The understated, "lab-grade" AXIOM holds its own visually even when paired with designer D.D. Brakemeier's enormous and equally lab-looking APOLYT turntable. You can take the turntable tour on AnalogPlanet or on Brakemeier's website. That turntable's scale makes even the TechDAS Air Force Zero appear diminutive.
Brakemeier, who describes…
Even hard-core "cable deniers" must admit that an ultralow voltage connected to a transformer or phono preamplifier requires careful handling. And yes, along with Helios…
At $75,000…
Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive units: two 8" (203mm) "Pure Piston" aluminum-sandwich woofers; one 6" (152mm) "Pure Piston" aluminum-sandwich midrange; 1.3" (33mm) × 2.4" (61mm) Air Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeter. Crossover frequencies: 425Hz, 3kHz. Frequency range: 28Hz–52kHz. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Sensitivity: 90.5dB/W/m. Power handling: 300W. Supplied accessories: carpet-piercing spikes.
Dimensions: 44.9" (1140mm) H × 9.85" (250mm) W × 15.75" (400mm) D. Weight: 79.65lb (36.2kg) each.
Finish: Dark Walnut,…
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; NetGear Nighthawk router.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Q Acoustics Concept 50.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), AudioQuest Coffee (USB), DH Labs (1m, AES3). Interconnect: AudioQuest Wild Blue (balanced).…
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone with an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the Audiovector QR 7's farfield frequency response and dispersion. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield and in-room responses and Dayton Audio's DATS V2 system to measure the impedance magnitude and electrical phase angle.
Audiovector specifies the QR 7's anechoic sensitivity as 90.5dB/W/m. My estimate was slightly lower, at 88.7dB/2.83V/m, though this is still higher than average. The QR 7's impedance is specified as 6…
I was curious to check out Stereo Stereo, Klein's new dealership in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (footnote 1). I wanted to find out how a brick-and-mortar shop like his can compete and coexist with other retailers, especially online retailers.
Stereo Stereo isn't Klein's first stereo rodeo; in fact, it's his third. He opened his…
More than half a century later, blind dates—now with review equipment—remain fraught. Sure, expectations and the frisson of unknowns heighten the experience, but if it isn't a good match, I'm stuck for the duration of our time together. If a component sounds so mediocre that I can't be sure what's on a recording, the review and my joy are compromised. When music's emotion…
Moderately biased impressions
At 145.5lb and close to 28" high and 19" deep and costing $80,000/pair, Octave's Jubilee Mono SE is the largest, most expensive amplifier I've ever reviewed—$32,500/pair more than my reference D'Agostino Progression M550 monoblocks ($47,500/pair).
With eight…
Description: Tubed pentode push-pull monoblock power amplifier. Tube complement: 8 KT120, 3 ECC82. Inputs: 1 balanced (XLR), 1 single-ended (RCA). Outputs: 2 pair binding posts. Output power: 400W (23dBW) average and 450W (23.5dBW) peak power into 4 ohms. Minimum load impedance: 2 ohms. Voltage gain: 28dB; input sensitivity:1.5V at full output power. Frequency response: 10Hz–80kHz, +0/–0.5dB. THD: <0.1% at 10W into 4 ohms. S/N ratio: >103dB. Power consumption: 420W minimum, 800W at full power.
Dimensions: 27.8" (707mm) H × 11"(280mm) W × 19" (484mm) D…