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It's often been said that the best standard for determining the sound quality of a stereo system is the sound of live acoustic music. This idea appeals to me: I listen to a lot of live acoustic music, more, in fact, than anyone I know, in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall to my own listening room. The idea, however, is fraught. Because every step in the recording chain alters the sound, it isn't ever possible to know what a recording sounds like; logically, the sound coming from your speakers should sound live only if the music on the recording sounds live.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state stereo preamplifier with remote control. Inputs: 4 single-ended (RCA), 1 balanced (XLR), 1 single-ended tape (RCA). Outputs: 2 single-ended line-level (RCA), 1 balanced line-level (XLR), 1 tape (RCA). Input impedance: 50k ohms (single-ended), 25k ohms (balanced). Output impedance: 600 ohms (single-ended, balanced). Input sensitivity: 100mV for 1V output. Maximum output (to clip): 10V. Bandwidth: 6Hz–300kHz. Frequency response at 1V output: 15Hz–30kHz, ±0.1dB. Stereo separation (weighted): >90dB. Distortion (1V output): 0.006% at 1kHz…
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 & Xpression cartridges.
Digital Sources: Intel NUC computer with SSD drive running Roon Optimized Core Kit; PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream DAC.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Standard step-up transformer, EAR 834P phono stage, PS Audio BHK Signature preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Pass Laboratories XA60.8, PS Audio BHK Signature 300 Mono (all monoblocks).
Integrated Amplifier:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Sugden Masterclass LA-4's performance with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). The maximum gain for the balanced inputs to the balanced outputs was 20.75dB, and a little higher from the unbalanced input to the unbalanced output: 21.4dB. The preamplifier preserved absolute polarity (ie, was non-inverting) with both balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs. (Its XLR jacks are wired with pin 2 hot, the AES convention.)
The LA-4's unbalanced input impedance was lower than specified, at 12.5k ohms at 20Hz and…
The 2019 Montreal Audio Fest has opened at the Hotel Bonaventure across the street from the city's main railway station and even at the opening time of 11am, there was a long queue at the registration desk. The show, which runs until 8pm tonight, 10am–6pm Saturday, and 10am–5pm Sunday, has a theme celebrating both the Woodstock Festival's 50th anniversary and the 50 years since John Lennon's and Yoko Ono's infamous bed-in in Montreal and the Fab Four's last live concert. (There is a Beatles exhibition in the hotel's St. Laurent 2 room.) I will be covering the show live for Stereophile, along…
At 1:00 on Friday I spoke with Sarah Tremblay (above), co-organizer (with Michel Plante) of the Montreal Audio Fest. The 2019 show had opened only two hours before we ran into one another, and already over 4600 attendees had pre-registered and 1400 of them had arrived on-site. (Admission is free, but the organizers ask of each attendee their name and gender, and whether they'd attended previous Montreal shows.) Tremblay told me that approximately 50% of registrants so far were first-timers: an excellent sign.
Indeed, at 11:00am on the dot, as I exited a pre-show press conference, I was…
Even sans Justin Trudeau, who last year escorted me to the show in a Ferrari-red Airbus helicopter (not really) I was feeling good about this year's edition—its 32nd—because for months I’d been seeing Facebook posts announcing the return of major brands that previously had bailed on Montreal's Fest. This time I drove myself to the venue in my rusting-but-freshly-spray-waxed 2009 Dodge Journey—bit of a letdown after last year—but the knowledge that the show would be themed in honor of Woodstock's 50th anniversary reassured me that organizers Sarah Tremblay and Michel Plante were keen on…
I thought I would start my day by exploring the Hotel Bonaventure's ballroom exhibits, and on my way to the Westmont 2 room, where British company PMC was presenting the North American debut of their flagship Fenestria loudspeaker, I heard some unambiguously live harp music, played by the young lady in the photo, Isabeau Corriveau. A great way to start the day and one that emphasized the show's focus on music of every kind.
PMC started off manufacturing monitor speakers for recording studios in 1991 but branched out into the domestic speaker market in the mid-1990s. These days,…
Continuing my exploration of the Sonor-Filtronique room, which began in my first Montreal Audio Fest report, I spotted across the room a brand whose distinct appearance—I'd characterize it as a blend of modern and retro—is instantly recognizable to most audiophiles: Nagra. On static display but beckoning me to snap a photo were Nagra's 100Wpc solid state Classic Amp ($CA20,995) and tubed Classic preamp ($CA20,000), which has five line level inputs, including a XLR balanced one, and a headphone jack.
Sitting stoically beside the Nagra gear was the GEM Dandy PolyTable turntable ($…
I suppose I'm odd man out for not liking Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, which has sold over 45 million copies since its release in 1973 yet for me remains a monument only to the hazards of excessive marijuana consumption. Too bad for me: On Friday, the sounds of that album blasted from what seemed every third demonstration, and by the time I approached the door of the room sponsored by Montreal retailer Son Ideal, I was hearing DSOTM for literally the fourth time since the show opened. Quiet desperation, indeed.
And here, it sounded grainier than I like—but that may have been…