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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…
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.…
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…
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…
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:
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…
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)…
You can blame Casey McKee for this one. I found myself sitting next to Casey, who works at Brooklyn high-end dealer Innovative Audio (footnote 1), in the Phoenix rain last March, watching the first Formula One Grand Prix of the 1990 season. A month later, in New York for the High End Hi-Fi Show, I therefore thought it appropriate to visit Innovative and say "Hi." Audio pleasantries over, Casey enthused about this new Italian turntable stand he was setting up as I walked into the store, the oddly named ArchiDee.
Now, being British, I don't have to be told about the importance of…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Turntable stand, formed from rectangular-section steel tubing, with MDF shelf.
Dimensions: 17.75" W by 13.75" D by 19" H (latter figure approximate and includes bottom and top stainless-steel spikes).
Price: $200 (1990); no longer available (2016). Approximate number of dealers: 30 (1990).
Manufacturer: ArchiDee, Italy. Distributor: Audiophore, Chicago, IL 60614 (1990). No US distribution (2016).
Let's face it: If you're one of those sedentary audiophilic types or you have a genetic disposition to growing pear-shaped later in life (genetic . . . right, that's it: nothing to do with couches or hooch), it's wise to adjust your fashion sense accordingly. And nothing says "portly gentleman in disguise" like a guayabera—a shirt that, I have just discovered, blues guitarist Bob Margolin and I both love. He even wears one on the cover of his new record, My Road.
"I love 'em because my manager thinks I'm dressed up when I wear them."
"My wife thinks the same thing," I chime in…