Description: Three-way, vented box loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) decoupled carbon-dome tweeter, 6" (150mm) woven Continuum- cone, FST midrange unit, three 6.5" (165mm) Aerofoil Profile woofers. Crossover frequencies: 350Hz (third-order HP/LP), 4kHz (second-order LP, first-order HP). Frequency range: 28Hz–33kHz, –6dB. Frequency response: 45Hz–28kHz, ±3dB on reference axis. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/m. Harmonic distortion (second and third harmonics, 90dB, 1m): <1%, 86Hz–28kHz; <0.5%, 110Hz–20kHz. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 3.1 ohms minimum. Recommended…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Oppo Digital BDP-105 universal BD player; Baetis Prodigy X PC-based music server running JRiver Media Center 23; exaSound e38, Mytek HiFi Brooklyn DACs; QNAP TVS-873 NAS.
Preamplifiers: Audio Research MP1, Parasound Halo P 7, SPL SMC 7.1.
Power Amplifiers: Classé Sigma Mono (monoblocks), Parasound Halo A 31 (three-channel).
Loudspeakers: .
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Carbon (USB). Interconnect: AudioQuest Earth/DBS balanced, Kubala-Sosna Fascination balanced (subwoofer) & Anticipation (RCA), VoVox Sonorus Muco (XLR to…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure 7the Bowers & Wilkins 702 S2's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. My estimate of the B&W's sensitivity was a high 90.2dB(B)/2.83V/m, confirming the specified 90dB. The 702 S2's nominal impedance is specified as 8 ohms, with a minimum value of 3.1 ohms. My measurement of the impedance magnitude (fig.1, solid trace) reveals that while the impedance does lie at and above 8 ohms in the low treble and in two regions in the bass,…
When I asked NAD for a sample of their Masters Series M50.2 digital music player, which I reviewed in the December 2017 issue, they also sent me a Masters Series M32 DirectDigital integrated amplifier, which had also been introduced at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show. Costing $3999, the M32 offers a continuous power output of >150W into 8 or 4 ohms. The M32 is the same size as the M50.2, and its smart-looking combination of matte black and gray-anodized aluminum panels make it look identical to the player, except for the black volume-control knob to the right of the front panel's four-…
After years playing musical instruments, I have finally gotten adept at tapping three beats in the bar with one hand against four in the other; on a good day with the wind behind me, I can even manage five against four. But most days, the tapping quickly degenerates into an arrhythmic mess. Similarly, good amplifiers and speakers can preserve polyrhythmic intricacies in music after lesser products have stopped making musical sense. The underlying groove of "Ascension Day," from Talk Talk's Laughing Stock (16/44.1 rip from UK CD, Verve 847-717-2), was recorded in a fairly reverberant space…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Remote-controlled, network-connected D/A integrated amplifier. Standard: Analog inputs: 2 pairs RCA (line), 1 pair RCA (phono). Digital input: USB Type B. Analog outputs: 1 pair unbalanced (RCA), 1¼" stereo headphone jack, 4 pairs speaker binding posts. Digital outputs: 1 TosLink, 1 coaxial S/PDIF. Optional modules included on review sample: MDC DD S/PDIF provides AES/EBU, 2 TosLink, 2 coaxial S/PDIF; MDC DD-BluOS provides Bluetooth, Ethernet, 2 USB Type A. Supported file formats: MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, WMA-L, FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, MQA. Supported…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: NAD Masters Series M50.2, Roon Nucleus+ digital players; Mac mini laptop running Roon 1.3, iPad mini running Roon, Bluesound apps; Meridian 518 format converter; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP disc player.
Integrated Amplifier: Luxman L-509X.
Power Amplifiers: Lamm M1.2 Reference monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: KEF LS50, Rogers LS3/5a, Sonus Faber Guarneri Tradition, TAD ME1, GoldenEar Technology Triton Reference, Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Coffee (USB) & Vodka (Ethernet), Canare (15', AES/EBU), DH…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Masters Series M32 DirectDigital using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Usually, before I test an amplifier, I precondition it with both channels driving a 1kHz tone at one-third power into 8 ohms for an hour. This thermally stresses an amplifier with a conventional class-AB output stage, but as the NAD is a class-D design, this wasn't appropriate. Even so, before doing any testing I ran it for an hour at a moderate power level, to ensure that it was fully warmed up. Because class-D amplifiers emit relatively…
Constellation’s Irv Gross (right) welcomes Jason to the Precision Audio room.
On Saturday April 14, I followed Jason Victor Serinus around AXPONA with my video camera while he played recordings from MA and John Atkinson.
We first visited a room hosted by retailer Precision Audio featuring MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A loudspeakers ($24,995/pair), a Continuum Audio Labs Obsidian turntable ($35,000) with Viper tonearm ($10,000), Constellation Audio Taurus monoblock power amplifiers ($39,000/pair), a Constellation Andromeda phono stage ($18,000), a Constellation Pictor…
In a definite sign of the times, Sony Classical is poised to bring the 60-year old classic RCA Victor Living Stereo series to streaming, hi-rez download, and social media platforms. Beginning on Friday April 27, and lasting for two months, Living Stereo playlists—Living Stereo Spectaculars, Living Stereo Top 50, and Living Stereo Deep Cuts among them—will stream on Apple Music, Spotify, and Deezer.
Since Sony also lists HDTracks as a source for its catalog, I presume that it, too, would have been listed as a streaming site had its long-anticipated streaming service actually launched in…