Raven Audio Spirit Mk2 monoblocks
You may recall a reference, in Stereophile's May 2014 issue, to the Raven Audio Spirit 300B Reference Mono amplifiers. Like the ghosts…
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A final note: While tooling around the website of Eclipse's parent company, I stumbled on Fujitsu Ten's corporate "behavior declaration," which stresses the concept of makoto (sincerity), and which pledges respect for human rights, prohibition of forced or child labor, fair conditions, a safe work environment, and the realization of true job satisfaction. Just like corporations here in the US. (That's a joke, son.)
Transparency is a trait we all value in a hi-fi rig, and it's a concept I've long thought I understood. A system that tosses up the illusion of a clear, spacious soundstage, on which you can hear—almost see—all of the singers and/or instruments, from side to side and, especially, from front to way, way back: that's the ticket. Still, although such transparency is a sign that you've entered the realm of fine sound, it's not an absolute requirement. Tonal accuracy, dynamic range, a certain thereness that conveys the emotional heft or delicacy of music—those things come first. Without them,…
Sidebar 1: Contacts
Eclipse: Fujitsu Ten Limited. Tel: (44) (0)20-7328-4499. Web: www.eclipse-td.co.uk. US distributor: On a Higher Note, PO Box 698, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693. Tel: (949) 544-1990. Fax: (949) 612-0201. Web: www.onahighernote.com.
Raven Audio, 131 Carlisle Chita Cemetery Road, Trinity, TX 75862. Tel: (936) 662-5100. Web: www.ravenaudio.com.
Or take "Like a Rolling Stone," from Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, either the SACD (Columbia CH 90342) or, still better, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's set of two 45rpm LPs (Columbia/MFSL 2-422). I don't know how many times I've heard this song, but I'd never heard so much of the piano in the mix, or the airy whoosh of the Hammond B-3 so distinctly, or—as a visiting friend, a Dylan fanatic but not an audiophile, commented after listening with me—the raw edge of so much anger in Dylan's voice. But, as with Carter's cover of Reinhardt's "Nuages," what I found most riveting was the band's…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Remote-controlled, solid-state, dual-monophonic line preamplifier. Analog inputs: 2 balanced (XLR), 3 single-ended (RCA). Analog outputs: 1 balanced (XLR); 2 single-ended, fixed and variable (RCA). Gain: 9dB, M-eVOL2 volume knob, 530 increments of 0.1dB. Frequency response: 5Hz–100kHz, +0/–0.1dB. Signal/noise: 120dB at full output, 20Hz–20kHz. Crosstalk: –116dB at 1kHz. Input impedance: 22k ohms. Output impedance: 50 ohms. Power consumption: 20W at idle.
Dimensions: 18.6" (476mm) W by 4" (102mm) H by 16.3" (419mm) D. Shipping weight: 35 lbs (…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: VPI Classic turntable & JMW tonearm, Ortofon Cadenza Blue cartridge.
Digital Sources: Krell Cipher SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Nagra BPS battery-powered phono preamplifier, Pass Labs XP-30 line preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Simaudio Moon Evolution 860A.
Integrated Amplifier: Simaudio Moon Evolution 700i.
Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima Studio2.
Cables: Interconnect, Speaker, Nirvana Audio. AC: manufacturers' own.
Accessories: Bybee Technologies Signature power conditioner (not for power amp, sometimes for…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Simaudio Moon Evolution 740P's electrical performance with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It"). The volume control operated in accurate 0.1dB steps, the 740P preserved absolute polarity (ie, was non-inverting) for both fully balanced and fully unbalanced operation, and pin 2 of its XLR jacks was wired hot. The maximum gain was 6.2dB for the balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs, rather than the specified 9dB. The input impedance is specified at 22k ohms; for the unbalanced inputs I measured 21.…
New York dealer Accent on Music (175 E Main Street, Mount Kisco, NY 10549) is hosting a "Vinyl Adikt" event on Saturday April 25, starting at 11am. "Come along and celebrate the LP as we uncover the history behind the longest surviving music format and listen to great tracks on an iconic Sondek LP12 turntable," states the invitation and visitors are encouraged to bring along some of their favorite vinyl.
For a free ticket click here.
I find small humans more beguiling than big people. My favorites are the two-footers—those little two-year-old boys with a kind of wobbly, bent-kneed stride that dips like a blues song every fourth step as they stagger ahead of their watchful parents. I like three-footers too—sprightly three-year-old girls who dress better than their moms and never need a lifestyle consultation. Whenever we see one of these cheerful, bouncing young'uns coming toward us on the sidewalk, I smile and my dog's tail wags. Their bright faces and excited voices make me think, You go, little sprouts! These miniature…
Guess what. No more smoke and f-stop shadow! In fact, with the AQ wire, the Sprout's Analog input was now more yang than its Vinyl input.
Continuing my investigations, I inserted AQ's Cinnamon USB link ($79) in the Sprout's USB digital input, and AQ's Big Sur interconnects ($109/pair) between the VPI Traveler turntable ($1500) with Ortofon 2M Black cartridge ($799) and the Sprout's Vinyl input—whereupon all of the Sprout's inputs began to sing in the same voice of April–May sunshine. The digital inputs' detail and soundstage accuracy were dramatically enhanced. Most impressive was the…