In his original review of Yamaha's new flagship integrated amplifier in the September 2020 issue, self-confessed digiphile Jason Victor Serinus didn't examine the sound of the A-S3200's phono stage. It was also an open question whether the amplifier would get the best from his current-hungry Wilson Alexia 2 loudspeakers,…
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Two of the followup reviews that were published in the November 2020 issue of Stereophile have been posted to the magazine's website: Herb Reichert on the Yamaha A-S3200 integrated amplifier and the measurements of the Denafrips Ares II and Terminator D/A processors.
What's Next Vivaldi?
Antonio Vivaldi and others
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin; Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini, cond. and flute.
Alpha 624 (Auditioned as 24/192 WAV). 2020. Jean-Daniel Noir, prod., edit., master.
Performance *****
Sonics ****
Antonio Vivaldi and others
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin; Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini, cond. and flute.
Alpha 624 (Auditioned as 24/192 WAV). 2020. Jean-Daniel Noir, prod., edit., master.
Performance *****
Sonics ****
Forget almost everything you know about Vivaldi performance practice, authentic and otherwise, and shush all "shoulds." Banish from your mind any thoughts that all Vivaldi sounds the same. Prepare your ears to hear Vivaldi as you've never heard him before.
Blame what pours forth, if blame you must, on the…
UPDATE: This webinar is now available for replay!
Replay T+A Webinar LIVE: Tuesday, October 20, 2020 - 12:00PM ET
Join us when T+A discusses their strategy, history and future, along with an in-depth look at their HA 200 headphone amp, HV Series technology, and Solitaire P headphones.
On hand to present the products and answer your questions during the live webinar:
Siegfried Amft: Founder and CEO
Lothar Wiemann: Director of R&D
Conradin Amft: Marketing Director
Max Kirschke: Transducer and Loudspeaker Development Engineer
UPDATE:…
At High End Mässan 2015—Stockholm, Sweden's big audio show—Marten planned to show off its finest loudspeaker to the hometown crowd. Marten took the hotel's largest demo room, located at the prime location at the top of the stairs, at the entry point to the 2nd floor exhibition space. There, Marten set up a super system (see photo below) featuring the Coltrane Supreme 2 loudspeaker, a towering monolith probably intended more for Asian consumption than for Swedes to bring home to their modest digs. In preshow demos, the Coltranes filled the large room with impressively transparent and…
Because it is Stereophile policy to change out only one component at a time, I kept my usual VAC and darTZeel amplifiers. Yes, I auditioned these $7000/pair speakers ($8000/pair with stands) with monoblock amplifiers that cost around $170,000/pair (see Associated Equipment).
We Get Requests
I own several versions of Sonny Rollins's Way Out West, including an original Stereo Records pressing (Stereo Records S7017) and the recent one from The Electric Recording Company, but the one I played is the 24/192 Qobuz version.
To my surprise, the Duos reproduced the full weight,…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" ceramic-diaphragm tweeter, 7" ceramic-diaphragm mid/woofer. Crossover: second-order, 2.5kHz. Frequency response: 37Hz–20kHz ±3dB. Sensitivity: 86dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 6 ohms nominal, 3.1 ohms minimum. Power rating: 150W. Terminals: single-wired WBT. Internal wiring: Jorma Design. Supplied accessories: optional MDF stands.
Dimensions: 7.9" (200mm) H × 15.7" (400mm) W × 12.6" (320mm) D. Weight: 29lb (13kg).
Finishes: Piano Black, White, and Matte Walnut.
Serial numbers of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn, & Castellon turntable & stand; SAT XD1 direct-drive turntable, CF1-09 and Kuzma 4Point tonearms; Lyra Atlas Lambda SL, Ortofon MC Century, Anna Diamond, A95, A90, Grado Epoch3, Miyajima Labs Infinity (mono), Grado Epoch (mono) phono cartridges.
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi One SACD player/DAC, Lynx Hilo A/D–D/A converter, Roon Nucleus, Pure Vinyl and Vinyl Studio software.
Preamplification: darTZeel NHB-18S, Ypsilon MC-10L, MC-16L step-up transformers; Ypsilon VPS-100, CH Precision P1 with X1…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Marten Oscar Duo's farfield behavior with DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the speaker's nearfield and spatially averaged in-room responses. I didn't have the optional magnetically attached covers, so I didn't use them. The Oscar Duo's drive-units are protected with individual metal-mesh grilles.
My estimate of the Oscar Duo's sensitivity was 85.3dB/2.83V/m, which is within experimental error of the specified 86dB/2.83V/m. Marten specifies the Oscar Duo's impedance as 6 ohms,…
Photo of Bob's mastering room courtesy of Mary Kent, photographer
I've written before in this space that to me the most wondrous aspect of our avocation (apart from the music) is the way it exists at the intersection of logic and emotion, of science and art. The equipment we use is made by engineers applying scientific principles, yet its goal is to deliver sensual pleasure. Both viewpoints are valid.
A few engineers embody both approaches. MBL's Jürgen Reis recently told Stereophile that he starts by optimizing a design objectively—getting the technical part right. Then he voices…
I was doing my press beat for Stereophile in the hallway of Montreal's 2019 Audiofest when I glimpsed something that stopped me in my tracks. It was a marketing slogan, across the room on importer/exhibitor Goerner Audio's floorstanding banner: "Tubes or semiconductors? Magneto-solid technology amplifies emotions."
Intrigued and with pen and paper in hand, I settled into one of the listening chairs and soaked in the smooth, luscious, musical sound coming from a system with the Grandinote Shinai integrated amplifier at its core—and wondered: tubes or transistors? The line was blurry.…