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Tonearm installed and turntable adjusted, I set about adjusting the UniArm's overhang, lateral tracking angle, arm height, antiskating, downforce, and azimuth. That last one is notable: For whatever reason, the UniArm's sliding-weight adjustment had a much greater effect on azimuth than the outwardly similar adjustment on the Naim Aro. The laminated-paper protractor supplied with the UniArm—the Rega version of which has an effective length of 239.3mm and a headshell offset of 23°—offers separate alignment grids for the Löfgren and Baerwald geometries; results achieved with the latter…
Sidebar: Contacts
Audio Origami, Scotland, UK. Web: www.audioorigami.co.uk. US distributor: Fidelis Music Systems, 460 Amherst Street (Route 101A), Nashua, NH 03063. Tel: (603) 880-4434. Web: www.fidelisav.com
Little Fwend, Jens Bjelkes Gate 47B, 0578 Oslo, Norway. Web: www.littlefwend.com. US distributor: Music Direct, 1811 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Chicago, IL 60660. Tel: (800) 449-8333, (312) 433-0200. Fax: (312) 433-0011. Web: www.musicdirect.com
"I'm a recording engineer, so I value accuracy," said a panelist in a discussion—titled "How to Read Between the Lines of Audio Advertising"—at last October's Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. I, too, was on the panel, which was moderated by Brent Butterworth, a writer for the SoundStage! Network of online audio magazines.
"Accuracy is overrated," I interjected from the other end of the dais. "Accurate to what? To your sonic tastes? To what you hear on your preferred loudspeakers? Other than one's personal preferences, I'm not sure the term accuracy has much meaning."
I then qualified…
Like the 2110, the 2150s produced stable images and clearly defined soundstages with familiar recordings. Inevitably, this meant I heard surprises from some of those recordings—some sounded better, more intense than I'm used to; others sounded more shrill, and/or less enticing in other ways. For instance, Markus Schwartz and Lakou Brooklyn's Equinox, a remarkable digital recording (24-bit/96kHz WAV files, Soundkeeper SR1002) that I wrote about in my review of the Boulder 2110, was intensified by greater transparency, and better edge definition and background "blackness"; other recordings—…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
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),…
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-…