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The new Theta DSPro Basic kills the old in every possible dimension. But how does it compare to its similarly priced competition? As Digital Lad tagged PS Audio's $2000 UltraLink as his first choice in a digital processor under 2k, I asked PS Audio to lend me an UltraLink so I could compare the two overachievers.

I should note that while the UltraLink comes with balanced outputs as standard equipment and the Theta's balanced outputs add $400 to its price, the method in which each processor derives its balanced outputs is significantly…

I teamed up the PS Audio Ultralink with the Pioneer PD-65 discussed by Sam Tellig in the January issue. The latter was used as a transport only. A Kimber KCAG digital interconnect linked the PD-65 and the Ultralink (footnote 1). This combination was not arrived at through any exhaustive process, but did turn out to be an attractive match. The price of the Pioneer/Kimber/PS Audio playback system was roughly the same as that of the Proceed PCD 3, which was, by a small margin, the most expensive player I reviewed this month.

I did note one…

The UltraLink was as impressive on the test bench as it was in the listening room; its measured performance was excellent. Unless noted, the following measurements were taken from the balanced outputs. Testing was performed on both balanced and single-ended outputs; any large deviation between the two is noted.

The UltraLink's output voltage when decoding a full-scale, 1kHz sinewave was 3.525V (left channel) and 3.568 (right) from the unbalanced outputs. This is nearly 5dB higher than the CD standard of 2V. At the balanced outputs, the voltage was 7.049V (…

Description: Digital to Analog Converter. Inputs: two coaxial on RCA jacks, one Toslink optical (AT&T ST-type optical available as a $200 option). Outputs: one digital (coaxial RCA jack), unbalanced analog on RCA jacks, balanced analog on XLR jacks. Digital filter: 8x-oversampling 20-bit output. Analog filtering: three-pole modified Bessel. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz ±0.5dB. THD: <0.01%, 20Hz–20kHz.
Dimensions: 17" W by 2½" H by 9" D.
Price: $1995 (1992); no longer available (2016). Approximate number of dealers: 160.
Manufacturer: PS…

There would seem to be some justification for believing this, too. There hasn't been a new kind of loudspeaker, amplifier, pickup, or tuner for the past five years or so. The professional engineering journals, once loaded with juicy articles about research and developments in music reproduction, are now devoted largely to public-address techniques and new methods for…

In 2004, Raitt lost her mother, Marjorie; a year later, her father, Broadway luminary John Raitt, died. Four years after that, her brother Steve died of brain cancer at 61. After a seven-year sabbatical that many fans worried might become permanent, Raitt returned…

Asked about his mission on Dig In Deep, and about what he and Raitt discuss when it comes to recording, Freeland is direct. "Her relationship with the engineer and the sound of her records has always been a very, very important part of the process to her. It's no small thing. The sonics of the record is no small part of the impact it has on the…

What stands out most about the man and his music, in contrast to today’s country music, is how real he was. His ballads, in which he was usually at fault for his troubles, pulled no punches. The fact that he hated welfare but sang songs about “living off the fat of this great land,” and knowing where to get a handout while “bumming through Chicago in the afternoon,” was always puzzling but…

A two-disc set (available on CDs and LPs), it documents the innovation already underway, with Young more upfront, his solos more elaborate and daring, than the future Blue…