Analog Sources: Technics SL1200GAE turntable, Hana EL MC cartridge; Roksan Radius 7 turntable & Nima tonearm & Corus Silver MM cartridge.
Digital Sources: Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC, Integra DPPS-7.2 DVD-A player.
Preamplification: Lounge Audio Copla MC step-up transformer; Dynavector SUP-200 & P75 Mk.III, Lounge Audio LCR Mk.III, Parasound Halo JC 3+, Tavish Design Adagio phono preamplifiers; Pass Labs HPA-1, PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium, Rogue Audio RP-1, Simaudio Moon Neo 350P preamplifiers.
Power Amplifiers: Line Magnetic LM-518IA…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a full set of measurements on the First Watt J2, using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Before doing any testing, I preconditioned the J2 by running it at one-third power into 8 ohms for an hour. (With a an amplifier having a class-B or -AB output stage, this power level results in the highest thermal stress on the output devices.) At the end of the hour, the heatsinks were hot, at 125.6°F (52°C), though the top panel was a little cooler, at 113.3°F (45.2°C).
The First Watt's voltage gain into 8 ohms…
Resonance Records has put out some of the most vital, previously unreleased (in some cases, unknown) historical jazz sessions in recent years, and the latest is one of the sweetest: Shirley Horn, Live at the 4 Queens, recorded at a now-defunct Las Vegas hotel-casino of that name in 1988. It's Horn's best live album, and one of her top few albums, period—which says a lot.
The gig took place soon after her revival, with a hit album on the Verve label, after a couple decades of self-exiled obscurity, raising a family in Washington, DC, and playing now and then in local clubs, to the joy of…
Nels Cline: Lovers
Nels Cline, electric & acoustic guitars, lap steel, effects; Charles Pillow, C & alto & bass flutes, oboe, English horn, B-flat clarinet, alto saxophone; Steven Bernstein, Taylor Haskins, others, trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone; Julian Lage, guitar; Yuka C. Honda, celeste, Juno 60; Devin Hoff, contrabass, bass guitar; Alex Cline, drums, percussion; Kenny Wolleson, vibraphone, marimba, percussion; Michael Leonhart, arr., conductor; many others.
Blue Note 8002505102 (2 CDs). 2016. David Breskin, prod.; Ron Saint Germain, eng. DDD? TT: 90:02
Performance…
Nels Cline, electric & acoustic guitars, lap steel, effects; Charles Pillow, C & alto & bass flutes, oboe, English horn, B-flat clarinet, alto saxophone; Steven Bernstein, Taylor Haskins, others, trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone; Julian Lage, guitar; Yuka C. Honda, celeste, Juno 60; Devin Hoff, contrabass, bass guitar; Alex Cline, drums, percussion; Kenny Wolleson, vibraphone, marimba, percussion; Michael Leonhart, arr., conductor; many others.
Blue Note 8002505102 (2 CDs). 2016. David Breskin, prod.; Ron Saint Germain, eng. DDD? TT: 90:02
Performance…
In 1967, in Los Angeles, Morris Kessler, with Ted and Beth Winchester, founded Scientific Audio Electronics (SAE), which enjoyed a successful run of 21 years. In addition to Kessler, Sherwood Electronics cofounder Ed Miller, as well as the legendary James Bongiorno, contributed designs. (If you don't know Bongiorno's résumé, please do a web search.) Some SAE products, particularly their big-metered power amplifiers, became objects of desire for audiophiles on the West Coast and, especially, in Japan.
SAE was founded to manufacture Kessler's design for a solid-state amplifier that would…
Despite the overall fast nature of the 2HP-D's sound, transients were not too etched or hard. The sound was smooth, grainless, and essentially free of added artifacts. The wide, well-organized soundstage also mirrored what I'd heard at CES: instead of generous depth and three-dimensionality, it was a bit more of a flat screen. But are those missing qualities—which I do hear from other, slower amps—merely artifacts caused by a somewhat soft, less well-controlled bass response?
The 2HP-D's grip on the woofers of my Wilson Audio Specialties Alexandria XLFs produced the tautest bass I've…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel, solid-state power amplifier. Inputs: 1 pair balanced, line-level (XLR). Outputs: 2 pairs WBT binding posts. Rear-panel controls: one 3.3–24V remote trigger, 4/8 ohm selector, fan on/off, two 20A IEC jacks, two main power on/off, magnetic breaker switches. Front-panel controls: standby, screen on/off, screen selector (RMS/peak & real-time spectrum analysis or power meters). Output power, both channels driven, 20Hz–20kHz, <0.01% THD, 600Wpc into 8 ohms (27.8dBW) 1200Wpc into 4 ohms (27.8dBW), 1200W into 2 ohms (24.8dBW); 1kHz, <…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn & Castellon turntable & stand; Kuzma Stabi M turntable; SAT, Kuzma 4Point 14" tonearms. Cartridges: Audio-Technica AT-ART-1000; Lyra Atlas, Atlas SL, Etna, Etna SL; Miyajima Labs Zero (mono) & Madake; Ortofon Anna & A95.
Digital Sources: Audio Alchemy DDSPro CD transport, Simaudio Moon Evolution 780D streaming DAC; Lynx Hilo A/D-D/A converter; Meridian Sooloos Digital Media System; Pure Vinyl & Vinyl Studio software.
Preamplification: Ypsilon MC-10L & MC-16L step-up transformers…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a full set of measurements on the SAE 2HP-D, using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Usually, before doing any testing of a power amplifier, I precondition it by running it at one-third power into 8 ohms for an hour. (With an amplifier having a class-B or -AB output stage, this power level results in the highest thermal stress on the output devices.) However, the 2HP-D is a very powerful amplifier, and I don't have a test load that could handle both channels running at 250W for an hour without overheating. So I…
A wise man once told me that people often forget that before they made studio masterpieces like the The Beatles aka The White Album or Abbey Road, the Beatles, until 1966 when they stopped touring, were one hell of a live act. If it wasn’t for all that screaming!
The problem for true believers is that there’s never been a proper Beatles live album. The closest we’ve come is 1977’s Live At The Hollywood Bowl which was a collection of 13 cherry-picked tracks, compiled by George Martin, from the band’s 1964 and 1965 appearances at the famed venue. Opinions on the album remain mixed. Fans who…