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Audio Alchemy DTIPro 32 Jitter Filter Review System

Sidebar 1: Review System

Most of my experience with the DTIPro 32 was in my usual system, consisting of a Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 preamplifier driving a pair of Audio Research VT150 monoblock power amplifiers. Loudspeakers were Genesis II.5s, whose woofers were driven by an integral servo power amplifier. Interconnects in the Sonic Frontiers/ARC/Genesis system were AudioQuest Lapis, Diamond X3, and Wire World Gold Eclipse, and loudspeaker cables were short runs of AudioQuest Dragon II.

Digital front-ends with which I tried the DTIPro 32 include the Mark Levinson No.31 and Sonic…

Audio Alchemy DTIPro 32 Jitter Filter Measurements

Sidebar 2: Measurements

I started by looking at the DTIPro 32's effect on low-level signals alternately in bypass mode, and then with the Resolution Enhancement processing engaged. I performed wideband third-octave spectral analysis, waveform capture, and FFT-derived spectral analysis on a variety of signals, but saw no difference in the noise level, noise-floor spectrum, or even the presence of dither. I also tried to measure the DTIPro 32's effect by looking at the output of the DDE v3 processor with and without the DTIPro 32 in the signal path. Again, the DDE v3's low-level…

Audio Alchemy DTIPro 32 Jitter Filter Specifications

Sidebar 3: Specifications

Description: Jitter filter and resolution-enhancement device. Inputs: S/PDIF coaxial on BNC, S/PDIF TosLink optical, I2S bus (ST-type optical optional). Outputs: S/PDIF coaxial on BNC, I2S, AES/EBU, ST-Type optical. Output word length: 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 bits (user-selectable).
Dimensions: 8.5" W by 2" H by 7" D. Weight: 7 lbs (shipping).
Serial number of unit tested: 83317.
Price: $1595. Approximate number of dealers: 180.
Manufacturer: Audio Alchemy Inc., Westlake Village, CA 91362 (1996). Company no longer in existence (2012).

Nelson-Reed 8-04/B loudspeaker

According to designer Bill Reed, the Nelson-Reed 8-04/B was not originally intended to be an audiophile speaker system, but was instead designed as a high-quality monitor for the critical recording engineer who wanted to be able to walk from the studio into the control room and hear the same thing from his speakers that he heard "live." The fact that modern studio mike technique ensures that this could never happen is probably beside the point. The point is that reproducing the original power and dynamic range of live music is a formidable challenge, which practically no audiophile speakers…

Nelson-Reed 8-04/B loudspeaker JGH Returns

JGH returned to the Nelson-Reed 8-04/B in July 1988 (Vol.11 No.7):

Subsequent to my initial tests of the 8-04/B, I moved the speakers into my video room and tried them for reproducing film soundtracks. I wasn't too surprised to find them superb for this application. Dialog intelligibility was better than it has ever been before, their tremendous dynamic range gave unprecedented impact to blockbuster soundtracks, and their outstanding imaging capability revealed something I had never noticed before, nor even thought about before: The sounds of moving objects often don't track their visual…

Nelson-Reed 8-04/B loudspeaker Review System

Sidebar 1: Review System

Equipment used for my tests included the Ortofon MC-3000 cartridge with its T-3000 stepup transformer, the Well-Tempered Arm on the Sota Star Sapphire turntable, Sony CDP-705ESD, Rotel 965, and Proceed CD players, CD player, a Sony PCM-F1 digital processor and SL-2000 VCR, Pioneer LD-S2 laserdisc player, an Enlightened Audio Design D/A converter, the Threshold FET-10 preamp and line controller, Audio Research SP9 II, and Octave Research, Boulder 500AE, Threshold SA-1, Sonic Frontiers SFS-80, and Audio Research M300 power amplifiers. Audio interconnects were…

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Spatial Audio

Clayton Shaw, who designed Emerald Physics loudspeakers and founded the company, returned last year with Spatial Audio loudspeakers. The Spatial Hologram M2 standard ($1995/pair) contains a new Hologram Circuit, and is a completely passive, analog, high-efficiency, open-baffle speaker. Each baby contains two 12' mid/woofers and one coaxially mounted compression driver. Designed to eliminate floor bounce, it claims not to need DSP or bi-amping.

Paired with a Prism Lyra 1 DAC/preamp ($2350) and Red Dragon M500 monoblocks ($1600/pair), this little system's very nice midrange shone on a 176.…

Revelations from Emerald Physics & PS Audio

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Proof without Proof from Music Hall

In an exhibit surprisingly free of whisky (unless I was too preoccupied to notice), Music Hall offered proof that you don't have to break the bank (assuming you have one to begin with) in order to get good sound. "Very smooth, nice, and pleasant," I wrote of the enjoyable music from the new Music Hall C-DAC 15.3 three-input DAC/CD player ($549), Creek Evo 50a 55Wpc integrated amp ($1195), and Epos Elan15 bookshelf loudspeakers ($1395/pair). The player contains two different DACs, a Burr-Brown for CDs and a Wolfson for external sources. Source was a computer playing Pure Music, and connected…