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Music in the Round #76 Page 2

I tried inserting a second JitterBug, as AQ recommends, in a different USB jack on the same server, but heard no difference. I also tried the JitterBug in my other system, in Manhattan, with the exaSound e28 DAC. The effect was similar: subtle but sweet.

The $49 AudioQuest JitterBug is the archetypal accessory whose audible benefits are unsupported by measurements—and, for that very reason, some consumers will reject it out of hand: two imponderables, both of which bother me. At the end of the day, I can only recommend you try it and decide for yourself.

SOtM Audio tX-USBhubIn…

Balanced Audio Technology Rex II line preamplifier

A quarter-century ago, when we were just getting into wine, my wife and I took a trip to Napa Valley. At one premium vineyard, we took a taste from the $20 bottle, then, for the hell of it, a taste from the $50 bottle. The first taste was nice; the second was alarming—an explosion of flavors, a gateway to sensory delights that we hadn't known could be had from a barrel of crushed grapes. We wobbled away, concerned that high-end wine might be a dangerous hobby.

I'm beginning to think the same thing about five-figure line-stage preamplifiers.

Early in 2015, I reviewed Simaudio's…

Music in the Round #76 Contacts

Sidebar: Contacts

AudioQuest, 2621 White Road, Irvine, CA 92614. Tel: (949) 585-0111. Web: www.audioquest.com

JL Audio, 10369 N. Commerce Parkway, Miramar, FL 33025-3962. Tel: (954) 443-1100. Fax: (954) 443-1111 (general), 443-1108 (tech support). Web: www.jlaudio.com.

SOtM, 202, Suseoplaza (1557, Ssangyong-Dong), 84-9, Wolbong 4-ro, Seobuk-Gu, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, Korea (P.31171). Tel: (82) 41-576-7663. Fax: (82) 41-576-7664. Web: www.sotm-audio.com US distributor: Simple Design. Web: www.sotm.sonore.us

Balanced Audio Technology Rex II line preamplifier Page 2

Not knowing which pieces of wire or electronics were causing what, I borrowed the AudioQuest and Kubala-Sosna cables from JA. I then spent a couple of evenings connecting and disconnecting all four brands of cable on hand (such a glamorous life!), and settled on the following configuration: Nordost from turntable to phono preamp and from phono preamp to Rex II; Kubala-Sosna from CD player to Rex II; AudioQuest from Rex II to power amp; Nirvanas from power amp to speakers. This combo produced the best sound that I could eke from my system under the circumstances—and what a sound! That line I…

Balanced Audio Technology Rex II line preamplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Remote-controlled, dual-mono, two-chassis, tubed line preamplifier. Tube complements: eight 6H30 SuperTubes (control module); two 5AR4, four 6C19, plus user-selectable choice of two 6H30 or two 6C45 shunt voltage-regulator tubes (power module). Analog inputs: 5 balanced (XLR). Analog outputs: 2 main, 1 tape (all XLR). Gain: 18dB. Frequency range: 2Hz–200kHz. Noise: –100dB. Input impedance: 100k ohms (minimum). Output impedance: 200 ohms. Power consumption: 220VA (control module), 250VA (power module).
Dimensions: Each module: 19" (490mm) W by 5.…

Balanced Audio Technology Rex II line preamplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Source: VPI Classic turntable with VPI JMW Memorial tonearm, Ortofon Cadenza Blue cartridge.
Digital Source: Krell Cipher SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Nagra BPS phono preamplifier (battery-powered), Simaudio Moon Evolution 740P line-stage preamplifier.
Power Amplifier: Simaudio Moon Evolution 860A.
Loudspeakers: Revel Ultima Studio2.
Cables: Interconnect: Nordost Frey 2, AudioQuest Wild Blue, Kubala-Sosna Elation!, Nirvana S-L. Speaker: Nordost Frey 2, Nirvana S-X. AC: Manufacturer's own.
Accessories: Audiodesksysteme…

Balanced Audio Technology Rex II line preamplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I measured the Balanced Audio Technology Rex II's electrical performance with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It") with the 6C45 AC shunt-regulator tubes. BAT warns in the Rex II's manual not to stack the two chassis; the supplied umbilical cables were just long enough for me to put the power chassis on the floor and the control chassis on my test bench. One thing that should also be noted by prospective purchasers is that both of the Rex II's chassis need plenty of ventilation. After a few hours' running, the top panel of the…

To the Simple, Everything Appears Simple Meyer-Moran Test Statistics

As some readers have questioned Dr. Reiss's exclusion of the 2007 Meyer and Moran test results in his meta-analysis, here is a photo I took of one of the slides he showed at the AES workshop explaining why he found their results anomalous:

Thiel to Launch Live Streaming Studio

Slated to open in March 2016 in Nashville, TN, Thiel Audio's Aurora "Ultra-HD Streaming Studio" is positioned to merge the legacy of Thiel loudspeakers with the vibrancy and "wow factor" of Music City. Thiel's plan is to create a state-of-the-art venue where fans, specifically younger-generation fans, can unite with name musicians and emerging artists via live, interactive performances that are streamed in Ultra-HD video and lossless audio.

"People want to be completely immersed in a music experience," Thiel Audio Chief Brand Officer Rebecca Abrahams told Stereophile by phone. "Thus, we…

Gramophone Dreams #7 Measurements

Sidebar: Measurements

The primary specification for headphones is impedance: too low and the 'phones will not sound at its best with some sources that have high output impedances; too high, and while the headphones will be easy to drive, they might not go sufficiently loud. The upper solid trace in fig.1 shows how the NightHawk's impedance varies with frequency, measured with the headphones on my head; the lower solid trace is a 10 ohm resistor. The NightHawk resembles a 24 ohm resistor at all audio frequencies, the impedance hardly varying and the phase angle (upper dotted trace)…