search

Vandersteen Model Seven Mk.II loudspeaker & M7-HPA monoblock power amplifier Vandersteen M7-HPA Measurements

Sidebar 4: Vandersteen M7-HPA Measurements

I performed a full suite of measurements on one of the Vandersteen M7-HPA amplifiers (serial no.107), using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It"). I preconditioned the amplifier by running it at one-third the specified power, 100W, into 8 ohms for 60 minutes. At the end of that time, its heatsinks were warm, at 112.4°F (44.7°C). The percentage of THD+noise at this power level was 0.07%.

A note on the measurements: the M7-HPA's hair-trigger protection caused it to shut down several times…

Henry Threadgill's Old Locks and Irregular Verbs

Henry Threadgill won the Pulitzer Prize this year for his 2015 album, In for a Penny, In for a Pound, but his latest album, Old Locks and Irregular Verbs (just out this month on the Pi Recordings label), is better still. It's his true career milestone, one of the great jazz compositions of the past several years, a musical masterpiece beyond category.

An alto saxophonist and flutist of distinctive fluency, Threadgill, 72, is also one of the era's most inventive—and influential—jazz composers. He was an original member of the Chicago-based Association for the Advancement of Creative…

Finally, Child Alice via Kickstarter

Some of my recent delights have come from recordings by BMOP, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, under the direction of Gil Rose. Many have been released on excellent multichannel SACDs and let me discover wonderful new music by Lisa Bielawa, In medias res, and by Derek Bermel, Voices). I have also re-discovered important music in new modern recordings like George Antheil's Ballet Mécanique (BMOP/sound 1033, SACD) and the symphonies of Lukas Foss (BMOP/sound 1043, 2-SACD).

So I was thrilled to hear that BMOP had recorded their highly praised performance of David Del Tredici's Child…

A Lady Audiophile Walks Into a Bar

Photo: Dan Havlik

A lady walks into an audiophile bar (footnote 1). She sees four men. They all turn to look at her.

All the first audiophile sees is some lady in a bar. He thinks nothing more. Can't be bothered. Let's face it—how often do you even see a lady audiophile?

The second audiophile does acknowledge her—but only because he clearly believes he belongs to a higher class of intelligence. A seasoned pro, he impressively regurgitates specifications and facts. This mansplaining gentleman knows what ladies like to hear. But what might she like to hear? The question never…

Book Review: Lonely Avenue: The Unlikely Life & Times of Doc Pomus

Lonely Avenue: The Unlikely Life & Times of Doc Pomus
by Alex Halberstadt. Da Capo Press, 2007. Paperback, 272 pp., $16. Available as eBook.

Many people, after seeing him repeatedly at Manhattan's Forrest Hotel in the early 1960s, might have described the lyricist and songwriter Doc Pomus as the narrator of a Damon Runyon short story depicts himself: as someone "who is just around." Pomus lived for years in lackluster hotels like the Forrest, which Runyon himself had once called home, and his cronies could be just as colorful as Runyon's creations, including the gamblers—for a…

Guys' Night Out in Atlanta Thursday

Thursday, April 28, 5–8pm, HiFi Buys (3157 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta) will host its inaugural Guys' Night Out event—an evening of cars, cigars, craft whiskeys, hi-fi presentations, and luxury showcases, with a focus on creating unforgettable, high-quality experiences.

Featured hi-fi brands include Audio Research Corporation, Ayre Acoustics, Brinkmann Audio, PrimaLuna, and AudioQuest. Participating luxury brands and establishments include Buckhead Cigar, Groomed Buckhead Barber, Hennessy Jaguar of Atlanta, Land Rover of Buckhead, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars of Atlanta, Hublot Watches, and…

Luxman EQ-500 phono preamplifier

I still remember how difficult it was for me to transition from mass-market to high-end audio. The former, for all its flaws, gave me things to do: switches to flip, buttons to push, knobs to turn, meters to watch. I was in control—and if my attention happened to stray from the music or the liner notes, I still had something to keep me busy. By contrast, the first perfectionist-quality amplifier I bought—an Amber Series 70—was an oblong box with an on/off switch. Where's the fun in that?

Maybe that's why high-end audio enthusiasts spend so much money on atom sharpeners and quantum-field…

Luxman EQ-500 phono preamplifier Page 2

I did no listening for a few hours, leaving the Lux to warm up—then returned and put on Ravi Shankar's Sitar Concerto, with André Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra accompanying the composer (LP, EMI ASD 2752). It was a true Wow! moment, my attention at once captured by the believable force with which co-soloist Terence Emery attacked—no other word for it when listening through this phono stage—the bongos, used instead of tablas for this recording. But there was more to it than just that: note attacks from the violins, violas, and cellos, bowed and plucked, had delicious tactile…

Luxman EQ-500 phono preamplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Tubed phono preamplifier. Tube complement: four ECC83/12AX7, two ECC82/12AU7, one EZ81. Inputs: 3 (RCA). Outputs: 2 single-ended (RCA), 1 balanced (XLR). Input impedance: 2.5 ohms (MC Low), 40 ohms (MC High), 30–100k ohms (variable, MM). Output impedance: 850 ohms (single-ended or balanced). Signal/noise (IHF, A-weighted): 74dB (MC Low), 75dB (MC High), 76dB (MM). Total harmonic distortion: 0.07% at 1kHz for 1V output with active gain set to 36dB.
Dimensions: 17.2" (440mm) W by 3.6" (92mm) H by 15.5" (397mm) D. Weight: 27.5 lbs (12.5kg).
…

Luxman EQ-500 phono preamplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: Garrard 301 turntable; EMT 997 tonearm; EMT OFD 15 & TSD 15, Shindo Laboratory SPU pickup heads; Miyajima Premium BE Mono II cartridge.
Digital Sources: Halide Designs DAC HD USB D/A converter; Apple iMac G5 computer running Audirvana Plus 1.5.12; Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Hommage T2 step-up transformer, Shindo Laboratory Masseto preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Shindo Laboratory Corton-Charlemagne (monoblocks) & Haut-Brion (stereo).
Loudspeakers: Altec Valencia, DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96.…