search

During the period I was reviewing the Halcro dm10, VTL TL-7.5 Reference, and BAT VK-51 SE preamplifiers, John Atkinson decided it would be enlightening to have me listen to these state-of-the-art contenders in comparison to the venerable Mark Levinson No.32 Reference (reviewed by Jonathan Scull in January 2000). How, we wondered, would the new boys stand up when compared not only with each other, but also with a long-term resident of Class A of "Recommended Components"? So, over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend…

VTL's TL-7.5 Reference line preamplifier was designed by the same team, and around the same philosophy, as the S-400 Reference power amplifier, and from the beginning the two models were intended to be used together. Typically, when a design team creates matching products, much attention is paid to ensuring that their characteristics at least complement each other and, if possible, achieve a positive synergy. The Burmester 011 preamplifier (which I reviewed in the July 2005 issue) and Burmester 001 CD player are great…

When it was introduced in 2002, the VTL TL-7.5 Stereo Reference line stage sent a huge ripple through the high-end world. Paul Bolin and John Atkinson contributed to the commotion with raves in the October 2003 Stereophile, and I repeated their superlatives in a Follow-Up in December 2005. I also echoed PB's conclusion that it was nearly impossible to attach any specific sound to the TL-7.5. With 20/20 hindsight, it's now clear that the TL-7.5, along with VTL's Reference Series power amplifiers and Halcro's own…

Just as I was submitting my May 2007 Follow-Up on the VTL TL-7.5 Series II Reference line-stage preamplifier ($16,500), a flurry of e-mails from VTL's Luke Manley passed through Stereophile HQ. I had driven the TL-7.5 with power supplied by AC conditioners from Shunyata Research and Audience. VTL had discovered that the TL-7.5 II is sensitive to power conditioners in some installations, so John Atkinson and I agreed that I would explore and comment on any interactions between the preamp and my conditioners.

Analog Source: VPI HR-X turntable & tonearm, Lyra Titan cartridge.
Digital Sources: Simaudio Moon Evolution Andromeda, Primare CD31 CD players.
Preamplification: Sutherland PhD phono preamplifier; Placette Active, Sutherland Direct line stages; Halcro dm10 preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: VTL Ichiban, Mark Levinson Model 20.6 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Sophia 2.
Cables: Interconnect & Speaker: Audience, Nirvana, Nordost Valhalla, Shunyata Research, Stereovox. AC: Audience PowerChord, Shunyata Research.…

A classic.

"Mmm mmm good. Mmm mmm good. That's what Campbell's soups are, mmm mmm good."

An immortal line.

"A little dab'll do ya."

I wish I'd written that! Any college graduate can write well-constructed prose, with a beginning and an end, sometimes even with meaning, but the ability to produce copy that hits the listener or reader—any listener and reader—on the most basic level is a rare talent indeed. You may remember Alfred Bester's classic SF novel The Demolished Man,…

…

Dark Side of the Moon is one of those rare albums that has fostered an entire mythology that continues to evolve. Floydian lore reached a peak a few years back with the madcap theory that the band had recorded the music as an alternative soundtrack for the film The Wizard of Oz.

Instead, DSotM is simply an extraordinarily inspired work…

From Santa Fe to the old railhead town of Las Vegas, New Mexico, you curl around the southern tip of the Sangre de Cristos, the "Blood of Christ" mountain range immortalized by songwriter Paul Simon in "Hearts and Bones." But once you cut off I-25 at Springer and head due east across the plain toward Dodge City, you're faced with 300 miles of…

One of the things underlying Stereophile's recording projects…