I measured the PS Audio Stellar M700 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Before performing any tests of an amplifier, I usually precondition it by running it at one-third the clipping power into 8 ohms for an hour. As the Stellar M700 has a class-D output stage, this was not necessary. But I did take the temperature of its case: the top panel was slightly warm, at 80°F (30°C). The voltage gain into 8 ohms was 30.5dB for both the balanced and unbalanced inputs, and the M700 preserved absolute polarity (ie, was non-inverting…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: "Red Book" CD player with DAC and network streamer/file player. Tube complement: one AVM803. Formats supported: AAC, AIFF, ALAC, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, FLAC, MP3, OGG Vorbis, WAV, WMA. Digital inputs: 1 Ethernet, 1 USB Type B, 2 USB Type A (1 for music files, 1 for firmware updates), 4 S/PDIF (2 RCA, 2 TosLink), 1 AES/EBU (XLR). Digital outputs: 2 S/PDIF (1 RCA, 1 TosLink). Analog outputs: 1 balanced (XLR), 1 single-ended (RCA). Frequency response (CD): 20Hz–20kHz. Output voltage: 2.5V. Signal/noise: >110dB. Crosstalk attenuation: >120dB. THD: <0…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Garrard 301, Thorens TD 124 turntables; Audio-Creative GrooveMaster II, EMT 997, Swissonor TA10 tonearms; EMT TSD 15, Ortofon SPU #1S pickup heads; Denon DL-103 cartridge, with/without MusiKraft body.
Digital Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly, Halide Design DAC HD USB DACs; Apple iMac computer (late 2015) running OS 10.12.1 & Roon v.1.3, build 269; Sony SCD-777 SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 & T2 step-up transformers; EMIA Phono transformer (copper); Shindo Laboratory Monbrison (2017) preamplifier.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the AVM Ovation MP 8.2 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"), using both the Audio Precision's optical and electrical digital outputs and USB data sourced from my MacBook Pro running on battery power with Pure Music 3.0 playing WAV and AIFF test-tone files. I measured the behavior with both the MP 8.2's Steep and Smooth reconstruction filters in "native" mode, the output level set to "fixed," and the USB port set to Type 2. Apple's USB Prober utility identified the AVM as "AVM Class 2 Audio" from "XMOS," and the…
While it's the insistent cowbell and the pounded piano chords that catch your attention first, eventually it's the horns followed by just Hugh Masekela's flugelhorn that makes his most famous jam, "Grazing in the Grass," such an infectious single, one that hit #1 in the US in the tumultuous year of 1968. After a long career in music and political activism that made him the "Father of South African Jazz," Masekela died from prostate cancer on Tuesday, January 23 at the age of 78.
> Born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank South Africa, Masekela was, in the late 1950s, an original member of the…
Notwithstanding the twists and turns of Japanese corporate culture, the status of Technical Audio Devices Laboratories, Inc. remains unchanged. Founded in 1975 as a subsidiary of Pioneer to build loudspeakers for the professional market, TAD remains part of that corporation, even after the recent sale of Pioneer's home-audio division to Onkyo.
TAD has long been a highly respected name in pro audio, and for decades sold exclusively to that market. But 16 years ago, when they introduced a speaker designed for the home market—the Reference One—its five-figure price raised eyebrows in a…
In my months of living with the ME1s, I can't recall a single instance of obvious midrange problems with otherwise good recordings. Instrumental timbres were convincingly reproduced, as were the voices of a wide range of singers, well known and obscure, such as Holly Cole, Norah Jones, Cyndee Peters, Sophie Zelmani, Sinne Eeg (the last two first heard on The DALI CD Vol.3, a sampler demo disc from Danish loudspeaker maker DALI), Muddy Waters, Leo Kottke, Leonard Cohen, the King's Singers, and many others. My in-room measurements (footnote 2) did show a peak just above 150Hz—which is either…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" beryllium-dome tweeter, 3.5" midrange with magnesium cone (concentric); 6.5", slot-loaded MACC woofer. Crossover frequencies: 420Hz, 2.5kHz, slopes N/A. Frequency range: 36Hz–60kHz. Sensitivity: 85dB/2.83V/m (anechoic). Impedance: 4 ohms. Maximum amplification: 150W.
Dimensions: 16.2" (411mm) H by 9.9" (251mm) W by 15.8" (402mm) D. Weight: 44.1 lbs (20kg). Optional stand: 25.7" (652mm) H by 14.8" (376mm) W by 18.1" (460mm) D. Weight: 35.3 lbs (16kg).
Finishes: Gloss Piano…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Source: Marantz UD7007 universal 3D BD player.
Preamplification: Balanced Audio Technology BAT VK-23SE preamplifier, Marantz AV8802A surround preamplifier-processor.
Power Amplifiers: Balanced Audio Technology BAT VK-255SE, Proceed AMP5 (five-channel).
Loudspeakers: Monitor Audio Silver 10, Revel B15 subwoofer.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Kable AGDL. Interconnect: Cardas Hexlink. Speaker: Monster Cable M1.5. AC: manufacturers' own.—Thomas J. Norton
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the TAD Micro Evolution One's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. My estimate of the TAD's sensitivity was 86.2dB(B)/2.83V/m, slightly higher than the specified figure of 85dB. Fig.1 shows how the impedance and electrical phase vary with frequency. Though the impedance has a minimum value of 3.9 ohms between 120 and 155Hz, and there's a combination of 5 ohms and –43° phase angle at 33Hz, the ME1 is a relatively easy load for…