Analog sources: SME Model 30/2A, Roksan TMS, Brinkmann La Grange, Garrard 301, Thorens TD124, Linn Sondek LP12, and Technics SL-1000 Mk2A turntables. Graham Model 2.2; SME Series V, IV.Vi, 309, 3009; Brinkmann 12.1; Breuer Dynamic Type 8; Technics EPA-100; Linn Ittok LVII; Fidelity Research FR-64S; Eminent Technology ET2 tonearms. Dynavector DRT XV-1s, Grado Legacy Epoch, Ortofon Cadenza Blue, Koetsu Urushi and Rosewood, Linn Troika, Luxman LMC-5, Kiseki Purple Heart, Red Rose Petal 2, Denon DL-103, Audio Note IQ3 phono cartridges. Technics RS-1520 reel to…
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Last year, on the hunt for high-quality espresso beans, I visited some specialty coffee websites. On one forum, I came across this description of a particular roast: "I tasted mild acidity and bitters with hazelnut, bourbon, and a hint of dark cherry. As it began to cool, there was a hint of black raspberry syrup or cordial. Then a dominant note emerged of nuts with mild distillates, walnut bitters, cacao nib and something between 82% dark chocolate and baker's chocolate. ... Further cooling offered the surprise of dark piecrust and a bitter cherry liqueur. The piecrust then rounded to a…
Solidity and purity
It was time to play music. Levy mildly prefers solid state amps with the Adams, so I auditioned them using the three I had on hand: a Peachtree nova300, a recapped Krell FPB 200c, and an Anthem STR with onboard digital room correction. Sources included my Roon ROCK, a Naim Uniti Atom, and an Auralic Vega DAC run through the linestage of a Benchmark HPA4.
It was time to play music. Levy mildly prefers solid state amps with the Adams, so I auditioned them using the three I had on hand: a Peachtree nova300, a recapped Krell FPB 200c, and an Anthem STR with onboard digital room correction. Sources included my Roon ROCK, a Naim Uniti Atom, and an Auralic Vega DAC run through the linestage of a Benchmark HPA4.
After the analytical/setup part of this review, the quick transition to right brain was pleasantly startling. I cued up Eva Cassidy's "Fields of Gold" from Live at Blues Alley (16/44.1, Tidal), and the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Rear-ported three-way transmission-line design with a 5¾" ribbon tweeter, one 6" midrange driver, and one 8¾" woofer. Crossover frequencies: 250Hz, 2.5kHz. Frequency range: 20Hz–47kHz.Sensitivity: 91.5dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms.
Dimensions: Height: 41"; width 8.5" at the top, 15" at the bottom; depth 14" at the top, 18" at the bottom. Weight: 96lb.
Finish: Piano Black, Beechwood, Rosewood, Metallic Silver.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: ADA 22005, ADA22006 (listening), ADM2015 (measuring).
Price: $17,000–$18,000/pair…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max running Roon 2.0. Roon ROCK (Lenovo ThinkCentre). Auralic Vega, Naim Uniti Atom controlled through an iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Preamplifiers: Benchmark HPA4, Naim Uniti Atom.
Power amplifiers: Krell FPB 200c (recapped 2020), Peachtree nova300
Integrated amplifier: Anthem STR.
Loudspeakers: Tekton Moab, MartinLogan Odyssey.
Cables: AudioQuest, Amazon, Blue Jeans, Emerald Physics. Accessories Core Power Technologies Equi-Core 1800 MkII and Deep-Core 1800 power conditioners on a dedicated 20-amp circuit.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system, a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the Alta Audio Adam's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield response of the woofer, both microphones used with an Earthworks preamplifier. For logistical reasons, I measured a different sample from those auditioned by Rogier van Bakel; its serial number was ADM2015.
No preferred listening axis is mentioned in the Alyssa's manual, but the center of the Adam's tweeter is 37" from the floor, which is close to the typical seated listener's…
"There's a party going on in Room 713, and only true freaks are invited!" That's the promise of a bawdy little book called Room 713, about four friends who travel to another city and indulge in outsized carnal pleasures.
No such titillation was to be had in room 713 of the Embassy Suites in Tampa, but other delights abounded. To wit: a pair of Triangle Magellan Quatuor 40th-anniversary speakers ($20,000/pair), plus three Electrocompaniet components: the new AW 800M NEMO 2 monoblock used as a stereo amplifier (800W in mono, 300Wpc in stereo, $22,500), the EC 4.8 MkII preamp ($4900), and an…
A real drum kit at the Florida expo? Standing in the second-floor hallway, I could've sworn I heard just that. Five seconds later, reality set in when Dave Brubeck's famous piano chords joined Joe Morello's 5/4 jazz groove. It was the recorded sound of Morello's drums on "Take Five" that had emanated from the Embassy Suites' Kennedy Room, where High End by Oz, a Connecticut distributor, was demoing its wares. (I sincerely love it when my brain gets tricked like that. The last time it happened was at the 2022 Pacific Audio Fest in Seattle, where the sound of a real piano came from the Joseph…
It was bound to happen sometime. The day after my return from the Florida Audio Expo, I tested positive for COVID. I'd worn a facemask on the plane, but not during the three days of pressing the flesh, listening, and reporting. (In fact, no one at the show did.) I suppose I paid for my lack of super-caution with several days of chills, headaches, violent coughing, and brain fog. This also accounts for the delay in getting the final batch of show reports out to you. Apologies!
In any case, COVID clearly isn't a thing of the past. Whatever your take on the whole issue, and however you…
At this point in the vinyl revival, it's hard to believe there are many undiscovered masterpieces left that are worth discovering. Record Store Day (RSD), a much-ballyhooed source of unique and unreleased music on vinyl, has been a major spur in the drive to plumb the vaults, but even though it has an excellent reputation, most RSD unearthings have turned out to be less than essential.
The increasingly rare exceptions are to be celebrated. Here's one. Just before the year turned to 2023, on what would have been Donald Byrd's 90th birthday, a smoldering, untapped artifact surfaced after 50…