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What better way to start an audio show than with live music? With that in mind, one hour before the official start of the 2017 Montreal Audio Fest, Canadian distributor Plurison hosted, in their capacious display room, a too-brief performance by cellist Vincent Bélanger and singer-pianist Anne Bisson. They performed a few selections from their new LP Conversions—a project that was sponsored by Lily Luo and cable manufacturer XLO. While listening, I remembered something Steve Guttenberg once said (and I'm paraphrasing): How can one expect playback of a piano recording to sound realistic in a…
As Stereophile's true cub reporter—sorry, Herb Reichert, you're senior staff!—I work in the domestic fields of the high-end audio landscape. Meanwhile, my fellow Stereophile correspondents trot the globe, attending international audio shows, experiencing all the sweet spots offered by such far-flung locales as Munich, Montreal, and Northamptonshire, UK. Am I complaining? Not! But when an audio show of merit invades New York City, still the capital of the civilized world, you can believe I'm there on opening day, pen and pad in hand. The first rooms on my must-visit list usually include Audio…
At the top of the Di150 LE's rear panel are two pairs of WBT speaker binding posts. Below those are, from left to right: pairs of unbalanced outputs marked Tape Out and Out; balanced right and left outputs marked R Out and L Out; that tiny HTH toggle; unbalanced HTH, Tape, Tuner, and CD inputs; and two sets of right and left balanced inputs, labeled Bal 1 and Bal 2. In the lower left corner is the IEC mains plug. All balanced outs and ins are XLR plugs and sockets, respectively; unbalanced connections are Neutrik-made RCAs. And each side panel of the Di150 LE is actually a massive heatsink…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state, class-AB, integrated amplifier. Analog inputs: 2 balanced (XLR), 4 unbalanced (RCA). Amplifier outputs: 1 balanced (XLR), 1 unbalanced (RCA), 1 tape (RCA), 1 speaker. Power output: 180Wpc into 8 ohms (22.55dBW), 360Wpc into 4 ohms (22.55dBW, 700Wpc into 2 ohms (22.4dBW). Frequency response: 10Hz–50kHz, ±0.1dB. Distortion: 1kHz, >0.05% (mainly second harmonic). Signal/noise: >100dB, A-weighted. Input impedance: 20k ohms unbalanced, 40k ohms balanced. Line output impedance: 75 ohms unbalanced, 150 ohms balanced. Power consumption:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Kuzma Stabi S turntable & Stogi tonearm; Music Hall MMF-7.3 turntable; Goldring Elite MC, Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridges.
Digital Sources: Apple MacBook computer running Audirvana Plus; Halide DAC HD, PS Audio NuWave DACs; Western Digital T2 Mirror Drives (2), LG BD550 Blu-ray player (as transport).
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 A23 moving-coil step-up transformer, Heed Audio Quasar phono stage, Shindo Laboratory Allegro preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion.
Integrated Amplifier: Heed Audio Elixir…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed a full set of measurements on the GamuT Di150 LE using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). I preconditioned the amplifier by running it with both channels driven at one-third power into 8 ohms for 60 minutes. This is, thermally, the worst situation for an amplifier with a class-B or -AB output stage, as one-third power is when the output transistors dissipate the most heat. At the end of the hour, the side-mounted heatsinks were very hot, with a temperature of 135°F (57.3°C), and the temperature of the top panel was…
When it comes to Focal loudspeakers, I've been a lurker. For decades now, their demonstrations at audio shows have been memorable—a highlight was when, several years ago, I got Focal to play a powerful percussion track through a pair of their Grande Utopias at very high volume on a show's last day. Just to hear and feel how this mammoth system could deliver clarity and impact was awe-inspiring, and it was underscored by seeing folks from all the neighboring rooms quickly entering to enjoy it with me. It has also been a continuing pleasure to relax and listen to music with Stereophile's…
The bass was also better controlled—or was I just adapting to it? Now I took Hurry's advice about the spikes. The Sopra No.3's stainless-steel spikes come pre-installed in the speaker's base of tempered glass—all I had to do was turn the knob at the top of each threaded spike until it protruded through the rubber feet. To protect my floors, I borrowed some of the nice magnetic spike cups from my Bowers & Wilkins 802 D3 loudspeakers that were now lying around unused. I adjusted the spikes with reference to a small bubble level placed on each Sopra's base. It worked: The lowest…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way bass-reflex floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.125" (27mm) pure beryllium inverted-dome tweeter, 6.5" (165mm) W-cone midrange driver, two 8.25" (210mm) W-cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: 250Hz, 2.2kHz. Frequency response: 33Hz–40kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 91.5dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Minimum impedance: 3.1 ohms. Recommended amplification: 40–400W.
Dimensions: 49.8" (1264mm) H by 15.8" (402mm) W by 23.4" (595mm) D. Weight: 154.3 lbs (70kg).
Finishes: Carrara White, Black Lacquer, Imperial Red, Electric Orange,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Oppo Digital BDP-105 universal BD player, Baetis XR3 PC-based music server, exaSound e28 Mk.II DAC, QNAP TS569L NAS.
Preamplifiers: Audio Research MP1, Parasound Halo P 7.
Power Amplifiers: ATi AT543nc, Classé Sigma Mono monoblocks, Monoprice Monolith 3, Parasound Halo A 31.
Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins 802 D3, JL Audio E110 subwoofer.
Cables: Analog Interconnect: AudioQuest Earth/DBS balanced. Digital Interconnect: AudioQuest Vodka (HDMI) & Carbon (USB). Speaker: AudioQuest Granite. AC: AudioQuest NRG-10, JPS…