Analog sources: Thorens TD 124 and Kuzma turntables, Jelco TS-350S Mk.II tonearm, Hana EL MC phono cartridge, Luxman EQ-500 phono stage.
Digital sources: BorderPatrol DAC SE, Asus laptop computer.
Integrated amplifiers: Schiit Ragnarok 2.
Loudspeakers: Polk Audio Legend L100, Quad S2.
Headphones: Master & Dynamic MH40.
Cables: Interconnect: Shindo Laboratory, Triode Wire Labs Spirit II, Furutech GT2 Pro Series USB cable. Speaker: Auditorium 23. AC: Triode Wire Labs Obsession NCF power cord, manufacturers' own.
Accessories: Kuzma…
search
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I tested the Cambridge Audio CXA81 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). I first preconditioned the amplifier by following the CEA's recommendation of operating it at one-eighth the specified power into 8 ohms for 30 minutes. At the end of that time, the top panel was warm, at 98°F (36.7°C), with the grille over the heatsinks and transformer hotter, at 133.1°F (56.2°C). I then performed my usual thermal stress test by running the amplifier at one-third power into 8 ohms for an hour. After 30 minutes, the grille's temperature…
Someone once asked me, "If I buy your $90,000, 25W amplifier, what will I get that I am not getting with my $2000, 200W amplifier?" My answer was simple: "Goosebumps, tears, and smirking." Great, well-tuned audio systems, at all price levels, give their owners less of the annoying and distracting stuff and more of the exciting and engaging stuff. Great systems offer more opportunities for smirking pridefully while listening to great recordings.
Sanford "Sandy" Gross, co-founder of Polk Audio and former CEO of GoldenEar Audio, has said that "in general, the best audio systems will sound…
I agree 100% with Art's observation: Spherical/conical-tipped cartridges emphasize "musical content" with force and vigor. And simplification. By eliminating some amounts of complex low-level spatial, atmospheric, and harmonic information, conical tips seem to expose the raw, beating core of humans playing music. That's why I love them.
Speaking of force and vigor, the AT-VM95C (conical)—which is even cheaper than the $49 elliptical version, at $34—sounded cool, fast, and powerful but also detailed and invigorating. It played complex recordings, like the Stravinsky Conducts…
Sidebar: Thomas Schick 10.5" tonearm
I must begin by saying that Thomas Schick is a friend of mine. I know him because we share a love for schnitzel, drinking songs, and playing records through ancient horn speakers. Art Dudley reviewed his 12" tonearm in Listening #87, and it was a core component in that Salt Cellar System I described in GD34. Now, a $1995, 10.5" Schick tonearm (plus Schick's $295 graphite headshell) has replaced the now-discontinued 12" Jelco TK-850L on my Dr. Feickert Blackbird turntable.
This upgrade improves the sound quality of my system while…
When I first heard the word "audiophile," I loved it. It sounded fresh and dignified. I related to it instantly. An audiophile! I loved the whole idea of it, the focus on music, on sound. That was me! I'd found myself! And people like me. Other audiophiles, who lived all over the world. To paraphrase Tom Petty, it was like a first flash of freedom.
I also, as perhaps befits an audiophile, loved the sound of the word. Au-di-o-phile. It rolled down the tongue then leaped off on a fresh blanket of air. It had the ring of perfect sense to it. Who wouldn't want to hear their favorite music in…
Recently, I received an email from Editor Jim Austin. "Larry, do you still use your Day Sequerra FM Reference tuner1 to listen to FM radio?" he asked.
"Jim, yes, I still listen to FM classical music in the Bay area. Why?"
"I had kind of a crazy idea. McIntosh has lots of good new stuff coming out now, but I want you to review the MAC7200 receiver, which isn't new. I like FM radio. I'd listen to FM a lot more, except that I'm stuck on the first floor in a neighborhood full of very tall brick and stone buildings. I am literally a 3-minute walk from Columbia, but I cannot receive…
As the MAC7200 does not come with an FM antenna, I connected my Day Sequerra FM Urban Antenna (footnote 4) to its 75 ohm threaded antenna terminal. For AM reception, I connected the McIntosh RAA2 remote AM antenna, a brick-sized black plastic box, to the rear-panel RJ45 connector via a 20' cable included in the box.
Setup involved selecting the optimal amplifier-output speaker terminals—2, 4, or 8 ohms—for my Quad ESL-989 electrostatic speakers. Ron suggested I use the speaker manufacturer's nominal impedance rating or JA's measurement and then use a lower impedance speaker tap.…
Except on a few choral recordings, the MAC7200's DAC matched the Bryston BDA-3's dynamics, background quietness, and depiction of the soundstage. Both revealed subtle details in the bass drum head—muffled but solid—which underpinned the chorus and soloist, Jose Carreras, in the "Kyrie" of Ariel Ramirez's Misa Criolla, conducted by José Luis Ocejo (CD, Philips 420 955-2), and discriminated different vocal details in the chorus. In their rendering of Patricia Barber's Companion (Premonition/Blue Note/Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UDSACD 2023), the two DACs both depicted the rich, well-defined…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel solid-state receiver with line, phono, FM and AM tuners, tone controls, headphone output, class-AB output stage, D/A module. Analog inputs: 1 balanced (XLR); 5 single-ended (RCA); 1 single-ended (RCA) power amplifier; MM phono; MC phono; 1 passthrough; 75-ohm external FM Antenna; RJ45 for RAA2 AM remote antenna. Outputs: 1 pair single-ended preamplifier (RCA), 1 pair single-ended Rec, 4 pairs five-way speaker binding posts (ground, 2, 4, 8 ohms). Phono sensitivity (for rated output): line level, 250mV; MM, 2.5mV; MC, 0.25mV. Input…