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:…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
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…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
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…
Much has been written about the divide in high-end audio between subjectivists, who trust their ears, and objectivists, who believe that anything not scientifically proven is fake news. I respect both sides and am skeptical of both extremes, and I like to think that's how most audiophiles feel. High-end audio is about experiencing music—that's the whole point—but scientific and technological rigor lie behind every real advance, past and future. I regret the cynical snake-oil salesmanship, bad thinking, and clumsy engineering that pervade certain parts of our hobby.
A couple of days ago,…
Here's an experiment: Record your favorite LP with a high-quality analog-to-digital converter, then play that digital recording with a DAC and digitally record the DAC's output—again and again, with an ADC/DAC loop. What if you were to listen to, say, the 16th recording and find you can't distinguish it from the original LP? Siau says that, with the DAC3 HGC (footnote 6), he can detect the difference only on pass 17. Now imagine that the DAC3 has a sound of its own that is audible in a single pass. By pass 17, that "sound of its own" would be so exaggerated that it would mask everything…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
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.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
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:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Benchmark DAC3 HGC 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. Apple's USB Prober utility identified the DAC3 as "Benchmark DAC2 USB Audio 2.0" from "Benchmark DAC2" (sic), with the serial-number field occupied by "0000." The USB port operated in the optimal isochronous asynchronous mode, and Apple's AudioMIDI utility…
Did I really listen to and love the hi-rez (24/44.1k) file equivalent of four CDs chock-full of piano music written by and for the great Terry Riley (b. 1935)? Not only is the answer in the affirmative, but I can now honestly attests that pianist/pedagogue Sarah Cahill's Eighty Trips Around the Sun abounds in opportunities to take you on multiple mind-bending excursions through the mind of a true master.
As the composer of In C (1964) and A Rainbow in Curved Air (1969), Riley's reputation as "The Father of Minimalism" is assured. But as much as those two compositions changed the course of…
From a small regional show, Gary Gill's seven-year old Capital Audiofest has grown into the East Coast Show of 2017. Set for November 3–5 in the Hilton Hotel Twinbrook in Rockville, MD, CAF will offer 57 exhibit rooms spread over three floors plus the hotel Atrium. That amounts to 93 exhibitors and over 200 brands, including a CanMania with 20 headphone vendors. For a show that, just last year, maxed out at 40 rooms with 65 exhibitors and 85 brands, this represents major growth.
One big reason for CAF's growth, which includes the presence of several major companies, is the switch from…