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And sing it did, and much more sweetly than before. The upper mids this second time around were sweeter and timbrally more accurate. The Lesley Test, track 13 on Stereophile's Test CD 1, represents an excellent upper-midrange test (at least for me). Lesley's vocal sweet spot is very much entrenched in this region. Thus, any upper-midrange aberrations in the reproduction chain are clearly highlighted by timbral inaccuracies through Lesley's upper registers. Much of the sense of space and palpability inherent on the master tape has been obliterated from this track. I'm not sure why, but at…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Frequency response: 70Hz–19kHz, ±2dB. Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms.
Dimensions: 8.5" W by 9.75" D by 18.5" H.
Prices: $600/pair for a complete kit, $700/pair assembled (1990; prices are approximate); no longer available (2016). Approximate number of dealers: 8.
Sponsor: Focal America, Inc., Agoura, CA 91301. Review sample obtained from: Madisound Speaker Components, 8608 University Green Ste 10, Middleton, WI 53562. Tel: (608) 831-3433, toll free in USA (866) 883-1488.…
Of all the products I've reviewed or auditioned, a select few jump out as "best buy" recommendations. Almost universally, such products are liked by a wide range of audiophiles, and seem to match well sonically to many systems. Moreover, these products all have outstanding value; they offer a higher level of musical performance than you'd expect from the price.
It's nice to have a short list of such solid recommendations when asked for advice. The products that most readily come to mind include the McCormack DNA-1 and DNA 0.5 power amplifiers, Thiel CS3.6 and Thiel CS1.5 loudspeakers,…
Overall, the UltraLink Two's design, parts, and execution are a significant upgrade over the UltraLink. Replacing the Yamaha YM36323 input receiver with the UltraAnalog AES21 and swapping the NPC 5803 for the PMD100 are by themselves major advances. The unit's build quality is excellent for a $2295 processor, although I thought PS Audio should have provided analog-domain attenuation to meet the HDCD license rather than the easier-to-implement digital-domain attenuation in the HDCD decoder/filter.
Listening
If you compare the UltraLink with the UltraLink Two, note that the left- and…
Sidebar 1: Review System
I auditioned the UltraLink II on its own and in comparison with the original UltraLink, the Audio Alchemy DDE v.3 (which offers terrific sound for the $799 price), the DDE v.3 with Audio Alchemy's DTI v.2 and the I2S bus interface (the DDE v.3 and DTI v.2 are sold together for $999), the Classé DAC 1 (reviewed elsewhere in this issue), and, as an absolute reference, the Mark Levinson No.30.5 Reference Digital Processor. Transports included the Mark Levinson No.31 and new $2295 Sonic Frontiers SFT-1. The Theta Data Basic that I normally use as a reference in…
Audio journalists tend to wander the corridors of a CES in a minor state of shell-shock. There are no carnival-barkers outside the rooms enticing one to enter (not yet, at any rate), but the sounds and reputations oozing from the open doorways yield little to the "hurry, hurry, hurry" crowd. The Signet room has always, it seems, been one of the quieter oases, often eschewing sound altogether while contentedly displaying their phono cartridges, cables, and various accessories. On a recent CES hunt, I was therefore intrigued to find them demonstrating two new loudspeakers, of all things, to the…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The UltraLink Two's maximum output level from the balanced jacks was a lowish 3.15V (balanced) and 1.58V (unbalanced). These low output levels we're starting to see in digital processors are caused by the 6dB of attenuation required in HDCD-equipped processors when decoding standard CDs (including test discs). This is still plenty of level to drive any preamplifier. Output impedance measured a low 160 ohms (balanced) and 78 ohms (unbalanced). DC levels were unmeasurable, and the UltraLink Two correctly decoded 32kHz and 48kHz sampling frequencies.
The…
But to return to Chapter 1: I initially set up the Signets on their dedicated stands 6–7' out from the short wall of the listening room, 3–4' from the sidewalls. The height of the stand plus the loudspeaker placed the listening axis roughly level with the center of the woofer, with the tweeters then a few inches above ear-level. The speakers were toed-in and aimed at the listening position. The grilles were removed for all of the sessions. The first amplifier in the ring was the Rowland Model 1 (prior to an update which had not been incorporated as of this evaluation). The result was…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description: Digital-to-analog converter with HDCD$r decoding. Inputs: Coaxial on RCA jack, AES/EBU, ST-Type optical, TosLink. Digital output: S/PDIF on RCA jack. Analog outputs: Balanced on XLR jacks, unbalanced on RCA jacks. Conversion: UltraAnalog 20-bit dual DAC. Filtering: 8x-oversampling. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz ±0.5dB. THD: <0.1%.
Dimensions: 17" W by 9" D by 2.5" H. Weight: 15 lbs (shipping).
Serial number of unit tested: 523292536.
Price: $2295 (1995); no longer available (2016). Approximate number of dealers: 110.
Manufacturer…
Sidebar 1: Review Context
This is the first equipment review I have done in Stereophile's updated dedicated listening room. First, however, a word or two about what this room is and is not. It is not the location where all of Stereophile's listening tests are done. Practically all of our reviewers do their listening in their own homes. When I arrived in Santa Fe, only Dick Olsher used the Stereophile listening room. Robert Harley had also used it temporarily last year when he was waiting for his new home, with its dedicated listening room, to be completed. Since it appeared that I would…