I'm talking Dan D'Agostino's Momentum power amps and preamp, Dave Wilson's XLF and Alexia loudspeakers, Jeff Nelson's Boulder 3050 monoblocks, and the seasoned pros who produce Constellation electronics: John Curl, Bascom King, Peter Madnick, and Demian Martin. Harry Weisfeld's new VPI Classic direct-drive turntable with its JMW Memorial 3D-printed tonearm…
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Is the high-performance audio industry stagnating? Are designers simply repackaging the past? Cynics claim so, but to me it seems that making that case gets harder by the day, as a parade of veterans continue to produce their best work.
Other Etna specifications include a frequency range of 10Hz–50kHz, channel separation of 35dB or better at 1kHz, and a medium compliance of 12cu at 100Hz. Lyra's recommended range of VTF is 1.68–1.78gm, with an optimum of 1.72gm. The recommended resistive load is between 104 and 887 ohms, and the recommended load via step-up transformer is 5–15 ohms. The Etna weighs 9.2gm vs the Atlas's 11.6gm.
There you have it: a cartridge constructed altogether differently from the $1000-less-expensive Titan i it replaces, featuring many of the same or similar design features and parts, and specs…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Low-output moving-coil phono cartridge with yokeless dual-magnet system, a cantilever rod of diamond-coated boron, and a Lyra-designed, line-contact stylus with a major radius of 70µm, a minor radius of 3µm. Output voltage: 0.56mV at 5cm/s, zero to peak 45° modulation. Frequency range: 10Hz–50kHz. Channel separation: >35dB at 1kHz. Compliance: 12cu. Recommended VTF: 1.68–1.78gm. Recommended resistive load: 104–887 ohms.
Weight: 9.2gm.
Price: $6995.
Manufacturer: Lyra Co. Ltd. US distributor: AudioQuest. 2621 White Road. Irvine, CA 92614…
Manufacturer's Comment
Editor: Thank you, Michael Fremer and Stereophile, for a careful and insightful review. Seldom do we get the chance to read a review which so accurately describes what we hear in our own systems. Well done!
There are only a few points which we will clarify here, none of which affects Michael's listening impressions: The Lyra Atlas and Etna share the same design philosophy, which is to have a completely solid and seamless connection between cantilever and headshell. This is for two reasons:
One is as Michael wrote—to drain away any excess vibrational…
Photo: Nashvilleportraits.com
Pack up all your dishes.
Make note of all good wishes.
Say goodbye to the landlord for me.
That son of a bitch has always bored me.
Throw out them L.A. papers
And that moldy box of vanilla wafers.
Adi¢s to all this concrete.
Gonna get me some dirt road back street
—from "L.A. Freeway"
As songwriters go, Guy Clark has been touched by the muse more than most. Unfortunately, in recent years he's also been visited by illness and heartache. In June 2012, his wife of 40 years, Susanna Clark, who was both a songwriter ("Easy…
"I just remember how funny he was and how smart he was. He was one of the smartest guys I've ever met. I loved his sense of humor, 'cause it's like mine."
You can go out to eat & that's for sure
But it's nothin' a homegrown tomato won't cure
Put 'em in a salad, put 'em in a stew
You can make your very own tomato juice
Eat 'em with eggs, eat 'em with gravy
Eat 'em with beans, pinto or navy
Put 'em on the side, put 'em in the middle
Put a homegrown tomato on a hotcake griddle.
Homegrown tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes
What'd life be without…
Over half a century after the creation of the prized Everest Records catalog, most of whose 78 classical titles were recorded between 1958 and 1961 on 35mm magnetic tape in three-channel stereo, 61 titles have now been remastered and released in multiple formats. In addition to physical CD and downloadable Mastered for iTunes versions, a still-expanding, luscious hi-res treasure trove of Everest titles may be downloaded from HDTracks's Everest Records pages. All HDTracks titles, remastered from the master tapes in 24/192, are available in both 24/192 and 24/96 versions.
Among the gems of…
Most folks don't even know they exist, but the Channel Islands are a chain of eight moderately sized mountains poking through the Pacific Ocean along the coast of southern California, between Santa Barbara and San Diego. The most famous of these is Catalina Island and its city, Avalon, which sit opposite San Clemente. The other Channel Islands are relatively wild and have been preserved mostly uninhabited.
On the mainland across from these isles, in Port Hueneme, is Channel Islands Audio (aka CIAudio), a company of modest size that's been around for 17 years and makes compact power amps…
Vawter says that some audio systems will need the assistance of the VDC5 Mk.II power supply more than others, but I wasn't noticing too much with my rig—the sound was perhaps a tad more pinched during the song's choruses without the supply in place, but I'd be hard-pressed to recommend it as a must-have unless you can try it first. Still, I left it on for the rest of my listening. With the Transient and VDC5, "Truckin'" possessed all of bassist Phil Lesh's low-end heft, which makes this song swing so nicely, with the voices (in tune or not) layered nicely, and the soundstage spread all…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Transient Mk.II Asynchronous USB Converter: Digital outputs: S/PDIF via 75 ohm BNC (galvanic isolated), I2S via mini-DIN (Audio Alchemy, Perpetual Technology, Camelot), Differential I2S via HDMI (PS Audio, Wyred4Sound). Sample rates supported: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192kHz, up to 24 bits. Master-clock jitter: <1.0ps. Analog output level: 2V RMS maximum (single-ended RCA). Frequency response: 20Hz–96kHz. THD+noise: –89dB at –1dBFS.
Serial number of unit reviewed: TR3010.
Price: $699.
VDC5 Mk.II High Current Power Supply: AC Input Voltage:…