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The G700M2 imbued files with a sense of warmth, but it wasn't overly colored. The G700M2's occasional sins were forgivable. Occasionally, I heard a slight, processed-sounding, oversaturated sheen. Not once did it jab my skull with aggressive treble or fail to deliver deep bass in round, convincing measure. It paired well with my DeVore Fidelity O/96 loudspeakers, bringing out their inherent richness and musicality without laying on the creamy fat with too heavy a scoop. And it was plenty powerful, from the most belligerent rock to the most dynamic large-scale classical.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel "digital" integrated amplifier with phono stage and remote control. Output power: 70Wpc into 8 ohms (18.45dBW), 140Wpc into 4 ohms (18.45dBW), at 1kHz, 0–20kHz, THD: 0.5%. Input sensitivity: Line, 200mV. MM phono, 2.5mV. MC phono, 300µV. Input impedance: Line inputs, 22k ohms; MM phono, 47k ohms; MC phono, 100 ohms. Frequency response: Line, 5Hz–80kHz, –3dB; MM phono, 20Hz–20kHz, RIAA deviation ±1dB; MC phono, 20Hz– 20kHz. Digital, 5Hz–80kHz, –3dB. Digital inputs: 2 TosLink, 2 S/PDIF on RCA, 1 USB Audio Class 2.0 Asynchronous. Analog…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Kuzma Stabi R turntable/4Point tonearm; EMT TSD 15N Super Fineline moving coil phono cartridge.
Digital sources: Denafrips Ares II DAC; Sonore opticalRendu; Roon Nucleus+; Small Green Computer power supply; TRENDnet switch; Apple iPad mini.
Integrated amplifier: Parasound Hint 6 Halo.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96.
Cables: Interconnect: 2m Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA), 2m Analysis Plus Silver Apex (RCA). Speaker: 10' Analysis Plus Silver Apex Speaker (bananas). AC: Triode Wire Labs Obsession NCF,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Technics SU-G700M2 appears to be a less powerful, less–well-equipped sibling of the Technics SU-R1000 integrated amplifier that KM reviewed in December 2021, which offered superb measured performance. I measured the SU-G700M2 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, and as the amplifier has an output stage that resembles class-D, I inserted an Audio Precision AUX-0025 passive low-pass filter between the test load and the analyzer. This filter reduces RF noise that would otherwise drive the SYS2722's input circuitry into slew-rate limiting. (Without the filter,…
I am an artist by trade. Saws and brushes and cameras are some of the tools I use. The aesthetic quality of the things I make is determined not by my skill with tools but by the dynamic relationships I establish among space, color, tone, and shape.
Of those elements, shapes are the most important because they are the first thing a viewer notices and the chief vehicles for transmitting sentiment and artistic intent. Stylized shapes, like those in popular art, may induce superficial responses in the viewer. Taut, Euclidian shapes suggest their author is of a higher mind; the Parthenon and…
As always, my search for maximum data retrieval leads me to JPS Labs' higher priced ($5995) Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC open-back (and front) planar-magnetics, which, as they have done for years, rewarded me with about 1000 pieces of previously unnoticed information. The Abyss TC is specified at 47 ohms, 87dB/mW, which is electrically similar to the Stealth. In comparison, the AB-1266 presented recordings more raw—more like a recording-studio monitor—than the more sumptuous-sounding Stealth.
Dan Clark's new flagship appealed to me as a hip, tech-looking, smartly engineered, planar-magnetic…
There's an enduring debate among the turntable-tech intelligentsia between opposing theories of turntable design. Some designers, notably Roy Gandy of Rega, follow a less-is-more approach, building stiff, lightweight turntables that release energy rather quickly. Others, such as Franc Kuzma, whose Kuzma Ltd. manufactures my reference Kuzma Stabi R turntable and Kuzma 4Point tonearm, believe in heavy mass-loading to dampen vibrations, including transparency-miring resonances. Though analog sages and savants have argued for decades, the question remains: Should turntables be light or heavy?…
Following the manual, I arranged three dime-sized aluminum pads in a loose triangle on my Ikea Aptitlig bamboo board; the Reference Jubilee's three adjustable spiked feet fit into the dimpled pads. I squeezed three drops of supplied bearing oil into the Jubilee's ceramic bearing shaft, then fitted the upper magnet bearing through the hole in the stainless steel subplatter, securing it with a supplied collar then tightening it with an Allen wrench. (The collar is a placeholder of sorts.) I gently lowered the subplatter over the ceramic bearing shaft. The larger POM platter slid easily over…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-speed, belt-drive turntable with 9" Clearaudio Universal carbon-fiber tonearm.
Turntable: Plinth made of aluminum and laminated Panzerholz wood. 33 1/3, 45, and 78rpm speeds with Optical Speed Control. Speed accuracy (measured): ±0.05%. 24V DC motor suspended via 18 O-rings. Inverted Clearaudio Ceramic Magnetic Bearing (CMB). 1.97" (50mm), 11.2lb (5.1kg) POM platter and 0.59" (15mm) stainless steel dynamically balanced subplatter. Silicon rubber elastomeric belt. Power consumption: 5W.
Tonearm (included): Aluminum (black/silver),…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Kuzma Stabi R turntable/4Point tonearm; Clearaudio Jubilee MC v2 phono cartridge.
Preamplification: Sugden LA-4 line preamplifier; Sutherland Little Loco and Tavish Adagio phono preamplifers.
Power amplifier: Pass Labs XA25.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96.
Cables: Interconnect: 2m Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA), 2m Analysis Plus Silver Apex (RCA). Speaker: 10' Analysis Plus Silver Apex Speaker (bananas). AC: Triode Wire Labs Obsession NCF, manufacturers' own.
Accessories: Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU Record Cleaning…