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…
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Robert Baird gets ready for the big day with a special reissue on two 180gm LPs of Elton John's live 17-11-70 album. (Photo: Jana Dagdagan)
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…
The doors of the 2017 AXPONA—taking place this weekend at the Westin O'Hare in Rosemont, close to Chicago's O'Hare airport—had opened but 15 minutes when yours truly (far left) joined (L–R) joined Steve Guttenberg (The Audiophiliac blog for CNET.com/ Stereophile), panel moderator Chris Martens (Hi-Fi+), Conor Cawley (Tech.co), Steve Rochlin (Enjoythemusic.com), and an audience of at least 50–60 people to discuss "What does 2017 mean for audio?" I didn't know what to expect, or what to discuss besides the resurgence of vinyl and the promise of better sound through MQA. But thanks to excellent…
Herb Reichert auditioned MQA files with the Mytek Brooklyn in May 2017 (Vol.40 No.5):
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…
AXPONA is the show that breaks barriers and defies stereotypes.
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…
A couple of months ago, I listened to a prototype of the Sonoma Acoustics electrostatic Model One Headphone System ($5000) at CanJam NYC, so I was excited for the opportunity to have some more one-on-one time with a production model of the system at AXPONA. (No major changes have been made since CanJam NYC.) The Model One Headphone System includes electrostatic headphones made with Warwick Technologies' High-Precision Electrostatic Laminate audio transducer (HPEL), and a proprietary class-A Energizing Amplifier. Sonoma booked an entire hotel room where more than a handful of headphone…
The most outstanding system I heard on the first day of AXPONA 2017 sang magnificently in the Kyomi Audio room of Chicago dealer/concert pianist George Vatchnadze. Whether I was listening to hi-resolution files of Melody Gardot and Lori Lieberman, as supplied by distributor Philip O'Hanlon's On a Higher Note and played through a Merging Technologies NADAC ($14,000) and MBL 1621A CD transport ($28,000), or to the LP version of Chet Baker's 1981 Someday my Prince will Come, played on a TechDas Air Force Three turntable ($29,750) with Graham Elite 10" tonearm ($12,000) and Koetsu Jade Platinum…
The first of two Auralic-sponsored systems I encountered featured an Auralic Polaris wireless streaming amplifier ($3800), Ryan R630 speakers ($5000/pair), and AudioQuest cables—the idea being to present a minimalist, all-in-one, hassle-free setup that still offers high value and high performance.
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-…
While I hadn't actually been in several years, the Tenth Anniversary of Record Store Day on Saturday, April 22 was, despite a rainy afternoon in NYC, quite a success. Everywhere I went lots of LPs, RSD special releases, and vintage vinyl alike, were steadily flying out of the bins. Stores were crowded. The energy levels were off the map. And it did my `ol 331/3 heart good to be shoved out of the way, at Academy Records in Brooklyn's Greenpoint district, by vinyl-mad teenagers who'd grown impatient with my aimless grooving to Let It Bleed and my serious abuse of the free Stumptown Coffee.…
Anything that involves DIY or contains the word "kit" is of automatic interest to me, nearly to a fault. It began with homemade stuffed animals (read: ugly felt objects) and miniature inedible pastries (God knows why), which later evolved into headphone mods
and now, my current learning project: a Pete Millett Butte DIY headphone amp, recommended by Sir Tyll Hertsens.
This obsession brought me to the wondrous room of SB Acoustics, a high-end audio division of the Indonesian manufacturer Sinar Baja Electric Group. Until now, SB Acoustics has mainly been a supplier to other high-end…