I admit, I felt uneasy about my impending audio blind date: Not only…
search
I've known Peder Bäckman, international sales director for the German firm Audio Video Manufaktur GmbH (AVM), for many years, ever since he worked with Electrocompaniet. When I told him that I was looking for products to review in the reference system in my new 20' by 16' by 9' music room, he invited me to browse AVM's large catalog and see what tickled my fancy. In consultation with John Atkinson, it became clear that AVM's largest, most powerful monoblock amplifier, the Ovation MA8.2 ($29,990/pair), seemed a good fit.
Because taking action based on both men's observations could only improve the system's sound, I phoned our audiophile-friendly electrician, Hans Frederickson, as well as Kevin Street, the maximally responsive field supervisor of our Public Utility District No.1 here in Jefferson County. Switching around the breaker-panel wiring happened within the week, but it took three days for my audio-system components to completely settle back in.
If I then didn't hear much of a difference, that was because the main source of noise turned out to be the rusted-out mess of a 35-kilovolt-amp…
Some of our readers seem to believe that the essence of high-quality audio is disclosed primarily by science, and not by dreamy, bodice-ripping adventures that take place on plush carpets behind closed doors. Perhaps they're right. Unfortunately, I have had no personal experiences that confirm that hypothesis.
It also appears that some hard-core audiophiles think that recordings of music are simply tools for playing their gear. I believe that the gear and the recordings are both tools that reveal how I—and people in China, Africa, Alabama, and Detroit—feel about being stuck here…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state (MOSFET) monoblock power amplifier. Inputs: 1 balanced (XLR), 1 unbalanced (RCA). Power output: 600W into 8 ohms (27.8dBW), 1100W into 4 ohms (27.4dBW), 1750W into 2 ohms (26.4dBW). Frequency range: 0.3Hz–400kHz. Voltage gain: 30dB. Input impedance: 20k ohms balanced, 10k ohms unbalanced. Damping factor (8 ohms): >1000. THD (1kHz at 25W into 4 ohms): <0.005%. Signal/noise (ref. 25W into 4 ohms): >100dB, A-weighted.
Dimensions: 17.1" (435mm) W by 9.8" (250mm) H by 16.5" (420mm) D. Weight: 92.6 lbs (42kg) net, 107 lbs (48.5kg…
The first sound I heard, from Masked and Anonymous, was the explosive voice of John Goodman, saying, "Man has the mind of God but a body of dust . . . God does not suffer!" Next came Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages," performed (and sung in Japanese) by the Magokoro Brothers. One line into the next track—Shirley Caesar singing Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody"—and I was laughing at the amount of change I heard. I was also worried about how to tell you about it. Sure, there was less noise, more dark and empty space, less hashy veiling, etc. What's most difficult to describe was how the music seemed…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: dCS Paganini SACD/CD transport & Rossini DAC & Scarlatti clock; Oppo Digital BDP-93 NuForce Edition universal BD player; Apple MacBook Pro with Intel i7, SSD, 8GB RAM; external hard drives, USB sticks.
Power Amplifiers: Pass Labs XA200.8 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (FireWire, Ethernet), Nordost Odin 1, Odin 2, & Valhalla 2 (USB). Interconnect: Nordost Odin 2. Speaker: Nordost Odin 2. AC: Nordost Odin 2.
Accessories: Grand Prix Monaco rack &…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the hefty Ovation MA8.2 monoblock with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Before doing any testing of a power amplifier, I precondition it by running it at one-third its specified power into 8 ohms for 60 minutes. (With an amplifier having a class-B or -AB output stage, this power level results in the highest thermal stress on the output devices.) After an hour driving 200W into 8 ohms, the temperature of the MA8.2's heatsinks was a moderate 125°F (51.6°C), and its the top panel was warm, at 107.8°F (42.1°C). The…
Put the expression "crate-diggers" into any sentence and it will catch my eye. The Warner Music Group has launched Run Out Groove, a new fan-driven, vinyl-only label that is going to let the public, or more accurately the crate-diggers among us, choose which records from the WMG trove of labels this new label will release. WMG, don't forget, owns the catalogs of Atlantic, Warner Bros., Reprise, Elektra, Sire, and Rykodisc, so the choices here are nearly endless.
According to WMG publicist Chris Macowski, the material to be voted on will either be unreleased tracks, out-of-print records,…
Hankering for recorded music that is witty, engaging, and filled with surprises—music written with a twinkle in the eye? Check out the Spencer Myer's new Steinway & Sons recording of the Piano Rags of William Bolcom (b. 1938). Also available as a hi-rez download, Myer's delightful takes on Bolcom's rags dispel any notion that the rag is a predictable but ultimately limited art form.
In Jed Distler's too-short liner notes—I wish they had given this eloquent piano expert more space, but the CD issue doesn't even mention that all but two tracks on the recording were captured in 24/192…
"For years, I had a terrible listening situation," guitarist Adam Rogers recalls. "I had a Vector Research amplifier that the guys at the hi-fi store called 'Victim Research.' I'd fallen into the contemporary trap of listening to music on computer speakers or headphones, all the while feeling that at some point I would like to invest in a great listening scenario."
Adam Rogers is one of most astute and industrious players in the world of jazz, a native New Yorker who has seen every era of the Big Apple music scene, and risen to become one of the best guitar players in the world, bar none…