Antoine Dominique Domino Jr., a lifelong native of New Orleans famed Ninth Ward has passed and the music world's connection to early rock 'n' roll has dwindled to the man who always said he'd outlive everyone else: Jerry Lee Lewis.
Fats, who acquired the nickname in the mid-1940s, was a self-…
A mediocre line stage will bring my system down: it will harden, cloud, or dull the music, making it sound canned. A superior line stage will raise my system up, allowing recordings to display their raw textures, natural…
With the Pass HPA-1, the Sony MDR-Z1Rs sounded smooth and precise—perhaps to a fault. In contrast, the Rogue brought to my experience of the '…
Description: Tubed/MOSFET line-level preamplifier and headphone amplifier. Tube complement: two 12AU7/ECC82. Line-level inputs: 3 unbalanced (RCA), 1 balanced (XLR). Variable outputs: 1 unbalanced (RCA), 1 balanced (XLR). Frequency response: 5Hz–50kHz, ±1dB. THD: <0.05%. Gain (selectable): 3, 12, 16dB, line level; 48, 58dB, optional phono stage. Power output: 3.5Wpc into 32 ohms. Output impedance: <0.1 ohm (1kHz). RIAA accuracy: ±0.1dB. Phono overload: 40mV. Power consumption: 31W. Power requirements: 115V, 50/60Hz; 220/230/240V, 50/60Hz.
Dimensions:…
Analog Sources: Palmer 2.5 turntable, Audio Origami PU-7 tonearm, AMG Teatro MC phono cartridge; AMG Giro G9 turntable & 9W2 tonearm, AMG Teatro, EMT TSD 75, and Hana EL MC phono cartridges.
Digital Sources: Mytek HiFi Brooklyn & Manhattan II, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DACs; Integra DPPS-7.2 DVD-A player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 EMT, Bob's Devices CineMag 1131, Lounge Audio Copla MC step-up transformers; Lounge Audio LCR Mk.III, Parasound Halo JC 3+, Tavish Design Adagio phono preamplifiers; HiFiMan EF1000, Linear Tube Audio MZ2, Pass…
I measured the Rogue RH-5 using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). The procedure was a little more complicated than I had anticipated, due to the fact that the RH-5 has three gain options (indicated on the display, in order of increasing gain, as "1," "2," and "3"), balanced and unbalanced line inputs and outputs, balanced and unbalanced headphone outputs, and a phono stage. I tried, therefore, to characterize the amplifier's behavior in all operational modes.
The RH-5's line inputs could handle high levels without…
A couple of days ago,…
Description: Two-channel D/A processor–preamplifier–headphone amplifier. Digital inputs (switchable): 1 USB, 2 optical, 2 coaxial. Input sampling frequencies: 28–210kHz (coaxial); 28–96kHz (optical); 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192kHz, DSD64 over DoP (USB). Maximum word length: 24 bits. Analog inputs: 2 pairs (RCA). Analog outputs: 1 pair balanced (XLR), 2 pairs unbalanced (RCA), 2 headphone (1?4"). Frequency response at Fs=48kHz: 20Hz–20kHz, +0dB/–0.015dB; –0.015dB at 10Hz; –0.005dB at 20kHz; –0.031dB at 40kHz; –0.15dB at 80kHz. Signal/noise: 128dB, A-weighted.…
Analog Sources: Thorens TD 124 turntable (reconditioned by Schopper AG); Ortofon RMG-212 (rebuilt), Thomas Schick 12" tonearms; Ortofon 90th Anniversary SPU cartridge.
Digital Sources: MacBook Pro computer (early 2015); Roon Optimized Core Kit running on Intel NUC computer with SSD drive; Benchmark DAC1, Meridian Explorer2 USB, Mytek Brooklyn, PS Audio DirectStream DACs.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Standard step-up transformer, EAR 834P phono stage.
Power Amplifiers: PS Audio BHK Signature 300 Mono monoblocks.
Integrated Amplifier:…