Setup
For spinning vinyl, I used my Thorens TD 124 turntable with its Jelco 350S tonearm and Clearaudio Concept MC cart. Phono preamp duties were performed by the Sculpture A Mini Nano Step-Up (which extracted new richness, punch, and impact from my vinyl…
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The EX-8 2.0 was made in Ayre's Boulder factory and voiced in the Ayre sound room with TAD Reference One speakers; the headphone outputs were evaluated via Sennheiser HD 600s with balanced connectors. Source material included CDs and files stored on the network by artists including Shawn Colvin, James McMurtry, and Igor Stravinsky.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Stereo integrated amplifier with class-AB output stage, headphone output, and remote control equipped with optional DAC with streaming capability. Analog inputs: 1 balanced (XLR), 2 single-ended (RCA). Digital inputs: Coaxial (1) and TosLink S/PDIF (2), PCM to 24/192, DSD64 via DoP; AES3, PCM to 24/192, DSD64 via DoP; USB, PCM to 24/384, DSD up to DSD128 via DoP; Ethernet, PCM to 24/192, DSD64 via DoP. Outputs: 1 pair speaker binding posts; XLR and RCA preamp out; two 3.5mm balanced headphone outputs, one 6.3mm single-ended headphone output.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Thorens TD 124 turntable, Jelco 350S tonearm, Clearaudio Concept MC cartridge.
Digital sources: Asus laptop running Roon and Tidal, Denafrips Ares II D/A processor.
Preamplification: Sculpture A Mini Nano Step-up, Tavish Audio Design Adagio phono preamp.
Integrated amplifiers: Parasound Hint 6 Halo, Schiit Ragnarok 2.
Power amplifier: Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96, Klipsch Forte IV, GoldenEar BRX.
Cables: RCA interconnects: Triode Wire Labs Spirit II, Shindo Laboratory.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
On its face, the Ayre Acoustics EX-8 2.0 Integrated Hub appears identical to the original EX-8 that I reviewed in February 2019. However, changes have been made to better allow the amplifier to drive low impedances (footnote 1). I measured the EX-8 2.0 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It") and repeated some of the tests with the magazine's APx500 system. Before performing any testing, I followed the CEA's recommendation of operating the EX-8 2.0 at one-eighth the specified power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes. At the end of that…
In the household I grew up in, telling a lie was a death-penalty offense—worse than murder or leaving crumbs on the kitchen counter. So, believe me when I tell you that way more than a year ago, Musical Surroundings' Garth Leerer sent me DS Audio's lowest priced optical cartridge, the DS-E1 ($2750 with energizer/equalizer, footnote 1). He said, "You need to know about this." Then every few months he would write and politely inquire how I was liking it. Each time I would write back saying, "I'm sorry Garth, I haven't tried it yet, but I'll install it right after deadline."
That was a score…
My 80% nickel-core EMIA MC Step-Up Transformer ($2700 with copper wire, $4800 with silver wire, footnote 2) was designed and wound by Dave Slagle specifically for Koetsu cartridges. With my Rosewood Signature Platinum, it sounds delicious and plays butter-smooth. I cherish it for its unfettered ease and completeness. The EMIA SUT makes the Platinum sound dense and radiant in a natural "not-hi-fi" way. For example, this combo reproduces Todd Garfinkle's magnificent recording Será una Noche (MA Recordings LP MA062A-V) in such a subtle-but-brilliant manner that it encourages me to believe I…
Playlists embody who we are. We use musical affinities to understand (or at least categorize) others, not only as evidence of their aesthetic discernment but also of their emotional and political affiliations, which amount to an entire worldview. In other words, the database of favorite music that we carry around in our brains is no laughing matter. So, one of the most unexpected—and rewarding—things that can happen in music fandom is a complete and sudden inversion of one's beliefs. Which brings me to the perennially touchy subject of Steely Dan, a band that cleaves the ranks of listeners…
Though it's named after the Roman god of sleep, I found nothing lethargic about the Morpheus. I'm happy to report that, like some other R-2R DACs I've heard, it takes music out from behind the glass wall of "digital sound" and renders it in a vivid, fleshed-out manner. R-2R DACs often get knocked for rolled-off frequency extremes and a sound that has a generalized way with detail, but this one managed to dig out copious detail from every recording I played and brought to the game a pristinely extended treble and authoritative bass—strengths associated with delta-sigma DACs. More than any…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: 24-bit, nonoversampling digital/ analog converter with volume control. Digital inputs: AES3 on XLR, S/PDIF electrical on RCA, S/PDIF optical on TosLink, choice of either USB or I2S (the latter over RJ45). Analog outputs: 1 XLR, 1 RCA. Maximum output level: 4V balanced, 2V single-ended. Output impedance: 100 ohms (balanced and single-ended). Frequency response (44.1kHz sample rate): 1Hz–20kHz, +0/–0.25dB. Channel separation: 120dB.
Dimensions: 11.4" (290mm) × 2.4" (60mm) × 9.8" (250mm). Weight: 7lb (3.2kg).
Finish: Silver or black.
Serial…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Garrard 301 turntable in a Box Furniture Co. plinth; Thomas Schick 12" tonearm; Hana Umami Red cartridge; Ortofon SPU Classic G cartridge; Zu/Denon DL-103 cartridge.
Digital sources: Sonnet Hermes network bridge, Denafrips Terminator DAC; Denafrips Iris digital-to-digital converter; Sonore opticalRendu; Roon Nucleus+; Small Green Computer sonicTransporter i5 server running Roon Core.
Preamplification: Shindo Aurieges preamplifier; Parasound Halo JC 3+ phono preamplifier; Auditorium 23 SPU step-up transformer.
Power amplifiers:…