Digital Sources: Sony XA-5400ES SACD/CD player, Oppo BDP-105 universal Blu-ray player, Mytek Stereo192-DSD D/A processor, exaSound e28 DAC, PC-based server running JRiver Music Center 18.
Preamplification: Audio Research MP1 multichannel analog preamplifier, Meridian HD621 HDMI audio processor & 861 Reference v8 digital surround controllers.
Power Amplifiers: McIntosh MC303, Parasound A-31 (both three-channel amplifiers).
Loudspeakers: B&W 800 Diamond.
Cables: Interconnect: AudioQuest Cheetah (balanced DBS) & Vodka (HDMI), Black…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used my sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It") to examine the Sony HAP-Z1ES's measured behavior. Initially I tried playing the WAV files of my test signals from a FAT32-formatted USB flash drive, but the Sony didn't recognize the drive's format. (It did recognize that a drive had been inserted and asked me if I wanted it formatted.) I then hooked up the Sony to my home network via Ethernet and transferred the WAV files from my Apple MacBook Pro using Sony's HAP Music Transfer app. This…
No one can say precisely how or when the ancient 300B triode tube made its cross-kingdom leap to the modern world of consumer audio, but we've got the where pretty much nailed down: It all began in Asia, where the best of the West is sometimes held in reverence rather than left to drown in consumerism's wake. Asia is the final resting place for the great Western Electric cinema systems of the 1940s—and that's where the 300B earned its un-American second act. By the mid-1990s, the tube had captured the hearts of hobbyists who, consciously or not, sensed that the audio refineries of the day…
Nonetheless, it was another day or two before I could get the Raven Spirit up and running: As with the mono versions, the review sample arrived without a manual, and the first tube chart I received, via e-mail, proved to be out of date. (I discovered that not with pyrotechnics, but by noting that the amp wasn't shipped with the same complement of tubes as described in the chart.) A new chart arrived soon thereafter, and proved correct.
With the Raven Spirit on the floor—it was too large for my Box Furniture equipment rack—and roughly midway between my preamp and the left-channel…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tubed stereo power amplifier. Tube complement: four 12J5, six 12SN7, four 300B. Input terminals: one pair of XLRs, one pair of RCAs. Output transformer taps: 4 or 8 ohms. Output power: 28Wpc or 36Wpc (load not specified). Frequency range: 20Hz–20kHz. Recommended speaker sensitivity: 90–96dB.
Dimensions: 19.4" (500mm) W by 10.5" (270mm) H by 11.5" (295mm) D. Weight: 64 lbs (29.1kg).
Serial number of unit reviewed: SP-RSA-05-23-2012-0001.
Price: $7295. Approximate number of dealers: sold factory direct.
Manufacturer: Raven Audio, 131…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Garrard 301 turntable; EMT 997 tonearm; EMT OFD 25 & TSD 15 70th Anniversary pickup heads.
Digital Sources: Halide Designs DAC HD USB D/A converter; Apple iMac G5 computer running Decibel v.1.2.11 playback software; Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Hommage T2, Bob's Devices CineMag Sky 30 step-up transformers; Shindo Masseto preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Shindo Corton-Charlemagne monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Altec Valencia, DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96.
Cables: USB: AudioQuest Carbon, Nordost Blue…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used my sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com) to measure the Raven Spirit 300B Reference Stereo. I installed the tubes using the revised guide that had been sent to Art Dudley; the output tubes were the pairs of Sophia Electric Royal Princess 300Bs he'd used in his auditioning. As the XLR jacks are connected with pin 2 in parallel with the RCA jacks, I performed all measurements using RCA cables to connect the amplifier to the Audio Precision, and ran the amplifier driving 1kHz at 1Wpc…
Manufacturer's Comment
Editor: They say be careful what you wish for. We just weren't ready, but appreciate your time and efforts. We think we found the culprit in one of the monoblocks: a loose resistor lead, but no sign of a short. Tell you one thing—we'll never again send anything out without putting it under a microscope.
We were gratified that Art wrote: "That the sound of Raven Audio's Spirit 300B Reference Stereo so thoroughly impressed me speaks more loudly than usual of the product's innate quality. This is a very good-sounding, musically exciting amp."
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"Physical discs are so 20th century," I wrote back in 2006, when I began experimenting with using, in my high-end rig, a computer as a legitimate source of music. These days I rarely pop a disc into my Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP disc player, unless it's an SACD I want to hear, or a CD I haven't yet ripped into my library. But many audiophiles, even if attracted to the idea of using a file-based system as a primary music source, do not want a computer in their listening rooms. Nor do they want to be bothered by the fact that a computer demands too intimate a relationship with its user.
For…
Nor do those files have to be stored on the M52 Music Vault. I have a Netgear NAS drive on our home network with a 1TB RAID 1 array, on which I store one of my iTunes backups. When I selected "Configure Network Shares" with the iPad app, the M50 recognized the NAS drive. Selecting "Re-index Music Collection" from the "Configure Player" panel added to the M50's library all the songs on the network drive, which then could be played in just the same way as songs stored on the M52. And the ability to copy files from the M52 over the network means that it can also be backed up via that network to…