Somewhat indignantly, I asked Jeff Coates, managing director of Fine Sounds (Rotel's US distributor, footnote 2): Why no digital out? He told me, "The DT-6000 started its development as the CD-6000 with a continuation of the DAC topology we had been using, […
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When I discovered this omission, I huffed and puffed and stamped my little foot: "What do you mean I can't play my CDs through the DAC of my choice?" For me, this was a deal killer. In my 30 years of digital, I have only once (that $100 Oppo) stooped low enough to use one of those Cracker Jack–prize DACs that come inside CD players.
Three or four years ago, coming back from hip surgery, I put in a stint of physical therapy. The assistant trainer, a 24-year-old named Caitlin, was a big pop music fan, as am I, although, to borrow from one of Hank Williams Jr.'s songs about his daddy, Caitlin's kind of pop and mine ain't exactly the same.
One afternoon at Procore Physical Therapy, the talk turned to Beyoncé and Jay-Z's video, shot in the Louvre, for their 2018 collaborative single "Apeshit," released under their marital name, the Carters. Caitlin didn't bat an eyelash at the idea of pop music's power couple posing…
My first high-end component was an Audio Note M2 preamplifier, which I bought from former Audio Note distributor/current Stereophile contributor Michael Trei. (Senior Contributing Editor Herb Reichert was Michael's partner in that 1990s-era Audio Note venture.) Herb can regale you with tales of motoring across the Soviet Union in an unheated Mercedes, trunk full of Audio Note components and American dollars, but that's a story for another review (most likely to be written by Herb).
The Audio Note M2 preamplifier was one of the most transparent audio products I'd ever heard, its single…
On the outside, the Tonmeister's facade includes four gold-plated control knobs labeled function (tuner, aux, CD1, CD2), record (source, tape), volume, and balance. Around back, things are similarly straightforward, with RCA jacks denoted Tuner, Aux, CD1, CD2, Tape-In, Tape Out, and Phono. There are three loudspeaker binding posts for each speaker lead, 8 ohm, and 4 ohm, and common. There's an IEC connector for power, two ground pins (signal ground and chassis ground), and an on/off switch. That's it.
Setup
The Tonmeister I reviewed was seen at the New York Audio Show, but it wasn't…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
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…
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…