Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV turntable, Immedia RPM tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Syrinx PU-3 tonearm, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood, Aurum Beta S cartridges.
Digital Sources: Lector CDP-7T, California Audio Labs Icon Mk.II Power Boss, Creek CD53 Mk.II CD players; Pioneer DV-333 DVD player.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audio Valve Eklipse line stage.
Power amplifier: Audio Research VT100 Mk.II.
Integrated amplifier: Creek 5350SE.
Cables: Interconnect: MIT MI-350 CVTwin Terminator, MI-330SG,…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
As Bob Reina explained, the Almarro M0A is deceptive-looking because what appears to be its stand is actually part of the speaker's acoustic design. I therefore measured it attached to the stand. I estimated the M0A's voltage sensitivity as 88.5dB(B)/2.83V/m. Though this is slightly below the specified 90dB, it is still higher than average. The M0A's impedance magnitude (fig.1) is quite different between the bass, where it averages 5 ohms, and the treble, where it rises from 6 ohms at 1kHz to more than 20 ohms above 12kHz. Using a tube amplifier with this speaker…
Musical arguments in favor of separate components are compelling and well-documented. But there's also something musical to be said about reducing the number of power sources, keeping signal paths short and direct, and hard-wiring connections between components rather than employing multiple sets of interconnects. So while a designer must inevitably confront certain tradeoffs, the explosive growth and popularity of single-box products in the past few years contradicts the received wisdom passed down by some of the more sniffy audiophiles: that such unduly proletarian products are terminally…
"We deal only in analog designs," Zurowski explained, "and the MD 208 features the three-stage front-end with special resonators that we use in our more expensive tuners. The difference is that in our standalone tuners there's an audio section handling the pure output stage: a significant audio section and a bigger one throughout. Now we take the signal right off our RF board and feed it down into the SimAudio preamp and power-amp section of the MD 208.
"The resonators are what set the front-end up. That's where it all starts, and we tune those stages for minimum distortion, plus optimum…
I'm glad I didn't, but for a while I experienced the symptoms of aural indigestion: amorphous bass focus, limited bass extension, incoherent soundstaging, a lack of high-end extension, poor low-level resolution, and, most notably, a limited volume range. There seemed to be an optimal volume setting at which the MD 208 evinced a realistic, coherent tonal balance and dynamic range; below that, the presentation lacked presence, body, and tonal coherence; above it, the tonal balance seemed to go out of kilter, as everything seemed a touch too loud and glary.
Vince Stables of Simaudio…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Remote-controlled solid-state receiver with digital volume control and discrete all-analog FM tuner section (digital readout), five line-level inputs, separate record output and pre-out. Amplifier section: Power output: 100Wpc into 8 ohms (20dBW), 160Wpc into 4 ohms (19dBW). Current output: 30A peak. THD: 0.15%. Damping factor: >100. Preamp section: Maximum output: 29V. Voltage gain: 34dB. Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz, +0, -3dB. THD: 0.1%. S/N Ratio: 96dB. Tuner section: Usable sensitivity (stereo): 11.2dBf. Adjacent-channel attenuation: >12…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Rega Planar 3 turntable with RB300 tonearm and Grado Reference Master cartridge.
Digital source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD player, California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD/CD player.
Preamplification: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista and Blue Circle B3 Galatea preamplifiers, Musical Fidelity X-LP2 dual-mono phono preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300, Mesa Baron.
Integrated amplifiers: Mesa Tigris, Linn Classik, NAD L-40.
Loudspeakers: Joseph RM7si.
Cables: Synergistic Research interconnects: Resolution Reference Mk.II,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
After the usual hour of preconditioning at one-third power, the solid-feeling MD 208's heatsinks were hot, but not so hot that I couldn't keep my hand on them. The unit didn't invert signal polarity, and its maximum gain into 8 ohms was sensibly lower than usual, at 36.35dB. The volume control operated mostly in 1dB steps, with an occasional 1.5dB or 2dB step. The unity-gain setting was "24" of a maximum of 50.
With the volume control set to "40," the input impedance was below average, at 9.4k ohms at 1kHz; as a result, some tubed CD players will suffer…
Plotting the small-signal THD+noise percentage against frequency (fig.4) indicated that the MD 208 was having to work hard both into low impedances and at high frequencies, presumably due to the relatively low level of loop negative feedback and limited open-loop gain-bandwidth product. Unusually, the level of distortion into our simulated loudspeaker load was higher at high frequencies, which might suggest some intolerance of loads with awkward electrical phase angles in this region.
Fig.4 Magnum Dynalab MD 208, THD+noise (%) vs frequency at (from top to bottom at 4kHz): 2.83V…
With both channels driven continuously, the MD 208 met its specified power rating into 8 and 4 ohm loads at the usual 1% THD+noise level (fig.8). Almost 300W were available into 2 ohms. With one channel driven, and with a low-duty-cycle 1kHz toneburst (10 cycles on, 400 cycles off), a signal that better mimics music, the MD 208 delivered more than its specified power, as can be seen in fig.9. Again at a 1% THD level, the receiver delivered 125W into 8 ohms (21dBW, black trace), 241.6W into 4 ohms (red, 20.8dBW), and 447W into 2 ohms (blue, 20.5dBW). Only into 1 ohm (green trace) did the…