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Like the Hegel Music Systems Mohican and Bryston BCD-3, which we reviewed in the May and August issues, the Naim CX5 XS has no digital inputs of any kind. This limited my measurement of its technical behavior to using 16-bit test files burned to a CD-R. I tested the Naim with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It").

The Naim's error correction was adequate—no interruptions were apparent in the player's output until the single gaps in the data spiral on the Pierre Verany Digital Test CD reached 0.5mm in length, when there…

Enter Julian Margules, owner and chief designer of Margules…

Act I: Where's the Soprano?
The U280-SC Blacks arrived the same day that John Quick and Brad O'Toole of dCS stopped by with review samples of the dCS Vivaldi 2.0 and Network Bridge. As I prepared lunch for our starving fish and…

Description: Tubed stereo power amplifier, strappable for mono, with selectable output transformer taps (8, 4, or 2 ohms) and modes (Ultralinear, Triode). Tube complement: four 12AU7, four KT88 (or 6550, KT99, KT100, KT120, KT150). All measurements at 8 ohms 1 khz input voltage 127V AC. Rated power output before clipping: stereo mode, 50Wpc Ultralinear (17dBW), 25Wpc Triode (14dBW); monoblock mode, 100W Ultralinear (20dBW), 55W Triode (17.4dBW); Inputs: 1 pair unbalanced (RCA). Outputs: 2 pairs binding posts. THD at 7V RMS output: 0.08%. Power consumption: 170W…

Digital Sources: dCS Paganini SACD/CD transport & Rossini DAC & Scarlatti Clock; Oppo Digital UDP-205 universal BD player; Apple MacBook Pro with Intel i7, SSD, 8GB RAM; external hard drives, USB sticks.
Power Amplifiers: Pass Labs XA200.8 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia, Harbeth M40.1.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (FireWire, Ethernet), Wireworld Platinum Starlight Cat8 (Ethernet), Nordost Odin 1 & Odin 2 & Valhalla 2 (USB). Interconnect, Speaker, AC: Nordost Odin 2.
Accessories: Grand Prix…

I measured one of the the Margules U280-SC Blacks (S/N B-50003950517) using my top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). With two modes of output stage—Triode and Ultralinear—three choices of output-transformer tap, and the option of having its two channels strapped for mono operation, the Margules U280-SC is actually 14 different amplifiers in one enclosure. Although Jason Victor Serinus exclusively used the amplifiers as a pair of monoblocks, I performed a complete set of measurements for all 14 mono and stereo modes…

Editor: Thank you for your time and effort put into the measurements of our amplifiers for this review. Your measurements are correct, but we must point out that the Margules U280-SC Black is definitely not a conventional tube amplifier. It has a different design approach, so it should be treated as such, and your comments are a good opportunity to explain the engineering behind the amplifier and to shed light on why Jason Victor Serinus's auditory evaluation and your technical measurements have differing outcomes.

Respectfully, and in the interest of…

Recently, while idly combing the Web for LPs (something I rarely do), I came upon a 1962 deep-groove, mono reissue of pianist Tadd Dameron's 1957 release Mating Call with John Coltrane on Prestige Records. The cover was still in the shrink with a 77 cent price sticker on it. It had the Bergenfield, NJ address on its yellow labels. And the LP itself was billed as being in VG++ condition. The seller, therecordparlour is his eBay name, wanted $50. While it wasn't a first pressing, it was a…