I wrote the above paragraph only minutes after making the swap. Now, as I type this paragraph, I'm listening to "The Transritualistic Object Reveals Itself," from percussionists David Philipson and Mark…
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I played this setup every day and never once questioned its verity, charm, or competence. It sounded so detailed and lively that I had zero motivation to swap out the XA25 for the GT-102. I mean, jeez Louise—should I even bother to drive a $7700 pair of speakers with a $488 amp? How could a lowly kit possibly compare to the most dynamic-, true-, transparent-sounding amp I'd ever used?
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Class-AB stereo power amplifier with LM3886 power-amplifier integrated circuit, regulated power supply with 10,000µF capacitance. Inputs: 1 pair single-ended (RCA). Outputs: 2 five-way speaker binding posts. Power output: 50Wpc into 8 ohms, nearly 100Wpc into 4 ohms. Frequency response: 5Hz–100kHz, –3dB. Input impedance: 51k ohms. Sensitivity: 1V RMS produces 20.59V RMS output. Slew rate (typical): 14V/µs. Damping factor at 1kHz ref. 8 ohms: >80. Signal/noise: typically 136dB below 50W into 8 ohms, A-weighted.
Dimensions: 15" (380mm) W by 4.5…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: AMG Giro G9, Linn Sondek LP12 Valhalla turntables; SME M2-9 tonearm; AMG Teatro, EMT TSD 75, Koetsu Rosewood Standard cartridges.
Digital Sources: Mac mini computer running Audirvana 3.2; Border Patrol, Mytek HiFi Manhattan II, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil Analogue 2 DACs; Integra DPS-7.2 DVD player used as CD transport.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23, Bob's Devices CineMag 1131, Dynavector SUP-200, My Sonic Lab Stage 1030 MC step-up transformers; Lounge Audio LCR Mk.III RIAA, Tavish Design Adagio phono preamplifiers; Linear Tube Audio…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the AkitikA GT-102 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). 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. However, I ended the preconditioning of the AkitikA after 20 minutes, as the left side of its top panel, above the internal heatsinks, was hot, at 130.2°F (54.6°C), and the bottom panel was too hot to touch, at 169°F (76.6°C). The AkitikA doesn't have sufficient heatsinking for sustained operation at this worst-case power level…
One of the benefits of being a reviewer is that, of the large number of products that pass through my listening room, occasionally there are those that I really would like to see take up more permanent residence. One of these was Wilson Audio Specialties' Alexia loudspeaker, which I reviewed in December 2013. "Its clarity, its uncolored, full-range balance, its flexibility in setup and optimization, and most of all its sheer musicality, are, if not unrivaled, rare," I wrote, and concluded: "If I were to retire tomorrow, the Wilson Alexia would be the speaker I would buy to provide the musical…
I'd begun my auditioning of the original Alexias with David Wilson's own recording of Beethoven's Violin Sonata 10 in G, Op.96, performed by violinist David Abel and pianist Julie Steinberg (24-bit/192kHz needle drop from LP, Wilson Audio W-8315). I wrote that, through the Alexias, "the balance of the instruments was intimate yet unforced. They were reproduced with faithful tone colors—I heard no colorations—and the imaging was such that the musicians seemed to be in my room." My reaction to this recording through the Alexia 2s was the same.
As the sonata drew to a close, Roon suggested…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, four-driver, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) silk-dome tweeter, 7" (178mm) cellulose-fiber/paper pulp-cone midrange, 8" (203mm) paper-cone woofer, 10" (254mm) paper-cone woofer. Crossover frequencies: not given. Frequency response: 19Hz–32kHz, ±3dB, room-averaged response. Sensitivity: 89dB/W/m. Impedance: 4 ohms nominal, 2.54 ohms minimum at 85Hz. Minimum amplifier power: 20Wpc.
Dimensions: 53" (1347mm) H by 15.25" (387.4mm) W by 22.875" (580mm) D. Weight: 260 lb (117.9kg).
Finish: Multiple…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Source: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge.
Digital Sources: NAD Masters Series M50.2, Roon Nucleus+ digital players; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty, PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A converters; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 USB A/D converter.
Preamplification: Channel D Seta L phono preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Bricasti Design M15, Constellation Centaur II 500, Lamm Industries M1.2 Reference (monoblocks).
Integrated Amplifiers: Luxman L-509x…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Wilson Alexia 2's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield and spatially averaged room responses. Because of the speaker's weight, I was unable to raise it off the ground for the measurements, which reduced the resolution of the frequency-response graphs in the midrange. And as with the original Alexia, there was the problem of which axis to place the microphone on for the farfield measurements. I wanted to measure it at my standard 50" microphone…
Herb Reichert reviewed the Joseph Pulsar in July 2018 (Vol.41 No.7):
Ever since loudspeaker designer Jeff Joseph, owner of Joseph Audio, delivered and carefully positioned in my Bed-Stuy bunker a pair of his stand-mounted Pulsar loudspeakers ($7700/pair without stands, serial nos. P-0187L/R), I've been experiencing a new variety of audio pleasure. I'd experienced short, scattered moments of a similar pleasure in Joseph's rooms at various audio shows, but I'd never been able to understand its cause or perceive its full nature until I heard the Pulsars in my home system. As I told Joseph as…