Analog Sources: VPI Traveler turntable & tonearm, Thorens TD-124 turntable & SME 3009 II tonearm; Miyajima Spirit (mono), Ortofon 2M Black & 2M Red, Shure M44-78 cartridges.
Digital Sources: Puresound A-8000 CD player, Oppo DV-980H SACD/CD player, Line Magnetic LM 502CA DAC.
Preamplification: April Sound BB1, Blue Horizon BN:09-11-009, Sentec EQ11 phono stages; Audio Note S1, Intact Audio step-up transformers.
Integrated Amplifiers: Creek 4330, Line Magnetic LM518 IA, Rogue Audio Sphinx, Naim NAIT 5si.
Loudspeakers: DeVore…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Roksan Kandy K2 BT using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com, and the January 2008 "As We See It"). Before performing any measurements on an amplifier, I run it for an hour with both channels operating at one-third its specified maximum power into 8 ohms. Like the earlier Kandy K2, reviewed by Art Dudley in May 2010, the K2 BT got very hot after 30 minutes, at which point I cut short the conditioning.
The first test I usually perform with an amplifier after this preconditioning period is to examine its behavior with squarewaves…
The duet may be the most challenging form of jazz. Both musicians are on, all the time; there's no place to coast or hide. In a sense, this can be liberating. Pianists, say, can switch from melody to harmony to extended improvisation without worrying about whether the sax or trumpet will get in the way. But they'd better have something interesting to say, or the experiment in freedom will soon turn lame. Ditto for bass players: they can run scales or arpeggios for a while, but if that's all they can do, they're exposed as one-dimensional.
Pianist Kenny Barron and bassist Dave Holland have…
The founder and until recently the long-term editor of The Absolute Sound, Harry Pearson (left above), has passed away. His protege Michael Fremer (right above) offers an appreciation here and Robert J. Reina, a long-term friend, is writing his own rememberance of HP in the February 2015 issue of Stereophile. (The January issue has already gone to press.)
Wednesday & Thursday, November 12&150;13, 5:30–9pm: North Carolina
Dealer Audio Advice will host two consecutive Music Matters events, with special guest Michael Fremer of Stereophile magazine and AnalogPlanet.com. The Wednesday evening event will take place at Audio Advice's Raleigh location (8621 Glenwood Avenue), while the Thursday night event will be held at the dealer's Pineville showroom in Charlotte (11409 Carolina Place Parkway, near Carolina Place Mall). Several manufacturer representatives, including Dave Gordon (Audio Research), Alex Brinkman (Ayre Acoustics), and Jett…
Rickie Lee Jones: Rickie Lee Jones
Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs MFSL 1-089 (LP) (originally on Warner Bros. LP, 1979). Nick DeCaro, Johnny Mandel, orchestral arrangements; Lenny Waronker, Russ Titelman, prods.
Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs MFSL 1-089 (LP) (originally on Warner Bros. LP, 1979). Nick DeCaro, Johnny Mandel, orchestral arrangements; Lenny Waronker, Russ Titelman, prods.
This is actually a nice record. I was somewhat surprised to find myself really enjoying it. All the songs were written by Miss Jones, who does share the credit with Alfred Johnson for two: "Weasel And The White Boys Cool" and "Company." Her lyrics are fresh and entertaining, and her music quite good. The only jarring note to me was her inept-sounding efforts to assume the lowah-…
It's no secret, especially to those who've been following Stereophile for more than a short time: In the first half of 2007, I took the plunge and bought a Shindo preamplifier and monoblock amplifiers—handmade products characterized by low output power, generous numbers of vintage parts, steel casework finished in a signature shade of green, and richly textured, impactful sound with lots of sheer musical drive. And while we tend not to alert the major newspapers whenever someone on staff buys new electronics, the change was notable for two reasons: The compatibility of Shindo's amplifiers is…
A final setup note: It didn't sound to me as if the ATM-1S inverted absolute signal polarity, but I've been wrong about that sort of thing before. Let's see what John Atkinson's measurements uncover.
Listening
Although it's difficult to say for sure without a blindfold and some 15-second snippets of unfamiliar music, it seemed to me that the Air Tight ATM-1S and my Shindo Corton-Charlemagne monoblocks, both of which use push-pull EL34 pentodes as output tubes, shared some common sonic and musical characteristics. Both were colorful, well textured, and slightly warm and lush,…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tubed stereo power amplifier. Tube complement: four 6CA7/EL34, two 12AU7, one 12AX7.Inputs: 2 line-level. Output power: 36Wpc into 8 ohms (15.6dBW). Input sensitivity: 1V. Input impedance: 100k ohms. Output impedance: 4 and 8 ohms (see text). Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±1.0dB. THD: <0.1% at 1kHz, 1W; <1.0% at 1kHz, 36W. Signal/noise: 100dB (IHF-A weighted, input shorted).
Dimensions: 14.4" (368mm) W by 9" (231mm) H by 11.4" (293mm) D. Weight: 48.4 lbs (22kg).
Serial number of unit reviewed: 19046.
Price: $9500. Approximate…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Garrard 301, Thorens TD 124 turntables; EMT 997, Thomas Schick tonearms; Ortofon SPU-A, Miyajima Premium BE Mono II, EMT OFD 15 & OFD 25 & TSD 15 70th Anniversary pickup heads.
Digital Sources: Halide Design DAC HD USB D/A converter; Apple iMac G5 computer running Decibel 1.2.11, Audirvana Plus 1.5.12 playback softwares; Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Hommage T2 step-up transformer; Shindo Masseto & Allegro preamplifiers.
Power Amplifiers: Shindo Corton-Charlemagne monoblocks & Shindo Cortese, Fi…