Kimber Kable, 2752 South 1900 West, Ogden, UT 84401. Tel: (801) 621-5530. Fax: (801) 627-6980. Web: www.kimber.com/
Polk Audio, 5601 Metro Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215. Tel: (800) 377-7665, (410) 358-3600. Fax: (410) 764-5470. Web: www.polkaudio.com
Timbre Sound, LLC, dba Thinksound, 350 Route 108, Suite 204, Somersworth, NH 03878. Web: www.thinksound.com
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…
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-…
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…
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–…
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…
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…
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,…
In "Blind Man Blind Man," from Herbie Hancock's My…
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,…