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"Saying that Sutherland Engineering builds a nice line of phono stages is like saying that the Porsche 911 Carrera is a nice line of sports cars." So began my review of Sutherland's PhonoBlock in the January 2012 issue. I went on to note that similar philosophies underpin both product lines, and to link the cost-no-object PhonoBlock ($10,000/pair) with the GT2 RS ($245,000), then the pinnacle of Porsche's 911 family. It's now 2017, and though Sutherland and Porsche have both gone through a complete development cycle and replaced their flagship models, the analogy still holds true.
The Duos' definition of edges, on the other hand, was noticeably different from that of other Sutherland preamps, which I've felt emphasized coherence over sharpness. The Duos' images were instead bounded with what seemed like a perfect combination of coherence and definition. Those images sounded three-dimensional, solid, tangible—I had the strong feeling that I could walk between, around, and behind the musicians. Compared to most other preamps I've heard, it was the Duos' coherence that was most striking. Compared with other Sutherlands, I was most struck by their openness and…
Throughout the summer and fall of 2016, I worked on a project with Stereophile contributor Sasha Matson, recording, editing, mixing, and mastering—for release on 180gm LP, CD, and high-resolution download—an album of works that Sasha had composed for various chamber ensembles: Tight Lines. As you can read in the article we published about this project, for the vinyl release we decided not to master the discs directly from the hi-rez files, but to create an intermediate analog tape master. Feeling that audiophiles would want an LP that at some stage was "analog," we therefore needed to choose…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-box phono preamplifier. Inputs: one pair (RCA). Outputs: one pair (RCA). Gain (user-selectable): 40, 46, 52, 58, 64dB. Cartridge loading (user-selectable): 100, 200, 475, 1k, and 47k ohms. Power consumption: 15Wpc.
Dimensions: Each case: 17" (430mm) W by 2.5" (65mm) H by 12" (305mm) D. Weight, each case: 11 lbs (5kg) net, 19 lbs (8.6kg) shipping.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 1060, 1061.
Price: $4000. Approximate number of dealers: 7.
Manufacturer: Sutherland Engineering, 455 E. 79th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64131. Tel: (816…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Source: Primare CD 31 CD player.
Analog Sources: Spiral Groove SG-2 turntable & Centroid tonearm, VPI HR-X turntable & tonearm; Grado Signature Reference phono cartridge.
Preamplification: Placette Active, Simaudio Moon Evolution 850P, Sutherland Line Blocks & Direct line stages; Sutherland PhonoBlock phono preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.20.6, Simaudio Moon Evolution 880M, VTL Ichiban monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Sophia II.
Cables: Nordost Valhalla & Valhalla 2, Audience Au…
I stayed with Music for almost all my listening. But without a preamp in the system, and using instead the QX-5's volume control, the balance was definitely on the forward side even after two weeks of continuous use. If not quite "ruthlessly revealing," as the cliché has it, the Ayre taken directly into the MBL Corona C15 monoblocks driving the Rockport Avior II speakers resulted in a slightly relentless quality. In part this was due to the MBLs, but with Giuliano Carmignola and Mayumi Hirasaki's brisk performance of J.S. Bach's Double Violin Concerto, BWV 1043, accompanied by Concerto Köln…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Sutherland Duo phono preamplifier using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com, and the January 2008 "As We See It"). As always with phono stages, I experimented with the grounding between the Sutherland and the Audio Precision system to get the lowest level of noise, though the Duo's twin enclosures made this more complicated than usual. I ended up floating the Audio Precision's outputs from ground and connecting both Duos' grounding posts to the analyzer ground.
The Duo preserved absolute polarity, and the output impedance was a…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Network-connected D/A processor with volume control. Digital inputs: 2 AES/EBU (XLR), 3 75-ohm coaxial (BNC), 3 TosLink, 2 USB (Type B), 1 Ethernet. Analog outputs: 1 pair balanced (XLR), 1 pair unbalanced (RCA), 3 headphone (¼" and 3.5mm, unbalanced; 2x3.5mm, balanced). AyreLink communication system. Digital formats supported: 16/20/24 bits/44.1–384kHz PCM; DSD64/128 (DoP). Frequency response and THD+N: not specified. Maximum output level: 4.5V RMS (balanced), 2.25V (unbalanced), line outputs; 9V (balanced), 4.5V (unbalanced), headphone outputs.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Aurender N10 music server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; Chord DAVE DAC; PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A converter with Bridge II network adapter; Ayre Acoustics QB-9DSD USB DAC; AudioQuest JitterBug, UpTone Audio ReGen USB cleaner-uppers; Mac mini running Pure Music 3, Audirvana, Tidal HiFi, Vinyl Studio, Roon 1.3 apps; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB ADC; NetGear router.
Preamplifier: Ayre Acoustics KX-5 Twenty.
Power Amplifiers: MBL Corona C15 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins 805 D3, Dynaudio Contour…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"), using both the Audio Precision's optical and electrical digital outputs, USB data sourced from my MacBook Pro running on battery power with Pure Music 3.0 playing WAV and AIFF test-tone files, and via Ethernet with Roon 1.3 playing the same files. Apple's USB Prober utility identified the Ayre as "Ayre USB Interface" from "Ayre Acoustics," and the serial number as "Streamlength(tm)." The QX-5's USB port operated in the optimal isochronous…