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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…

Multichannel maven Kal Rubinson reviews three-channel amplifiers from ATI and budget specialists Monoprice; vinyl champion Mikey Fremer auditions a new turntable from the designer of the superb Continuum LP player; Larry Greenhill cleans up his power with a tidy…

In 1992, just before Christmas, I sent out 24 copies of Jimmy Scott's newly released CD, All the Way, to friends, musical and otherwise. Most did not respond, but the eight or ten who did were on fire. "What is this?" "Who is this?" "How did I not know about this woman until now…