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Siltech and Crystal Cable Sparkle

For elegance of presentation, the separate but related companies of Siltech and Crystal Cable have few peers. Given such care, it was near-impossible to resist peering further and investigating the two companies' latest offerings.

First to catch my eye was Crystal Cable's new Future Dream 22 phono cable with TAC-5-to-RCA connectors (above). This line sits between the company's top-level Art Series and the middle-level Diamond Series. At the heart of this beauty lies hybrid silver/gold technology and the monocrystal conductors that were formerly only available in Crystal Cable's…

MoFi's New Master Phono Preamplifier

Will wonders never cease? With Andrew Jones designing MoFi loudspeakers, Allen Perkins designing their turntables, and their latest fabled designer catch, Peter Madnick, designing their new Master Phono preamplifier ($5000), I can't but wonder if Mobile Fidelity, aka MoFi, is poised to take over the world. Madnick, whom you may recall as the former Design Manager for Constellation and ELAC and the founder of Audio Alchemy, has been in the audio business for 50 years and has designed over 400 products in the past 40 years.

The Master Phono Preamplifier has both current-mode and…

The Forthcoming Vitus RD-101 Mk.II DAC/Streamer

Vitus Audio, now in its 27th year, introduced its forthcoming entry-level RD-101 Mk.II DAC/Streamer ($15,000, release date TBD) at Munich High End. The unit sports a redesigned streaming module—the old one is obsolete—a newly optimized power supply, and significant noise reduction. There's also a new DAC chip, the ESS9038 Pro, which replaces the 9028 Pro.

Through its USB input, the unit supports DSD up to 256, PCM up to 24/384, and the first unfolding of MQA. Roon certification, which can be a lengthy process, is on the horizon. Existing RD-101 owners will be happy to learn that upgrades…

Stein Goes for the Gold

Holger Stein may be one of the softer-spoken men in the audio business, but he's hardly shy when it comes to attracting attention. For eye candy alone, Stein Music's new Bob XL Plus Ultimate loudspeaker (348,000/pair) had few rivals at Munich High End.

In a difficult, sloped ceiling room that had no visible room treatment (although there were, as expected, any number of the company's proprietary sonic enhancements), the Stein Music system produced good bass, lots of inviting midrange, and a smooth top. It triumphed through Youn Sun Nah's ridiculous, both barrels loaded, over-the…

Ortofon MC Diamond Cartridge, Audiovector R11 Arreté loudspeakers, TechDAS Air Force V Premium turntable, SME V tonearm, Einstein and Mark Levinson amplification

In the US market it isn't every day you see big, shiny red speakers—cars, yes—but less often flagship floorstanders. Here, a pair of tall, Danish flagships, the Audiovector R11 Arreté Titanium speakers clad in red enclosures graced the room. A model above the Audiovector R8 Arreté that Jim Austin reviewed, they use the company's Quasi Dual Drive Avantgarde Air Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeters.

Speaking of flagships, I also had the pleasure of meeting Ortofon's COAR (Chief Officer Acoustics and Research) Leif Johannsen in, yes, the Ortofon room at the MOC and he delightedly told…

Channel D Lino C 3.3 phono preamplifier

Years ago, at a San Francisco Audiophile Society gathering, I was lucky enough to spend time with the late, brilliant electrical engineer Roger Modjeski, whose Music Reference RM-200 Mk.II hybrid stereo tube amp is among my most prized hi-fi treasures. I asked him what he knew about transimpedance phono preamplifiers. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and drew a detailed transimpedance phono preamp circuit, quipping, "These have been around forever, but until recently no one has paid much attention to them."

We talked about the newer, low-internal-impedance cartridges that were…

Channel D Lino C 3.3 phono preamplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Battery-powered, solid-state, DC-coupled, current-mode, moving-coil phono preamplifier. Inputs: one pair current-mode balanced MC (XLR), one optional pair voltage-mode balanced MC (XLR), one pair optional unbalanced MM (RCA). Outputs: I pair balanced (XLR). Gain: 69dB, 61dB, 64dB, 67dB, 70dB; 39dB, 43dB, 46dB, 48dB (MM input option). Cartridge Loading (voltage mode): 100, 200, 500, 750, 1000 ohms (other settings possible by selecting more than one switch). RIAA accuracy: < ±0.1dB, 20Hz–20kHz. RIAA channel matching: < ±0.1dB, 20Hz–20kHz. Channel…

Channel D Lino C 3.3 phono preamplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog sources: OMA K3 and Schröder K3 tonearm; Haniwa CO Mk.II, the Lyra Atlas SL Lambda, and the Ortofon Anna D cartridges.
Preamplification: darTZeel NHB-18S, Ypsilon MC-10L, MC-16L, and MC-20L and X-quisite SUT X-20 step-up transformers; Ypsilon VPS-100, CH Precision P1 with X1 PSU.
Power amplifiers: darTZeel NHB 468 monoblocks, Music Reference RM-200 Mk.2.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Chronosonic XVX.
Cables: Interconnect: TARA Labs Zero Gold, Zero Evolution, Zero and Air Evolution, AudioQuest Dragon, Analysis Plus Silver Apex…

Channel D Lino C 3.3 phono preamplifier Measurements

Measurements (from July 2022, Vol.45 No.7)

Michael Fremer was impressed by the sound quality of Channel D's Lino C 3.3 phono preamplifier when he reviewed it in his June 2022 Analog Corner column. Editor Jim Austin suggested I examine its performance on the test bench.

The Lino C 3.3 ($3799, basic version1) resembles its predecessor, the Lino C 2.0, which Mikey reviewed in June 2019. The 3.3 is powered by a rechargeable battery and features a direct-coupled, wide-bandwidth, balanced, transimpedance circuit, which generates an output voltage that's proportional to the current…

Hegel Reference H30A Reference power amplifier, P30A preamplifier, KEF Reference 5 Meta loudspeakers, and Nordost cabling

My first stop in the Munich High End venue's huge halls, or Halles, was a treat—and not only because the Hegel folks had a box of Norwegian chocolate hearts to taste. Hegel introduced a couple of new analog components, the Hegel Reference H30A Reference power amplifier and the P30A preamplifier, which supersedes the P30 preamp. Hegel CEO, founder, and lead designer Bent Holter (right) was on-hand along with Anders Ertzeid "VP of This and That" (aka VP Sales and Marketing, left) to share details. The amp and preamp are both analog designs—the A stands for analog.

The Hegel H30A power…