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Description: Solid-state, single-chassis, stereo preamplifier with MM/MC phono stage, internal DAC, headphone amplifier, and remote control. Inputs: Analog: 3 pairs single-ended (RCA), 2 pairs balanced (XLR), 1 pair single-ended (RCA) phono with grounding post. Digital: 1 AES/EBU (XLR), 4 S/PDIF (2 RCA, 2 TosLink), 1 USB (Type B). Analog outputs: 1 pair balanced (XLR), 1 pair single-ended (RCA), 1 ¼" (6.3mm) headphone. Input Impedance: >45k ohms, single-ended (RCA); >45k ohms, balanced (XLR), 47k ohms (MM phono stage), 20, 33, 50, 66, 100, 200, 330, 500,…

Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ittok tonearm, Spectral Reference cartridge; Day-Sequerra 25th Anniversary FM Reference tuner; Nakamichi 600 cassette player; McIntosh Laboratory MR-78 FM tuner.
Digital Sources: Bryston BCD-1 CD player, Bryston BDA-3 DAC, Bryston BDP-2 media player with IAD soundboard; Oppo BPD-103 universal BD player; Sony SCD-C555ES SACD/CD player; Lenovo P50 laptop computer running Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, Bryston USB driver, JRiver Media Center 22.
Preamplifiers: Bryston B-26, Mark Levinson…

I measured the Mark Levinson No.526's electrical performance with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Looking first at the No.526's performance as a line preamplifier, the gain with the volume control set to its maximum of "80" was 13.5dB, balanced input to balanced output; and 7.5dB, unbalanced input to unbalanced output. The unity-gain setting was "66.7" on the front-panel display. Both sets of inputs preserved absolute polarity (ie, were non-inverting). The balanced inputs offered an input impedance of 47k ohms across the…

In preparation for the tenth annual Record Store Day this Saturday, April 22, I decided to lurk around a few record stores in Manhattan and talk to anyone working there about whether this wonderful marketing ploy still has any juice.

While I expected a lot of shrugs and nonchalant responses, I mean it has been 10 years after all—and as a one-time record-store employee, I'm fully aware that being detached and cooler than thou is an essential…

Mytek HiFi's Michal Jurewicz is a Tall Wizard. Not all Tall Wizards are tall, but Jurewicz is very tall, thin, and exceedingly smart. He lives and works in an old loft building on India Street, in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, where he creates handsome, masterfully engineered analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, one of which is called the Brooklyn (it's also a headphone amp and preamp) and costs only $1995.

David Chesky has been using Mytek converters, professionally, for…

The audiophile community is filled with kind, generous people who are fiercely passionate about good music and good sound. But it is no secret that there are a small number of audiophiles on the dark-side (and not of the moon) whose sole purpose in life is to sour it up for the rest of us. They are foul beings of the dark underground hi-fi network that globally infiltrates hi-fi shows, dealers, regional clubs, and even the occasional Can-Jam. I won't even begin to tell you about my findings on their black-ops missions with…

In the room next door, Auralic featured a system at a higher price point than the above, including the Auralic Altair wireless streaming DAC ($1900), an Auralic Taurus preamplifier (discontinued), Auralic Merak 400W monoblocks ($5000/pair), YG Acoustics Carmel 2 speakers ($24,300), and Kubala-…