Description: DAC–headphone amplifier. Digital inputs: USB, coaxial (RCA), optical (TosLink). D/A-converter: two 32-bit ESS9038Q2M. Resolutions supported: USB: MQA, PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz, and DSD up to DSD512; optical and coaxial S/PDIF: PCM up to 24/192. Reconstruction filters: 8, selectable on front panel. Frequency range: 20Hz–20kHz. Analog outputs: ¼" (6.3mm) headphone, one pair RCA. Output voltage: 2.05V. Minimum recommended headphone impedance: 8 ohms. Headphone output power: 6.6mW into 600 ohms, 68mW into 32 ohms. THD: 0.0003% at 0dB, 2V RMS, 1kHz.…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Kuzma Stabi S turntable & Stogi tonearm; Thorens TD 124 Mk.I turntable, Jelco 350S tonearm; Denon DL-103, Hana EL, Ortofon Quintet Bronze cartridges.
Digital Sources: Asus laptop computer running Qobuz, Tidal; Tascam CD-200iL CD player; DragonFly Red, Halide DAC HD, BorderPatrol DACs; Western Digital T2 Mirror Drives (2).
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 A23 MC step-up transformer, Luxman EQ-500 phono preamplifier, Shindo Laboratory Allegro preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion.
Integrated Amplifiers…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured Pro-Ject's Pre Box S2 Digital with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). I used both the Audio Precision's S/PDIF outputs and USB data sourced from my MacBook Pro running on battery power and playing WAV and AIFF test-tone files. Apple's USB Prober utility identified the Pro-Ject as "Pre Box S2 Digital" from "Pro-Ject," and confirmed that its USB port operated in the optimal isochronous asynchronous mode. Apple's AudioMIDI utility revealed that, via USB, the Pre Box S2 Digital accepted 32-bit integer data sampled at…
Jason Victor Serinus wrote about the Aurender N10 in April 2019 (Vol.42 No.4):
John Atkinson reviewed Aurender's N10 music server ($8000, 4TB; add $500 for 8TB capacity) in the April 2016 issue. When he offered me his review sample to use in my review, in the March 2019 issue, of EMM Labs' DV2 DAC, I replied with an enthusiastic "Yes!" As I marveled about the beauty of the Aurender-EMM combo's smooth, warm, nonfatiguing sound, John proposed I write this Follow-Up.
Previously, the only Aurender product that had visited my reference system had been the A10 caching network music…
In the November 2018 issue of Stereophile, Jim Austin reviewed PS Audio's DirectStream Power Plant P20 AC regenerator ($9999). PS Audio had sent me the less expensive DirectStream Power Plant 12 ($4999), hence this review.
Why use an AC regenerator rather than plugging components straight into the wall?
Consider these two ways of powering an audio system:
1) AC power is available at a precise standard voltage and frequency (in North America, these standards are 120V and 60Hz) that do not vary with time of day or load, with no distortion of the 60Hz waveform, a complete…
In our February 2019 issue, when I reviewed a new integrated amplifier from Colorado-based Ayre Acoustics, I concluded that "the EX-8 Integrated Hub is a high-end contender at a competitive price" (footnote 1). In that review I promised a Follow-Up in which I would compare the EX-8 with Cambridge Audio's Edge A integrated amplifier, which Ken Micallef had positively reviewed in our January 2019 issue (footnote 2). While I'd enjoyed my time with the EX-8, I'd found its balance rather on the light side, and that it projected voices somewhat forward on the soundstage. KM had commented that the…
I will never forget.
In 1988 I had my first experience with Western Electric 300B tubes. It took place on a quiet, streetlights-and-snow night at my friend Ryoichi's apartment on Riverside Drive, in Manhattan.
I had never heard of the late Japanese amplifier designer Ken Shindo, of Shindo Laboratory. But that evening, Ryo's audio system was all Shindo: a hammertone gray Shindo-restored, grease-bearing Garrard 301 turntable sitting on a Shindo plinth of glossy wood, with a Shindo-modified Ortofon tonearm and SPU cartridge, a Shindo moving-coil step-up transformer, and a Shindo…
The TU-8600R is obviously not your father's—or Hiroyasu Kondo's, or Ken Shindo's—300B amplifier. When I realized this, I took a slow breath and remembered what all wise philosophers say—"condemnation without examination is prejudice"—and proceeded with my examination.
At least the TU-8600R's case and chassis are old-school. It measures 15.2" wide by 8.5" high by 12.8" deep and weighs 28.2 lb. Its black, crinkle-paint transformer cover and tube cage are definitely old-school. On the brushed-aluminum faceplate is a on/off toggle switch with a little blue On light, a ¼" jack that connects…
Sidebar: Contacts
EleKit, EK Japan Co., Ltd.. Tofuro-minami 2-19-30, Dazaifu-city, Fukuoka, 818-0105, Japan. Tel: (81) 92-923-8235 Web: www.elekit.co.jp. North American importer: VK Music, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Tel: (604) 931-8844: Web: www.vkmusic.ca
Deutsche Elektronenröhren Manufaktur GmbH, Robert-Bosch-Strasse 26a, D-88131 Lindau, Germany. Tel: (49) (0)173-3773747. Web: www.elrog.com
"I have an organic approach toward music but I've always been interested in electronics," says Jean-Michel Jarre, whose luxurious electronic pop conquered the world in 1976 with his hit album Oxygène. Even today, Oxygène's bubbling tones and saturated textures provide a blissful sonic experience. "I love jazz because of its organic approach to sound, and I've been influenced by that. I always thought that jazz and electronic music have much more in common than we think."
After planting his electronic-music flag, Jarre has enjoyed a level of success shared by few, having sold 80 million…