommended without any ifs or buts, that will grace any system in which they used.
There are five individual categories: Loudspeakers (including subwoofers), Amplification Components (preamplifiers, power amplifiers, etc.), Digital Sources (CD players, transports, processors), Analog Sources (phono cartridges, turntables, tonearms, FM tuners, etc.), and Accessories (everything else…
2003 Loudspeaker
Quad ESL-989 (review) ($8500-$9350/pair; reviewed by Larry Greenhill, Art Dudley, & John Atkinson, Vol.25 No.11 & Vol.26 No.5, November 2002 & May 2003)
Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Audio Physic Virgo III (review) ($6995/pair; reviewed by Brian Damkroger, Vol.26 No.9, September 2003)
Dynaudio Confidence C4 (review) ($16,000/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.26 No.3, March 2003)
Focal-JMlab Grande Utopia Be (review) ($80,000/pair; reviewed by Paul Messenger, Vol.26 No.9, September 2003)
InnerSound Eros Mk.III (review) ($7995/pair;…
2003 Joint Amplification Components
Linn Klimax Twin power amplifier (review) ($8995; reviewed by Art Dudley, Vol.26 No.6, June 2003)
Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblock power amplifier (review) ($6000/pair; reviewed by Michael Fremer & Sam Tellig, Vol.26 Nos.2, 6, & 12, February, June, & December 2003)
VTL TL-7.5 Reference preamplifier (review) ($12,500; reviewed by Paul Bolin, Vol.26 No.10, October 2003)
Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Bel Canto eVo6 multichannel power amplifier (review) ($4900; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson, Vol.26 No.9, September 2003)
Cary…
2003 Digital Source Component
dCS Verdi-Purcell-Elgar Plus SACD/CD playback system (review) ($33,985, reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.26 No.4, April 2003)
Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Apple iPod (review) ($499 as reviewed; reviewed by Wes Phillips, Vol.26 No.10, October 2003)
Ayre Acoustics CX-7 CD player (review) ($2950; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.26 No.5, May 2003)
Classé Omega SACD player (review) ($12,000; reviewed by Jonathan Scull & Paul Bolin, Vol.24 No.11 & Vol.26 No.8, November 2001 & August 2003)
Esoteric DV-50 universal player (review) ($…
2003 Analog Source Component
SME 30/2 turntable (review) ($25,000; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.26 No.3, March 2003)
Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Lyra Titan phono cartridge ($4500; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.26 No.6, June 2003)
Music Hall MMF-9 turntable ($1695; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.26 No.8, August 2003)
Rega P9 turntable ($3500; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.25 No.11, November 2002)
Rega P3 turntable ($650; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.26 No.2, February 2003)
Rega RB1000 tonearm ($1595; reviewed by Michael Fremer, Vol.25 No.11, November…
2003 Joint Accessories
Echo Busters Decorative Room Treatments (review) ($165-$235 each; reviewed by Brian Damkroger, Vol.26 No.9, September 2003)
Rives PARC parametric equalizer (review) ($2800; reviewed by Kalman Rubinson, Vol.26 No.7, July 2003)
Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II interconnects, Gargantua II AC cord, & Satori Shotgun speaker cables (review) ($$948-$998/m, $1488, & $1188/8' pair, respectively, reviewed by Paul Bolin, Vol.26 No.1, January 2003)
AudioQuest Anaconda interconnect & Gibraltar speaker cable (review…
2003 Editor's Choice
Apple iPod
Not much needs to be said about my choice for 2003. The admission may not earn me any points in politically correct audiophile circles, but Apple's cute little iPod was the product I most enjoyed using this past year. Its large-capacity hard drive and ability to play back uncompressed AIF and WAV files pushes it ahead of run-of-the-mill portable players, while its intuitive, playlist-based interface is a harbinger of how all of us will be surfing our recorded music libraries in the near future.
Barry Willis said it best in a private e-mail: "…
2003 Budget Product of the Year
Apple iPod (See "Digital")
Runners-Up (in alphabetical order):
Atoll Electronique IN 100 integrated amplifier ($1075; reviewed by Sam Tellig, Vol.26 No.4, April 2003)
Benchmark Media Systems DAC1 D/A processor (review) ($850; reviewed by John Marks, Vol.26 No.7, July 2003)
Meadowlark Swift loudspeaker (review) ($995/pair; reviewed by John Marks, Vol.25 No.11, November 2002)
Monitor Audio Silver S2 loudspeaker (review) ($749/pair; reviewed by John Atkinson, Vol.26 No.8, August 2003)
Music Hall MMF-9 turntable (see "Analog")
Naim Nait 5…