"Connected," though, can mean different things. For some, it…
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Old-school audiophiles like me cling to our vinyl records and CDs. We spin them on turntables and slide them into transports, which send electric signals through wires to solid state or tubed amplifiers—a string of hardware devices. But, despite our object-attached ways, we're quite aware that we are living in a software-enabled, Bluetooth-connected, Wi-Fi–facilitated world. Even our Milky Way galaxy is wireless; as that pontificator of everything galactic, scientist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, has proclaimed, "We're all connected."
Thirty-two-year-old Solána Imani Rowe, aka SZA, is my choice for the finest soul singer of 2022 and beyond (beyond, that is, in the negative direction, backward toward 2015, when she broke through), an emotional powerhouse who performs with great depth of fluidity and feeling. SZA rolls from staccato eighth-note hip-hop phrasing to soaring, swinging embellishments within the space of two bars; her gracefulness and generous spirit are enchanting. SZA fully occupies her music, not gliding above it like so many Spotify top-10 stars.
SZA's 2020 hit "Good Days" (24/48 MQA, Top Dawg/…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel, class-D, integrated amplifier with streaming DAC running BluOS. Inputs: RJ45 (Ethernet); 2 combination mini-TosLink/3.5mm; HDMI eARC; USB. Outputs: One pair 5-way loudspeaker binding posts; one miniplug (3.5mm) unbalanced headphone output; one subwoofer output (RCA). Output power: 80Wpc into 8 ohms (19.05dBW). IHF dynamic power: 220Wpc into 4 ohms (20.4dBW), 130Wpc into 8 ohms (21.1dBW). Amplification technology: HybridDigital class-D based on Hypex UcD modules. Network: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac, 2.4/5GHz); Ethernet, GigE 1000Mbps. S/N ratio:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Preamplification: Shindo Allegro.
Power amplifiers: Shindo Haut-Brion.
Loudspeakers: Golden Ear BRX, DeVore Fidelity O/96.
Headphones: Meze Audio 99 Classic, AKH K12 Pro.
Cables: Speaker: 8' pair Analysis Plus Silver Apex.
Accessories: IsoTek EVO3 Aquarius line conditioner, two Salamander 5-tier racks.—Ken Micallef
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I tested the Bluesound Powernode with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, then repeated some tests with the magazine's more recent APx500 system. I connected the Powernode to my network and controlled it with the Bluesound app on my iPad mini. (When I first connected the amplifier, it updated its BluOS firmware to v3.16.7.) I used the app's "Customize Inputs" screen to disable "A/V mode" on the inputs with which I was going to do the testing, as this is said to be best for audio-only sources.
As the amplifier has a class-D output stage, I inserted an Audio…
Although I retired as Stereophile's editor-in-chief at the end of March 2019, I still have an ongoing connection with the magazine. As well as contributing reviews and measuring the audio products that are being reviewed, I prepare the magazine's content for republishing on its website. So when JansZen Audio's David Janszen contacted me about reviewing his Valentina P8 loudspeaker, I looked through my back issues to find reviews of JansZen speakers that could be posted. The earliest review I found was by Stereophile founder J. Gordon Holt, of the JansZen Z-600, in December 1966, which you…
According to the manual, the speakers should be positioned with the rearmost corners between 24" and 32" from the wall behind them—but no more because the P8 is designed to rely on wall reinforcement for optimal low-frequency performance. Unfortunately, such close placement was not possible in my room due to a short flight of stairs to the vestibule behind the right speaker. I ended up with the rear corners of the Valentinas 67" from the wall behind them, which meant that I should compensate by switching the woofers to the +3dB level setting. However, when I did so, the upper midrange…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: 2.5-way, floorstanding loudspeaker with sealed enclosure. Drive units: two 7" (180mm) W × 8" (200mm) H electrostatic panels mounted one above the other; two 8" (225mm) alloy-cone woofers; 1" (25.4mm), silk-dome auxiliary "airLayer" tweeter. Crossover frequencies: 500Hz, woofers–electrostatic panels; 5kHz, 1.5-way electrostatic panels. Crossover slopes: first order, 6dB/octave; the airLayer tweeter rolls off with a critically damped, second-order slope below 2kHz, with no upper rolloff. Frequency response: 30Hz–20kHz ±3dB in-room. Nominal impedance…
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; MBL N31 CD player/DAC; Ayre Acoustics QA-9 A/D converter.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks, Luxman M-10X.
Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins 804 D4, GoldenEar BRX.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), AudioQuest Coffee (USB), DH Labs (1m, AES/EBU). Interconnect: AudioQuest Wild Blue (…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system, a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone, and an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the JansZen Valentina P8's frequency response in the farfield. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield and in-room responses. My primary axis for the measurements was at 90° from the center of the electrostatic panel on the angled front baffle at a distance of 50". (I refer to this as the "normal" axis.) I raised the loudspeaker as far as possible from the floor, but the reflection of the lower woofer's output from the floor meant that I…