Analog Sources: Kuzma Stabi S & Stogi turntable & tonearm; Music Hall MMF-7.3 turntable; Denon DL-103 (MC), Goldring Elite (MC), Ortofon 2M Bronze (MM) cartridges.
Digital Sources: Apple MacBook computer running Audirvana Plus; LG BD550 BD player (as transport); Halide DAC HD, Mytek HiFi Manhattan, PS Audio NuWave DACs; Western Digital T2 Mirror Drives (2).
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 A23 moving-coil step-up transformer, Heed Quasar phono preamplifier, Shindo Laboratory Allegro preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Shindo Laboratory Haut-…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Naim Uniti Nova using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It") and before I did so, I installed the Naim app on my iPad mini and used it to reset the Naim to the factory default settings. (The Uniti had no trouble logging on to my WiFi network.) 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. However, the Naim turned itself off after 15 minutes, displaying the message "Over temperature, please wait for the product to cool down."…
The Nonesuch Records CD Steve Reich: Pulse / Quartet arrived with its sonic bonus unheralded. With no MQA designation on the album cover or disc, few would have known of its MQA provenance had not posts appeared on Facebook that, when inserted in a player capable of decoding MQA, it can deliver high-resolution MQA.
Now that I've heard the MQA-encoded FLAC files courtesy of Nonesuch (owned by "Big Three Major" Warner Music), I can attest that there's every reason in the world to hear this disc in the best-sounding format available to you. The "Masters"/MQA version can also be streamed on…
Sunday, February 25 at 2pm, audiophile-fave-rave pianist Hyperion Knight will perform a program of Bach, Beethoven, and Gershwin at the First Baptist Church in America (75 North Main Street Providence, RI 02903). The church is a short (seven minutes) walk from the Providence Amtrak (train) station. The starting time of the recital was chosen to make it possible for music lovers from New York City to Boston to arrive and depart with the least fuss possible. The recital will be open to the public, and free of charge.
Presented by erstwhile Stereophile columnist John Marks, who returns to…
During the hour preceding my removal of the KEF LS50 loudspeakers from their spiked, rough-iron stands, I was lost in the recurring still moments, reverberating tones, and contemplative spirit of Sir John Tavener's Eis Thanaton and Theophany, in the recording by soprano Patricia Rozario, bass Stephen Richardson, and Richard Hickox conducting the City of London Sinfonia (CD, Chandos CHAN 9440).
After replacing the LS50s with the not-yet-broken-in KEF Q350s, I restarted Eis Thanaton. Three minutes in I was staring blankly, eyes closed, swaying slowly in my seat, astounded by how much…
The Q350s really liked tubes, especially push-pull EL34s. With the PrimaLuna Prologue Premium stereo amplifier ($2199) and preamplifier ($2199), the modest KEFs' bass was less taut, but they delivered a fleshy, organic-feeling midrange and elegant, delectable highs. The PrimaLuna amplification had a satisfying way of filling out the Q350's tendency toward thinness. The combo made male and female voices—such as those of Furia Zanasi and Ximena Biondo of La Chimera, in their Buenos Aires Madrigal: Argentine Tangos & Italian Madrigals (CD, MA M063A)—feel more embodied and tonally complex,…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, bass reflex, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: a single Uni-Q coincident driver array comprising a 1" (25mm) vented aluminum-dome tweeter and 6.5" (165mm) aluminum-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 2.5kHz with first-order slopes. Frequency response: 63Hz–28kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 87dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 3.7 ohms minimum.
Dimensions: 14.1" (358mm) H by 8.3" (210mm) W by 12.1" (306mm) D. Weight 16.75 lbs (7.6kg).
Finishes: White with silver drivers, black with black drivers.
Serial numbers of units reviewed…
Sidebar 2: Associated Components
Analog Sources: AMG Giro G9, MoFi Electronics UltraDeck turntables & tonearms; EMT TSD 75, Koetsu Rosewood Standard, Miyajima Saboten, MoFi Electronics MasterTracker cartridges.
Digital Sources: Mytek HiFi Manhattan II, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DACs; Integra DPS-7.2 DVD player (used as CD transport).
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 (for EMT TSD 75), Bob's Devices CineMag 1131, Dynavector SUP-200, Lounge Audio Copla JFET-MC step-up transformers; Lounge Audio LCR Mk.III RIAA, Parasound Halo JC 3+, Tavish Design Adagio phono preamplifiers;…
I got an e-mail last summer from my colleague Tyll Hertsens, editor of our InnerFidelity website. "Recently reviewed and really liked the new MrSpeakers Æon," he wrote. "They're a little rough-sounding as sealed headphones tend to be, but the tonal balance is superb. I got three in for review to make sure they're consistent. After measurements I asked [MrSpeakers'] Dan Clark if I could forward them to you because I like them so much and thought you should hear them. . . . I really think you may enjoy them."
I've never been a fan of close-backed cans, although I used to use a pair of Sony…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the KEF Q350's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield responses. My estimate of the KEF's sensitivity was 86.6dB(B)/2.83V/m, which is within experimental error of the specified 87dB. Though the impedance magnitude (fig.1, solid trace) drops just below 4 ohms at 180Hz and there is a combination of 5 ohms and a –39° electrical phase angle at 125Hz, the speaker is a relatively easy load for the partnering amplifier. This graph was taken with the port…