Description: Two-channel SET integrated amplifier with phono stage. Tube complement: 5U4G plus two each 300B, 5687, ECC82, ECC88, and ECC83. Power output: 8Wpc into 4 ohms (6dBW) or 8 ohms (9dBW). Input impedance: 100k ohms, line; 47k ohms, phono. Input sensitivity: 240mV for full output. Channel balance: ±0.3dB. Moving magnet phono stage loading, 47k ohms, 47pF (fixed); gain, 37.3dB; input sensitivity, 10.8mV for full output; channel balance, <0.25dB; noise <1mV. Max. power consumption: 200W.
Dimensions: 18.1" (460mm) W × 8.7" (220mm) H × 20.9" (530mm…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Thorens TD 124 turntable/Jelco MS350S tonearm/EMT TSD 15N MC cartridge.
Digital sources: HoloAudio May DAC augmented with Sonore opticalRendu, Roon Nucleus+, Small Green Computer power supply, TRENDnet switch, streaming Roon/Tidal/Qobuz via Apple iPad Mini.
Preamplifiers: Shindo Allegro, Audio Note S9SUT.
Power amplifier: Shindo Haut-Brion.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96.
Cables: Interconnects: Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA), Analysis Plus Silver Apex (RCA), Shindo (RCA). Speaker: Analysis Plus Silver…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed the measurements of the Audio Note Meishu Phono Tonmeister with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. The tubes were already installed when I received the review sample. I removed the cover to check for proper installation. All was well. I waited for 30 minutes after powering up the amplifier before starting the testing.
Looking first at its line inputs, the Meishu Tonmeister preserved absolute polarity, ie, was noninverting, from both the 4 ohm and 8 ohm output transformer taps. The maximum voltage gain at 1kHz was a moderately low 29.65dB from…
If you're reasonably handy, you can probably build your own digital-to-analog converter. It won't cost much, and if you're careful, and knowledgeable enough to understand and follow some rather technical instructions, or if you have patience enough to follow advice from a few different online discussion forums—and the judgment to distinguish the good advice from the bad—then the DAC you make may end up sounding very good.
So it's no surprise that you can buy very good Chinese-made DACs that measure very well, very cheaply. Those Chinese DACs are probably designed by first-rate engineers,…
At CH Precision, the model-number increment indicates upgradeability. Physically, the C1.2 is very similar to the C1. The ".2" designation indicates that if you own a C1, you can upgrade it to .2 status—for $4000. The D1.5, though, is so different from its predecessor, the D1, that it's not physically possible to upgrade the older to the newer: The D1.5 uses a different transport, with a different door height. Not to worry though: CH Precision offers a guaranteed buy-back in cases like that.
One very visible change in the C1.2 is the introduction of MQA support, which was not present in…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Upsampling D/A processor with volume control, remote control for basic functions, Android-only app for settings and operation. Conversion type: Linearized R-2R using four PCM1704 chips per channel, operating at 24 bits, 705.6kHz & 768kHz, DSD via DoP or direct conversion up to DSD128. Bypassable volume control operates in 0.5dB steps. Adjustable channel balance, switchable mono (summing) and absolute phase selection. Standard inputs: AES3, S/PDIF, TosLink, CH-Link HD (proprietary). Optional inputs: Asynchronous USB, Ethernet, analog (XLR and RCA…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: CH Precision D1.5 transport/player (used as transport), X1 power supply, and T1 clock. Roon Nucleus+; Synology DS918+ 4-bay Network Attached Storage device with 16TB; Melco S100 Ethernet Dataswitch.
Preamplification: Pass Labs XP-25 phono preamplifier, Pass Labs XP-32 line preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: Pass Labs XA60.8 monoblocks, Burmester 218 stereo amplifiers bridged for mono.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx V, Estelon XB Diamond Mk.2.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Carbon & Cinnamon & Coffee (all USB…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the CH Precision C1.2 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, repeating some measurements with the higher-performance APx500. The external power supply and clock weren't available for the testing. The C1.2's coaxial and optical S/PDIF inputs and AES3 input accepted data sampled at all rates up to 192kHz. Apple's AudioMIDI utility revealed that the C1.2 accepted 16- and 24-bit integer data via USB sampled at all rates from 44.1kHz to 384kHz. Apple's USB Prober app identified the C1.2 as "CH Precision USB Audio 2.0" from "CH Precision" and indicated that…
I never collected baseball cards, played Cops & Robbers, or was a Boy Scout. From the moment I heard the opening guitar riff of Blondie's "One Way or Another," at age 6, it was clear that music would be central to everything I was going to do. It was my first important big thing, and my last.
Soon I was exposed to heavy metal, during its golden era. I devoured it with the voraciousness of one of the demons on those album covers. Money I made from chores went right into the cash registers of my town's record stores. But unlike my friends, I wasn't satisfied with the big, obvious bands…
In last month's Re-Tales column, I discussed the impact the current economy is having on the hi-fi industry. Some hi-fi companies said sales have "normalized" after widespread, dramatic increases during the COVID years—which is to say, sales are down relative to their peak but still strong. Others have noticed customers biding time before making expensive purchases or opting to buy less-expensive equipment than originally planned. Yet, even in this risky economic climate, a few people are taking the risk and opening new brick-and-mortar retail stores.
All the dealers I spoke to sell some…