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There are always chance encounters at an audio show, and when I went to meet AVTech America's general manager Keith Pray (left) and Hi-Fi News editor Paul Miller (right) to discuss, among other things, November's Hi-Fi News Show in Windsor, England, Audeze CEO Sankar Thiagasamudram was with them holding a sample of the California company's new Mobius head-tracking headphone ($399). The Mobius uses planar-magnetic diaphragms like the upmarket Audeze cans, but once zero'd in the forward direction, will keep the soundstage aimed at that direction when the user moves his head. In this the Mobius…
This final shot of the shipping checkout area in the Denver Marriott Tech Center may lack glamour, but so, I'm afraid, does the Marriott itself, post-renovation. The freezing lobby looks impressive, and rooms are lovely for guests, but the latters' ability to accommodate systems plus attendees has been greatly diminished. With unmovable built-in credenzas, poor acoustics, and unacceptably noisy cooling systems, the time has come to move on.
This show report began with a short blog about RMAF's new home in the yet-unopened Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center. Thanks to Ray Kimber…
Forty years after he wrote his two-movement Tabula Rasa for violinist Gidon Kremer, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, 83, is still alive, engaged and composing. Hence it should come as no surprise that when violinist Viktoria Mullova and conductor Paavo Järvi contacted Pärt about their plan to record five of his works for violin and various instruments for their Onyx album, Arvo Pärt, the conductor attended the recording sessions. According to Gramophone's Andrew Mellor, Pärt actively engaged with Mullova and individual players of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra to ensure that his dynamic…
On Thursday, October 18, beginning at 7:00pm, Gryphon Audio Designs distributor On A Higher Note and New York retailer Joseph Cali Systems Design will launch Gryphon's new Zena preamplifier at the Gryphon Audio Loft at 857 Broadway, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10003. Alongside Joseph Cali, On A Higher Note's Philip O'Hanlon will be on hand to greet guests and play hand-curated selections through the dual-mono, DC-coupled Zena, which boasts a 43-step touch-sensitive volume control and a 1mHz frequency bandwidth.
As space is limited, those who wish to attend are encouraged to call ahead at (212…
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.2 (A London Symphony)
Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli, conductor.
Vanguard Everyman, SRV-134-SD (1963 LP). Reissued in 1982 as PRT Collector GSGC 2035 (LP). Recorded by Pye (UK) in 1957.
Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli, conductor.
Vanguard Everyman, SRV-134-SD (1963 LP). Reissued in 1982 as PRT Collector GSGC 2035 (LP). Recorded by Pye (UK) in 1957.
This is undoubtedly the best London Symphony that's been committed to stereo to date, and I wouldn't be surprised if it held top place for years to come. I can find nothing to criticize about the performance, and the recording is awe-inspiring—rich, warm and natural, with some phenomenally low bass and very wide dynamic range, yet without the slightest audible…
"At what price does a high-end product cease to exist for the 'normal' audiophile?" This question, which I asked in the February 2017 issue, was a follow-up to one I'd asked in our April 2011 issue: "If all someone is offered is a $150,000 pair of speakers . . . that person will walk away from this hobby, or build his or her system by buying only used equipment. Either consumer choice turns the price spiral into a death spiral for manufacturers."
Yet this issue sees me reviewing a loudspeaker that costs $215,000/pair. Last month I reviewed an amplifier priced at $55,000. In August,…
When I began writing for Stereophile, I dreaded doing comparisons. They were stressful and tedious—and what if I got them wrong? But I quickly learned: Not only do readers enjoy comparisons, they need them. How else might they imagine the relative merits of the component under consideration? Once I realized this, I began acquiring a range of reference amplifiers, such as the low-power Pass Laboratories XA25 and PrimaLuna ProLogue Premium, the high-power Bel Canto Design e.One REF600M monoblocks, and the single-ended Line Magnetic LM-518 IA. I also collected a range of affordable, popular…
In either mode, the Harbeth M30.2s were obviously well-tempered and well-nourished, power-wise. Both modes delivered detailed sound that was neither warm nor cool, just well balanced. The bass was tight and clean, maybe slightly lean, with no overhang or fuzzy harmonic additives.
Ultralinear mode was more sharply focused than Triode. In UL, music's empty spaces seemed too empty, in a slightly unnatural way. I felt I was receiving less information, that those empty spaces had once been occupied by texture, color, light, and shade. UL seemed higher in contrast. In Triode, voices and…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Stereo, push-pull, class-AB1, tubed power amplifier with transformer-coupled inputs. Tube complement: two 12AX7 (voltage amplifier), two 12AU7 (driver), four KT120 (output). Inputs: 1 pair single-ended (RCA), 1 pair balanced (XLR). Outputs: 2 pairs (4 and 8 ohms) five-way speaker binding posts per channel. Power output: 100Wpc into 8 ohms (Ultralinear mode, 20dBW), 60Wpc into 8 ohms (Triode mode, 17.8dBW). Frequency response: 5Hz–50kHz, ±1dB. Input impedance: 75k ohms. Sensitivity: 1V RMS.
Dimensions: 18" (455mm) W by 7" (180mm) H by 17" (400mm…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: AMG Giro G9 turntable & 9W Turbo tonearm; Linn Sondek LP12 Hercules turntable, SME M2-9 tonearm; AMG Teatro, EMT TSD 75, Hana SL, Koetsu Rosewood Standard & Signature Platinum, My Sonic Lab Ultra Eminent Ex MC cartridges; MoFi Master Tracker MM cartridge.
Digital Sources: Mac mini computer running Audirvana Plus 3.2; HoloAudio Spring "Kitsuné Tuned Edition" Level 3, Mytek Brooklyn, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil Analog 2 DACs; JVC X-Z1010 CD player (used as transport).
Preamplification: Auditorium 23, Bob's Devices CineMag 1131,…