search

Meridian Digital Media System, July 2012

Jon Iverson wrote about the MDMS in July 2012 (Vol.35 No.7):

It's been more than five years since the original Sooloos Music Server hit the market, and four since I reviewed it, in the September 2008 issue. The system became a favorite of mine, and was named Stereophile's Product of the Year for 2008. A lot has changed since then: the hardware, the software, the price, the company's ownership—even the product's name. One question remains: Is it still the best overall music server on the market?

What's in a name? After only a few years in business, New York–based Sooloos was…

NAD M51 Direct Digital D/A converter

Who wants only a digital-to-analog converter when you can have a DAC with benefits? How about if those benefits also come with some high-resolution attitude?

That's what I pondered while setting up the NAD M51 ($2000). Sure, it's a basic DAC, but it also has extras—like HDMI inputs, remote-controlled volume, a polarity switch, and one of my favorite features on any DAC: a display that tells you which sampling rate the thing is locked to.

The honey badger of DACs?
Then there's that attitude: The NAD resamples everything you throw in its direction and converts it to a pulse-…

NAD M51 Direct Digital D/A converter Page 2

What was weird was that, while setting levels, as I switched back and forth between DACs with the pink noise running, there was a slight difference in the character of the sound. After I'd adjusted the NAD's volume trim, the SPL meter read "0dB" for each DAC, but something subtler was going on—the tonal quality of the pink noise shifted just a little in the room. Later, I figured out what this meant musically.

All My Lovely Goners, the latest release from Winterpills, is a great Americana record (CD, Signature Sounds SIG 2044): folky, rocky pop that strikes me as the kind of album I…

NAD M51 Direct Digital D/A converter Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Remote-controlled digital-to-analog converter. Digital inputs: AES/EBU (XLR), S/PDIF coaxial & optical, 2 HDMI (stereo only), USB 2.0; all support up to 24-bit/192kHz. Digital output: HDMI. Analog outputs: left & right RCA (unbalanced), left & right XLR (balanced). Output impedance: 47 ohms (unbalanced), 110 ohms (balanced). Output level: 2V RMS. Frequency response: ±0.5dB (ref. 20Hz–96kHz at 192kHz sample rate. Signal/noise: >125dB (ref. 0dBFS 2V out). Channel separation: >115dB (ref. 0dBFS volume –1dB). AC supply: 100–240V, 50–…

NAD M51 Direct Digital D/A converter Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital Sources: Apple MacBook Pro computer (2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD) running OS 10.6.7, iTunes 10.6, Sonic Studio Amarra 2.3, Songbird 1.9.3, XLD; Western Digital NAS Device (2TB); Oppo BDP-83 universal Blu-ray player; Meridian Digital Media System (Sooloos Control 15 & TwinStore x3); Apple iPad 2 and 3, Apple iPod Touch 1G; Benchmark DAC1 USB, Ayre Acoustics QB-9, T+A Music Player D/A converters.
Preamplifier: Marantz AV7005 (Pure Direct Mode).
Power Amplifier: Classé CAM 350 monoblocks (2).
Loudspeakers: MartinLogan…

NAD M51 Direct Digital D/A converter Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I used Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system to measure the NAD M51 (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It"; for some tests, I also used my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain.

Both the M51's S/PDIF and USB inputs successfully locked to data with sample rates of up to 192kHz, including 88.2 and 176.4kHz. Although the TosLink format is specified to work only up to 96kHz, the M51's TosLink input did lock to 192kHz data. The Mac's USB Prober utility revealed the M51's product ID to be "NAD USB…

DALI Zensor 1 loudspeaker

I thought I'd review the procedure I typically use to seek out affordable speakers for review as, in the case of the Denmark-designed DALI Zensor, made in the company's facility in China, there was a twist at the end.

In preparing to review affordable loudspeakers, I typically put together a list of potential candidates I've discovered at audio shows, or that have been recommended to me by other Stereophile writers. I add to that list products I've learned about from press promotions, usually from companies whose products have impressed me in the past. I boil this down to a short list,…

DALI Zensor 1 loudspeaker Page 2

The Zensor 1 had a remarkable sense of pacing when presented with an interplay of churning percussion as a backdrop for a solo melodic instrument. In "Song IV," from Peter Zummo's Zummo with an X (CD, New World 80656-2), Bill Ruyle sets up a hypnotic, repetitive, contrapuntal tabla continuo that provides a bedrock foundation for Zummo's long, angular, equally hypnotic trombone melodies. When I played this 20-minute-long track, the music embraced me—I found myself transfixed, and could focus on nothing else until the track was finished.

In "Blind Man Blind Man," from Herbie Hancock's My…

DALI Zensor 1 loudspeaker Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Two-way, rear-ported, bookshelf loudspeaker. Drive-units: 25mm fabric-dome tweeter, 5.25" woofer with wood-fiber cone. Crossover frequency: 2.9kHz. Frequency response: 53Hz–26.5kHz, ±3dB. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Sensitivity: 86.5dB. Recommended amplification: 25–100W.
Dimensions: 10.7" (274mm) H by 6.3" (162mm) W by 8.6" (220mm) D. Weight: 9.2 lbs (4.2kg).
Finishes: Black, White, Light Walnut (all vinyl).
Serial number of units reviewed: 3020369 L/R.
Price: $475/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 95.
Manufacturer: DALI A/S,…

DALI Zensor 1 loudspeaker Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV, Rega Planar 3 turntables; Immedia, Syrinx PU-3 tonearms; Koetsu Urushi, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridges.
Digital Sources: Lector CDP-7T, Creek Destiny CD players.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D, Creek Destiny phono stages; Audio Valve Eclipse line stage.
Power Amplifier: Audio Research Reference 110.
Integrated Amplifier: Creek Destiny.
Loudspeakers: Epos ELS3 & M5i, Wharfedale Diamond 10.1.
Cables: Interconnect (all MIT): Magnum M3, MI-350 CVTwin Terminator, MI-330SG Terminator.…