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"Marvins Room," the second track on side two of Drake's platinum-selling Take Care (LP, Cash Money/Universal Republic B0016280-01), is a veiled but nonetheless intriguing confession from a sensitive young man whose addictions to alcohol, sex, and fame have prevented him from developing any sort of healthy relationship. I've come to this conclusion after several happy hours of listening to the song from beginning to end, over and over again, while swapping between two very different interconnects: AudioQuest's Sidewinder ($65/1m pair, now discontinued) and Kimber Kable's time-honored PBJ ($110…
I also love the cable's look and feel—holding it in my hands is almost as satisfying as having it in my system. It's thin, light, and flexible, and its three individually colored wires (red, blue, and black) look purple from a distance. That's cool. I was hoping, perhaps fancifully, that there was some artistic motivation behind the color scheme, but Kimber selected the colors for practical reasons: "Because most of our interconnect cables are the same construct in balanced or single-ended [configuration], we needed three colors to speed production. We had been using black and blue in our…
Fred Delius and the Duettes. Sounds like a 1950s vocal group, doesn't it? Let's start with some great new music. SACD fans: Prepare to vote with your wallets again. Frederick Delius (1862–1934) is one of my favorite second-rank composers who wrote first-rate music. Although not that easy to define, Delius's music is usually instantly identifiable as his.
I think that Delius's reputation has suffered because it's tempting to think of him as nothing more than an earnest spinner of dreamy English pastorales. But his music can be more substantial than that. An excellent new disc of Delius's…
Note: There is an iPad app version of this Recommended Components list that includes additional functionality such as Quick Search and Entry Tagging. The app is available right now for free download to your iPad in the iTunes store. In iTunes, search for "Stereophile Recommended Components" or follow this link to the iTunes store from your web browser.
Components listed here have been formally reviewed in Stereophile and have been found to be among the best available in each of four or five quality classes. Whether a component is listed in Class A or Class E, we highly recommend its…
Turntables
A+
Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn: $149,995 with tonearm and stand ✩
“Part New Jersey diner, part Wurlitzer jukebox,” the 160-lb Caliburn is the brainchild of Mark Doehmann, whose clever, purposeful design is based on rigorous scientific methodology using finite-element analysis computer programs. While the only serious competition for the Caliburn is the Rockport System III Sirius, MF decided, “The Caliburn beat the Rockport’s overall performance by a considerable margin,” adding an “emotional majesty” that made the Rockport seem analytical. “Better than sex!”…
SACD, DVD-A, & CD Players & Transports & Media Players
Editor’s Note: SACD and DVD-A player ratings are based on how they sound with their respective hi-rez media, not CD.
A+
Ayre Acoustics DX-5 “Universal A/V Engine”: $9950
Based around the Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player, the multichannel-capable DX-5 plays CDs, SACDs, DVD-A, DVD-V, and Blu-ray discs, while its USB port handles resolutions up to 24-bit/192kHz. It uses a new Ayre power supply, Ayre’s zero-feedback, fully balanced audio circuitry, opto-isolators to prevent noise from entering the audio signal…
Digital Processors
Editor’s Note: The sound of any particular CD transport/digital processor combination will be dependent on the datalink used—see “Bits is Bits?” by Christopher Dunn and Malcolm Omar Hawksford, Stereophile, March 1996, Vol. 19 No.3 (Read Review Online). Unless mentioned, processors are limited to 32/44.1/48kHz sample rates. To be included in Class A+, a digital processor must be capable of handling DSD or 24/96 LPCM data.
A+
Ayre Acoustics QB-9: $2750
The QB-9 is an asynchronous transfer mode, USB-input DAC with Ayre’s minimum-phase digital…
Music Surround-Sound Components (other than speakers and disc players)
A
Anthem Statement D2v: $8999 ✩
The latest enhancement of the Statement D2 audio/video processor is the Anthem Room Correction kit (ARC), which includes a calibration microphone and stand and all necessary software and cables. Its versatile controls allow the user to modify the recommended crossovers, insert a variable room-gain bump, and set the upper-frequency limit for corrections. With the ARC’s settings in place, soundstages were wider and more open. “Using the optimized ARC Advanced settings…
Two-Channel Preamplifiers
Editor’s Note: Apart from the AudioValve, CAT, DNM, Fi, Shindo, Tempo, and Placette, all the Class A preamplifiers offer balanced inputs and outputs. And unless noted, the preamplifiers listed do not have phono stages.
A
Aesthetix Saturn Calypso Signature: $6999
Aesthetix Saturn Calypso: $4999 ✩
“A beautifully built, smartly designed, crisply functioning, versatile, and sonically brilliant preamplifier,” the Saturn Calypso is a single-box, tubed unit that borrows technology from the more expensive, two-box Jupiter Callisto to offer “an…
Two-Channel Power Amplifiers
Editor’s Note: Because of the disparity between typical tube and solid-state “sounds,” we have split Class A for separate power amplifiers into two subclasses. Nevertheless, even within each subclass, Class A amplifiers differ sufficiently in character that each will shine in an appropriate system. Careful auditioning with your own loudspeakers is therefore essential. Except where stated, output powers are not the specified powers but rather those we measured into an 8 ohm resistive load. All amplifiers are stereo models, except where designated.
A…