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Parasound amplification with the Innuos Zenith, Marantz Ruby, Dr. Feickert Woodpecker Deluxe, and KEF Blade Meta speakers

Of the two systems in Parasound's large room, time only allowed a listen to the big one. Given that room's entire front wall was composed of outward-facing glass, Parasound's Phil Jackson had no choice but to opt for heavy draping that, as with all heavy draping, nipped depth in the bud.

I initially typed "death" rather than depth. Whatever that may say about my own internal preoccupations, it does not reflect on the core of the system's sound, which was gratifying alive without being hot or splashy.

On a track from Arturo Sandoval's Trumpet Evolution, the system did a fine job…

ModWright Debuts its Analog Bridge

If any company's sonic signature has changed from the first time I encountered it, it's Dan Wright's ModWright. While Dan still does tube modifications to products from other companies—his Cambridge CXN V2 Tube Modification ($1500/mod only) to the Cambridge DAC was part of the show system—the KWH225i class-AB Hybrid Integrated ($9750), PH9.0X Tube Phono Stage ($4750), and world debut Analog Bridge (maybe $2900/TBD) are 100% ModWright.

The latter, which comes with two selectable RCA inputs and two selectable RCA outputs—fully balanced XLR inputs and outputs are an optional add-on—…

High End By Oz: Thrax Spartacus 300B amplification, Børresen 05 loudspeakers, and much more

As at T.H.E. Show in Long Beach, I was smitten by the round, colorful, and illumined sound of Thrax Spartacus 300B monoblocks ($97,500/pair). Seduced, won over, serenaded into submission. And then some.

In a not exactly modest ¾-million dollar system that also included a Hifistay Mythology Rack System ($5200/shelf), UHA SuperDeck ($90,000), Thrax Libra 300B stereo preamplifier ($65,500), Thrax Maximinus Mk II 32/384 DAC ($38,500), Vitus SCD 25 Mk II ($26,400), and, in a change from last time, Børresen 05 Silver Supreme Edition loudspeakers ($214,500/pair), Synergistic Research…

The Pacific Audio Fest's Inaugural Outing

How does anyone adequately and fairly evaluate a first-time audio show in a new location? Especially when it's handicapped by unusually hot, mid-90º weather and yet another COVID surge that was accompanied by admonishments to mask up indoors?

First, I rejoice that the show brought together so many old friends in such a convivial manner. A case in point: Marjorie Baumert, head of the former Rocky Mountain International Audio Fest (left above), headed west from Denver to support show organizers Gary Gill (right above) and Lou Hinkley (hard at work elsewhere) as volunteer coordinator…

A Personal PAF Postscript

So, just how hot was it? Residents of Florida, Texas, and other southern states may laugh, but the greater Seattle Area is ill-equipped to cope with temperatures that topped out at 96°. Nor could the poor Doubletree Hilton at SEATAC's air conditioning keep upper-floor hallways cool; those with glass-faced enclosures facing the sun reached fry-me-an-egg levels. At some hours of the day, the temperature in the elevator was ridiculous.

By show's close, Nelvin, a mouse-like finger puppet who has served as my synthetic spirit animal for over a decade, could no longer maintain lookout…

Marantz Model 40n integrated amplifier

On a cold, clear February morning, I attended my first in-person press event since the beginning of the pandemic. Marantz had invited me to a small group session in a suite at the Equinox Hotel at Hudson Yards but gave no indication of what was in store. After two years without live press events or audio shows, I was not going to spurn the offer no matter what would be presented: I was hungry for hi-fi. Upon arrival, I learned that Marantz would be featuring just one new product, a streaming integrated amplifier, the Marantz Model 40n ($2499). Sure, I'm in.

A short introduction linked…

Marantz Model 40n integrated amplifier Page 2

While the Model 40n is said to be in the process of being certified by Roon (footnote 4), it doesn't implement Roon's RAAT protocol. So, over the network, the Roon core connects to the 40n via AirPlay (yes, even with a wired connection). This means that Roon playback (including Qobuz playback via Roon) is limited to 16/44.1 stereo. When used as a streamer, the 40n is at its best with the excellent HEOS app, its intended network implementation. That said, the Qobuz app on my iPhone also recognized the 40n and streamed to it at up to 24/192. SpotifyConnect was responsive and sounded good, but…

Marantz Model 40n integrated amplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Remote-controlled, network-connected D/A integrated amplifier. Analog inputs: 5 pair RCA (CD, line, phono, recorder, power amp direct). Digital inputs: TosLink, coaxial S/PDIF, HDMI/ARC, USB-A. Network inputs: Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ45), Wi-Fi. Supported file formats: MP3, AAC, WMA, ALAC, FLAC, WAV. Supported sample rates: up to 192kHz PCM (digital inputs), up to 192kHz PCM and 5.6MHz DSD (USB, Network). Supported streaming services: Pandora, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, HighResAudio, Juke, Napster, SoundCloud, TuneIn. Analog outputs: 1…

Marantz Model 40n integrated amplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital sources: Oppo Digital UDP-105 universal disc player, Custom Intel/Win11 music server running JRiver Media Center v29 and Roon, exaSound s88 Mark II, and Okto DAC8 Pro D/A processors. QNAP TVS-873 NAS.
Preamplifiers: Coleman Audio 7.1SW for source switching. 3 Topping Pre90s for buffer/line drivers.
Power amplifiers: Benchmark AHB2, NAD C 298. Both used as bridged monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: KEF Blade Two Meta, Revel Ultima2 Studio with IsoAcoustics Gaia I isolation feet. Revel Performa3 F206. SVS SB-3000 subwoofer.
Cables: Digital…

Marantz Model 40n integrated amplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I measured the Marantz Model 40n with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. For the digital-input measurements, I used TosLink data and the HEOS app on my iPhone to play back test-tone WAV files on a USB stick plugged into the rear-panel port.

The Marantz's single-ended line inputs preserved absolute polarity at both the loudspeaker and headphone outputs. The volume control operated in accurate 0.5dB steps, and the maximum gain was 40.6dB at the loudspeaker outputs and 40.7dB at the headphone output. The power amplifier stage offered a fixed gain of 24dB. The…