Description: Solid-state monoblock power amplifier. Input impedance: 200k ohms balanced, 100k ohms unbalanced. Common-mode rejection (balanced only): 60Hz, 90dB; 10kHz, 70dB. Continuous power output: 1000W into 8, 4, or 2 ohms. Peak power: 1000W into 8 ohms, 2000W into 4 ohms, 4000W into 2 ohms (all equivalent to 30dBW). THD, 8 ohms: 0.0006%, 20Hz–2kHz; 0.0025% at 20kHz. THD, 4 ohms: 0.0008%, 20Hz–2kHz; 0.0030% at 20kHz. THD, 2 ohms: 0.0012%, 20Hz–2kHz; 0.0045% at 20kHz. Frequency response: 0.015Hz–200kHz, –3dB. Voltage gain: 26dB. Equivalent input noise (EIN),…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn turntable & Castellon stand; Döhmann Helix 1 turntable, Schröder CB tonearm; Lyra Atlas & Atlas SL & Etna & Etna SL, Ortofon Anna & A95, Miyajima Laboratory Zero (mono) & Madake, Gold Note Tuscany cartridges.
Digital Sources: Audio Alchemy DDSPro CD transport; Simaudio Moon Evolution 780D streaming DAC; Lynx Hilo A/D–D/A converter; Meridian Sooloos Digital Media System; Pure Vinyl, Vinyl Studio software.
Preamplification: Ypsilon MC-10L & MC-16L step-up transformers; Ypsilon…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Because of the Boulder 2150's bulk and weight—319 lbs in its shipping crate—I wouldn't have been able to get it down the stairs to my test lab, much less back up those stairs. So I packed up my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It") and the PC I use to control it, along with analog and digital oscilloscopes, test loads, and all the cables I would need, and drove to Michael Fremer's lair, in deepest, darkest New Jersey.
There, I had a couple of problems. Usually, before doing any testing of a power amplifier, I precondition it…
On the final day of the show, our special guest, ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro and our very own Jason Victor Serinus came together to form the most unlikely of duos. We originally attempted to film this while in a moving gondola but were sternly prohibited from doing so by the gondola ride manager.
Though you may only know him as an invaluable member of Stereophile's writing staff, Jason also happens to be a whistler extraordinaire! He's "the Voice of Woodstock" in the Peanuts cartoon, She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown, was inducted into the Whistler's Hall of Fame, and has been…
On Saturday January 28, 10am–7pm, and Sunday January 29, 11am–5pm, the Paragon Sight & Sound Fine Audio Show will present world-class, high-performance, home-audio products in the private rooms of Chicago's world-renowned Symphony Center (220 South Michigan Avenue). Visitors will able to experience four unique digital and analog audio systems. Each floor has two featured systems, and our manufacturing partners will rotate their system presentations every 30 minutes. The first 200 guests each day will receive a complimentary Blue Tofu CD.
Featured manufacturers include: Wilson Audio (…
Saturday January 28, 1–6pm, Esoteric Audio (111 West Monroe Street, Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85003) is presenting the first public showing of the DS Audio DS 002 Optical Phono Cartridge System. This is a lower-priced version of the DS Audio Master1 that Michael Fremer reviewed for Stereophile in September 2015. Esoteric says that the complete DS 002 system (cartridge and supporting electronics) will cost less than what many spend on a cartridge alone.
In addition to the DS 002, Esoteric will introduce the Hana line of cartridges from Japan. And will show off the top-of-the-line Hana SL low-…
Never in the history of our venerable "Records To Die For" feature has the word Die come to mean as much as it has in the past year. Merle Haggard, Phife Dawg, Rudy Van Gelder, Maurice White, Glenn Frey, Otis Clay, Blowfly, Bob Cranshaw, George Martin, Steve Young, Chips Moman, Lonnie Mack, Prince, Leonard Cohen, Sharon Jones, Leon Russell, Ralph Stanley, David Bowie—all died in the past year. So to drive away any evil spirits that may be hovering over this year's R2D4 extravaganza, we may need to think of this 2017 installment more as "Records to Live For."
The overall idea is fairly…
David R. Adler
Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucía: Passion, Grace & Fire
Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucía, acoustic guitars
Columbia 38645 (LP). 1983. Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco de Lucía, prods.; Dennis MacKay, others, engs. AAA. TT: 31:49
Fusion guitar connotes amps cranked to 11, but John McLaughlin was deep into an all-acoustic phase when he partnered with Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucía for this studio session. It's more than just some of the most pyrotechnic playing you'll hear—there's a wondrous precision and nuance in…
Jana Dagdagan
Kidkanevil & Daisuke Tanabe: Kidsuke
Project Mooncircle PMC107 (2 LPs). 2012. Gerard Roberts, Daisuke Tanabe, Rod Buchanan-Dunlop, mix; Sven Friederichs, mastering. AAA. TT: 46:27
I first fell in love with the UK's Kidkanevil (Gerard Roberts) and Japan's Daisuke Tanabe separately, while scouring a massive list of Red Bull Music Academy artists. Discovering their collaborative project Kidsuke turned my entire world upside down. Combine Kidkanevil's driving hip-hop feel with Tanabe's supreme intricacy, and the result is an unparalleled beat-…
Jon Iverson
Yello: Toy
Polydor 4782160 (24/48 PCM download). 2016. Yello, prods.; Boris Blank, eng. DDD. TT: 61:04
This is the thick, frosty chocolate milkshake of your sonic dreams. Toy will light up any audiophile system (and your earbuds) with an aural sweetness and luxuriant flavor that push out the soundstage walls for miles and reach as deep down into dark-chocolate depths as recordings can go. All of which would be a terrible waste if there weren't so much rich, creamy songwriting at the heart of these frothily arranged tunes. And yes, there are…