On the analog side, the massive J Sikora Reference turntable ($47,000) was combined with their KV-MAX 9" tonearm ($11,750), and a Lyra Atlas SL Lambda cartridge ($12,995) amplified by the Doshi Audio…
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Washington DC area distributor Notable Audio showcased products from Joseph Audio, Doshi Audio, J Sikora, Berkeley Audio Design, and Cardas Audio at AXPONA. Notable's Jeff Fox had put together an impressive system, with a mix of brands we have seen used together at many prior shows to great effect, only this time he used the best of everything to create a system that really sung.
Founded by Nelson Pass in 1974, Threshold is one of those companies audiophiles tend to take for granted. Best known for the much-imitated Stasis (sliding bias) amplifier designs, Threshold became one of the industry leaders during the early 1980s. Since then, they've been upstaged somewhat by such rivals as Krell and Mark Levinson, and the public's impression of the company's stability wasn't helped by the departure of several of its principals, including Nelson Pass (footnote 1). Although Threshold experienced success with some of their products in its lower-priced Forté line (notably the…
This was confirmed with some simple measurements: in the balanced mode, the voltage at the speaker terminals was down about 9dB at 25Hz compared to 1kHz; in the unbalanced mode, there was no significant difference. Checking with Tom Norton, who had already done the full set of measurements on another sample of the T-200, revealed the reason: in the balanced mode, the T-200 has a measured input impedance of under 1000 ohms—much lower than the typical 30–50k ohms—and the Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 was simply unable to drive such a low input impedance properly. (The T-200's unbalanced input…
Sidebar 1: System
I had the Threshold T-200 in my system, on and off, for more than eight months. For me, this is an unusually long evaluation period, necessitated by a variety of interruptions, including doing Home Theater reviews (for the Stereophile Guide to Home Theater, natch), and some Follow-Ups on other equipment. During this time, components in my system kept changing, with consequent need to "recalibrate" my ears. Unlike most amps I've had experience with, the T-200 didn't seem to require a break-in period—perhaps because the review sample had been listened to extensively at the…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
A full set of measurements of the Threshold T-200 was made in the amplifier's unbalanced mode, with selected measurements made in the balanced mode. Unless otherwise noted, the results presented are for the unbalanced configuration. The sample tested (SN 10926) was different from the sample auditioned by RD. Threshold submitted a second sample for measurement, to expedite the completion of the review by minimizing shipping and customs delays between Santa Fe and RD's abode in the Great White North of Toronto, Canada.
Following the 1/3-power, one-hour…
Sidebar 3: Specifications
Description :Solid-state stereo power amplifier. Output power: 100W into 8 ohms (20dBW), 200W into 4 ohms (20dBW), 350W into 2 ohms (19.4dBW). Full power bandwidth: DC–80kHz, +0/–3dB. Distortion: <0.1%; typically <0.02%. Voltage gain: 27.4dB balanced, 28dB unbalanced. Input sensitivity: 1.21V balanced, 1.13V unbalanced to produce 100W into 8 ohms. Input impedance: 50k ohms unbalanced, 2k ohms balanced. Current consumption: 2A, idle; up to 12A full output in mono.
Dimensions: 18.25" W by 9.25" H by 16" D. Weight: 61 lb.
Serial number of unit tested…
There is music so new, so original, so contemplative, and so deeply felt that it makes you want to listen, and then demands that you listen again. It's music whose layers peel back over time, as it draws you deeper into its mysteries. For premiere recordings of compositions that address time and place, and then often take you beyond them, Transcendent (DE 3555), the first offering on Delos from composer/orchestrator Chad Cannon's Asia/America New Music Institute (AANMI), earns its title.
"Beyond or above the range of normal or merely physical human experience; surpassing the ordinary":…
Few people in the high end know the difference between glorious excess and wretched folly as well as Harvey Rosenberg (footnote 1). Harvey's audio equipment always strives towards the glorious folly of providing the most romantic sound possible with modern technology. This may explain why his relatively small company, New York Audio Laboratories, can build an amplifier like the Futterman OTL-1, which costs a glorious $12,000 a stereo pair and actively competes for the title of best amplifier in the world.
At the same time, Harvey's prose always strives towards the most wretched excess…
Manufacturer's Comment
Editor: Comments on HR's Wretched Excesses: I have failed miserably trying to be tame. Meditation, yoga, psychoanalysis, group therapy, prayer, a frontal lobotomy, and jogging, have all been tried and proved ineffective. I apologize to all whom I have offended with my prose, and ask their forgiveness. No matter how hard I try, my excitement and enthusiasm overpower me. Any suggestions from physicians in the readership?
Comment on the Glorious Folly #1: To stimulate further the tube vs transistor debate, it should be noted that the Futterman OTL-1 uses a…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Four-chassis stereo output transformerless tubed amplifier. Nominal output: 150W into 16 ohms. Large-signal frequency response (–3dB down): 2Hz–40kHz. Small signal response: 1.4Hz–200kHz. Phase shift: 15° at 10kHz and 45° at 40kHz. Output impedance: 2 ohms at 10Hz, 0.15 ohms at 1kHz, and 0.3 ohms at 10kHz. Signal/noise ratio: 85dB unweighted, 92dB A-weighted. THD: less than 1% at full power from 100Hz–100kHz, dropping to less than 0.1% at lower levels. IM distortion: 1.2% at full power, dropping steadily at lower levels.
Price: $12,000 (1986);…