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In an unusually good-sounding Russian recording of excerpts from Prokofiev's Cinderella (LP, Melodiya C 01381-2, with Gennadi Rozhdestvensky conducting the Moscow Radio Large Symphony Orchestra) every pizzicato was a burst of intensity, every note in the harps and double basses a deep, colorful thrum—and every melody an object of fascination. And in "Still There'll Be More," from Procol Harum's Home (LP, Regal Zonophone SLRZ 1014), Chris Copping's unusually resonant electric bass and the ever-inventive drumming of the late B.J. Wilson seemed locked together, temporally and dynamically, as…
I'm the editor of AudioStream.com, Stereophile's sister website devoted to computer audio. We review all manner of hardware, software, and music related to file-based playback, and offer helpful (we hope) "How To" articles as well as interviews with industry people—all designed to ease your journey to and through the world of computer audio. I envision my new Stereophile column, "Audio Streams," as an extension of this mission—and the addition of that trailing, plural s gives me some leeway to explore a wider range of hi-fi topics.
One of the main benefits of computer audio is that…
You can connect the Powernode to your network via Ethernet or WiFi. Since WiFi sound quality is dictated by a number of variables, including signal strength and network traffic, it's difficult to ensure perfect playback. At its worst, a poor WiFi connection will cause dropouts during play, which I find unacceptable. One way to help ensure WiFi quality is to get a dual-band WiFi router and dedicate one band to music.
Bluesound Node ($449)
The Bluesound Node is similar to the Powernode but even smaller (8" W by 5.7" H by 6.5" D). It comprises a network player and a 24/192-capable…
In the summer of 1999, Sony held a press event in New York City to mark the introduction of the Super Audio Compact Disc, then the sole domestic embodiment of the Direct Stream Digital (DSD) technology, jointly developed by Sony and Philips. The new format was hailed, in prepared remarks, by an impressive list of audio and music dignitaries: Nobuyuki Idei, then president of Sony Corporation; Steven Epstein, senior executive producer for Sony Classical; Yo-Yo Ma, appearing in a video created for the event; and Wynton Marsalis, appearing in person. All of the speeches—every single one of them…
For example, with Elton John's "First Episode at Hienton," from his eponymous second album (24/96 download, Mercury/HDtracks)—a guilty pleasure, I know, but please humor me and play along—the Luxman DA-06 allowed the piano to sound commendably rich and timbrally saturated. John's voice was appropriately fleshed out, and I was pleased that vocal sibilants were slightly tamer than I usually hear from this high-resolution download. I noted an almost identical set of characteristics in "Willow, Weep for Me," from a CD rip of Frank Sinatra's Only the Lonely (Capitol/Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Single-box digital-to-analog converter. Formats supported: all PCM and DSD codecs (AIFF, WAV, DSF, etc.). S/PDIF, AES-3, and optical sampling rates supported: 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192kHz. USB sampling rates supported: the preceding, plus 352.8kHz, 382kHz, 2.8224MHz (1-bit), 5.6448MHz (1-bit). Digital inputs: USB Type B, S/PDIF (RCA), AES-3 (XLR), optical (TosLink). Analog outputs: single-ended (RCA), balanced (XLR). Maximum output voltage: 2.5V. Output impedance: 300 ohms single-ended, 600 ohms balanced. Signal/noise: 124dB. Channel…
The year: 1999. The city: Minneapolis. While taking a break from partying with Prince like it was, well . . . that year, I wandered into a local audio emporium to see what new and exciting goodies were on display. Set up in a large listening room, attached to the latest Mark Levinson gear, were Revel's original Ultima Studio loudspeakers. I sat down, gave them a listen, and heard the best sound I had yet heard. For the first time, it seemed to me that I was listening to an audio system that played with low distortion and little coloration. Also, the system's wide dispersion threw a huge…
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 and Audirvana Plus v.1.5.12 playback software; Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Homage T2 step-up transformer, Shindo Masseto preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Shindo Corton-Charlemagne & Cortese.
Loudspeakers: Altec Valencia, DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96.
Cables: USB: AudioQuest Carbon,…
I experimented with the bass control and found its settings to be very subtle and very useful. With the F208s switched to Boundary, I heard very little loss in overall bass extension, but a useful loss of boom through the mid- and upper bass. Many boundary switches rob speakers of their life, and even impose a kind of haze on the rest of the audioband. Not so the F208—some audiophiles will find the bass switch a very useful feature. Plugging the ports drastically reduced the level and extension of the bass. Perhaps plugging the ports will be helpful in some rooms, but then you might as well…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I examined the Luxman DA-06's electrical performance with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and the January 2008 "As We See It"). Unless stated otherwise, all measurements were performed from the DA-06's balanced outputs. I don't yet have files of DSD-encoded test signals, so the DA-06's measured performance was assessed with PCM-encoded files, with sample rates extending up to 384kHz.
The Luxman's performance via its USB port was tested using my 2012-vintage Apple MacBook Pro. Apple's USB Prober utility identified the Luxman as having the…