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Sumiko Blue Point Special phono cartridge

The voting was very close; all five products are bargain-basement winners. The Comet and AMC, in particular, are shoo-in recommendations to non-audiophiles who might be tempted by high-end sound quality. But it was Sumiko's Blue Point Special phono cartridge that nosed ahead in the voting. There were some early doubts over its manufacturing consistency, but this high-performance, bodiless, high-output MC has turned out to be a safe recommendation to anyone with a yen for better sound from vinyl. "Open, dynamic,…

Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Signature preamplifier

1993 was a strong year for both innovation and good sound. Every contender was unbelievably strong. Yet it was the mighty C.A.T. preamp that nosed ahead of the others to get the ultimate crown. Kudos to its designer, Ken Stevens. We can't wait to hear his long-awaited power amplifier.

Runners-Up (in alphabetical order)

C.E.C. TL 1 CD transport
Jadis Defy-7 Mk.II power amplifier
Mark Levinson No.31 CD transport
Thiel CS3.6 loudspeaker
Symphonic-Line RG-8 cartridge…

One day I got a letter from right here in Austin, from a 15-year-old audiophile named Chris. Chris sounded like a good li'l guy, so I called him up and suggested we go grab a burger…

Linn Sondek LP12 turntable ($1395–$2745 depending on finish and power-supply option; reviewed by Larry Greenhill, Vol.7 No.2, Spring 1984; Martin Colloms, Vol.13 No.3, March 1990; John Atkinson, Vol.14 No.1, January 1991, & Vol.16 No.11, November 1993; and Corey Greenberg, Vol.16 No.12, December 1993 Review)

I first heard the Linn Sondek in the fall of 1976, having recently given up my musician career (it's probably more accurate to say that it gave me up) and exchanged my Fender bass for a typewriter and the lowly position of copy/news editor at…

Description: MASH single-bit 4x-oversampling CD player. Frequency response: 5Hz–20kHz ±0.5dB. S/N ratio: 106dB. Separation: >100dB. Output level: 2V RMS. Output impedance: 120 ohms.
Dimensions: 16.5" (420mm) W by 3.3" (84mm) H by 9.8" (250mm) D. Weight: 11.6 lbs (5.25kg).
Price: $299 (1992); no longer available (2017). Approximate number of dealers: 300.
Manufacturer: NAD Electronics International, 633 Granite Court, Pickering, Ontario L1W 3K1, Canada (2017). Tel: (905) 831-6555. Fax: (905) 831-6936. Web: www.nadelectronics.com.

Just about the only change I've made to my system has been replacing VTL's Compact 160 monoblocks with their larger KT90-version Deluxe 225s; I need more juice than the 160s were able to swing, and the triode-wired Deluxe 225s are just the ticket. The new 225s extend the virtues of the Compact 160s (triode mode only for these amps) further in nearly every direction, with even clearer midrange textures and Amazing Space. And as the new VTLs are too big to fit on the books I had the 160s sitting on, I've got the 225s up on sky-blue plastic milk crates…

Unlike those of the other players reviewed in this issue, the NAD's measurements give us something to talk about—but not much. In fig.1 the left channel (solid line) shows a very small HF rolloff—down about 0.4dB at 20kHz. The right channel is a bit flatter, and there's a small (0.25dB) difference between the channels. Fig.2 plots a de-emphasis response which shows a slight rolloff at the top end (slightly more pronounced in the left channel, consistent with the overall top-end rolloff of the machine shown in fig.1). The squarewave response (fig.3) is virtually…

When I measured the original sample of EAR's $6795 Acute Classic CD player (serial no. 615-002-A550), for Art Dudley's review of it in the February 2017 issue, I found that its output with 0dBFS data at 1kHz and its volume control set to its maximum was 6.59V from the balanced output, 6.52V from the unbalanced output, and 3.26V from the headphone output. When EAR's Tim de Paravicini read the preprint of the review (we send these so that the manufacturer or distributor can submit a comment for publication), he felt that there may have…

At first glance, EAR's Acute Classic CD player ($6795) offers a great deal: USB input, 24-bit/192kHz Wolfson DAC, tubed gain stage, custom output transformers, and the pedigree of having been designed by Tim de Paravicini, one of audio engineering's true giants (literally as well as figuratively: he's exceedingly tall). All that plus casework that's as pretty as it is reasonably sized (17" wide by 3" high by 12" deep, and weighing less than 18 lbs), and a price that, while not cheerfully cheap, is not beyond the credit limits of mortal…