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I've just recently finished reading guitarist/vocalist Walter Lure's autobiography, To Hell and Back. Walter has a great story about his days in Johnny Thunders's Heartbreakers and his own Waldos. Until he died in late August, you could still hear him playing with the Waldos and running periodic tributes to Johnny. But he also took some space to write about his first band, a hard-rock dance band called Bloodbath that pounded the risers in the North Bronx at the dawn of the 1970s. I had the extreme pleasure of being the vocalist and master of revels in this two-guitar maelstrom. We covered…
It stands to reason that any audiophile system would benefit from improved AC power. The rooms in most older homes are equipped with a single duplex receptacle on each wall, maybe two per wall in homes employing more modern construction practices. Behind the wall you're likely to find standard 14-gauge Romex, passing through via receptacles that typically sell for about a buck each. The electrical work meets local code, but audiophiles aren't involved in setting local electrical codes.
Another, newer problem is the proliferation of cheap electronic devices. Computers, computer components…
The unit has seven rear-panel AC receptacles. Receptacles 1 and 2 are the High Current/Low-Z receptacles intended for power amplifiers; they employ AQ's Transient Power Correction. The remaining five receptacles, for sources, employ AQ's Level-X Linear Noise-Dissipation System; all five source receptacles are isolated from the two high-current receptacles and are broken into two banks, 3–5 and 6–7, which are also isolated from each other. These receptacles are principally intended for connection of source equipment; the manual offers some connection guidelines, but also recommends…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: AC powerline conditioner with seven receptacles.
Dimensions: 17.5" (445mm) W × 3.45" (88mm) H × 15.2" (386mm) D. Weight: 24.9lb (11.3kg) net, 33lb (15kg) shipping.
Price: $2995. Approximate number of dealers: 191.
Manufacturer: AudioQuest, 2621 White Rd., Irvine, CA 92614. Tel: (949) 790-6000. Web: audioquest.com.
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Pro-Ject Classic SB turntable with Hana SL moving-coil cartridge.
Digital sources: Yamaha BD-A1060 universal disc player; Euphony Audio Summus: Intel NUC-based music server/player/streamer running Roon/Qobuz.
Preamplifiers: PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell preamplifier/DAC; Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+ phono preamplifier with Musical Surroundings LPS.
Power amplifiers: PrimaLuna EVO 300 tube integrated; Bel Canto e1X stereo; Emotiva XPA-1L monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Magnepan LRS fitted with Magna Riser custom stands; Zu Audio…
(Photo by Mary Kent)
Of late, Stereophile has written a lot about vibration-isolating footers under loudspeakers. I have been listening to the Magico M-Pods (under the Magico M2 loudspeaker, which won our Loudspeaker of the Year Award for 2020, and which I'll review, in follow-up fashion, in an upcoming issue of this magazine). Following an impressive demo at a 2019 audio show, I also tried IsoAcoustic footers under the Revel Ultima Salon2 loudspeakers. Michael Fremer tried them under his Wilson Alexxes. We both reported positive results.
The idea of isolating loudspeaker…
Ron Miles: Rainbow Sign
Ron Miles, cornet; Jason Moran, piano; Bill Frisell, electric guitar; Thomas Morgan, bass; Brian Blade, drums.
Blue Note (CD, 2LPs). Ron Miles, prod.; Colin Bricker, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics *****
Ron Miles, cornet; Jason Moran, piano; Bill Frisell, electric guitar; Thomas Morgan, bass; Brian Blade, drums.
Blue Note (CD, 2LPs). Ron Miles, prod.; Colin Bricker, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics *****
If Ron Miles lived in New York instead of Denver, he would have become a jazz star long ago. With Rainbow Sign, his 12th album as a leader but his debut on a major label (at age 57), now's his time—or should be anyway.
Miles led the same stellar quintet on his last record, I Am a Man, in 2017, and he has played with these musicians several…
KEF's LS50 loudspeaker was introduced in 2012 to celebrate the English manufacturer's 50th anniversary. Usually, anniversary models are large, floorstanding "statement" designs with a price to match, but the LS50 was a minimonitor, priced at $1500/pair. I reviewed the Anniversary Edition LS50 in December 2012 (footnote 1), writing that it was rare to find a loudspeaker that offers this combination of clarity and neutrality and concluding that within its limits of dynamic range and bass extension, the KEF LS50 "will provide Class A sound for those with small rooms."
Sam Tellig agreed with…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 12th-generation Uni-Q driver array with 1" (25mm) vented aluminum-dome tweeter, 5.25" (130mm) magnesium/aluminum alloy-cone woofer. Crossover frequency: 2.1kHz. Frequency range (–6dB): 47Hz–45kHz. Frequency response: 79Hz–28kHz, ±3dB. Sensitivity: 85dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Minimum impedance: 3 ohms. Harmonic distortion (second and third harmonics, 90dB, 1m): <0.4%, 175Hz–20kHz; <0.1% 300Hz–10kHz. Amplifier requirements: 40–100W. Maximum output: 106dB.
Dimensions…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Lingo power supply, Linn Ekos tonearm, Linn Arkiv B cartridge, Channel D Seta L phono preamplifier.
Digital sources: Roon Nucleus+ file server; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP universal player; PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream, MBL N31, and Okto Research dac8 Stereo D/A processors, Ayre Acoustics QA-9 A/D converter.
Preamplifier: MBL Noble Line N11.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks.
Integrated amplifier: NAD M10.
Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins 705 Signature, KEF LS50, Marten…