Digital sources: dCS Rossini SACD/CD transport, Rossini DAC, and Rossini Clock; EMM Labs DV2 Integrated DAC; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS, Roon Nucleus+ music server, Uptone Audio EtherRegen with AfterDark Giesemann Emperor Double Crown Master Clock, Small Green Computer Sonore opticalModules (2) and Deluxe opticalModule, Linksys router and Arris modem, all powered by HDPlex 300 (3) and HDPlex 200 linear power supplies (3); Nordost QNET Ethernet Switch; Apple 2017 iPad Pro and 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with 2.8GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM.
Preamplifier: Dan D'…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used my Audio Precision SYS2722 system to examine the Octave Jubilee Mono SE's measured performance. (For logistical reasons, the sample I measured was not one of those auditioned by JVS but was borrowed from a Boston dealer.) I followed the instructions in the manual to check the bias of the eight output tubes after running the amplifier for 30 minutes to allow the operating conditions to stabilize. The pots that allow the bias for each tube to be optimized have a somewhat coarse action. The best I could arrange was for the bias for the tubes to lie between "…
Since 2007, Audio Advice Live has been an annual, one-night event, drawing enthusiastic audiophiles to the Audio Advice showrooms in Raleigh's Glenwood Avenue, next to Virgin Cigars, or to their location in Charlotte. But this year, Audio Advice Live was different: It was a fully fledged audio show, held like most such events at a conference hotel: the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel, in that North Carolina city, with rooms sponsored and presented by a wide range of hi-fi (and home-theater) companies. The show's website listed 70 brands—58 home audio brands, the others video-related—followed by a…
I have a peephole in the door to my first-floor apartment. It looks down a straight hall to a glass wall framing the front door of my building. For 13 years, its job has been to let me see who is ringing my buzzer and who is making a racket in the hall.
Over time, however, the peephole's lens turned amber-yellow and frosted-foggy like those headlight protectors on cars. In recent years, it became so clouded that all I could make out were unidentifiable Sasquatch figures moving in a blurry space.
I was startled one day when I peered through the peephole and recognized my UPS…
With the hybrid pads, the first thing I noticed was reduced upper bass energy, which eliminated the slight bloom that shadowed the lower midrange with the shallower, all-leather cups. With less upper bass, more light was thrown on the mid and upper frequencies, highlighting vocals and instrumental details.
After listening to fewer than a dozen tunes with the hybrid pads, I played the dreamy drum-synth and poetry-reading tracks from Brian Eno and Rick Holland's 2011 collaboration Drums Between the Bells (16/44.1 FLAC, Warp Records/Tidal). That's when I realized that something…
Steely Dan's last two studio albums, Two Against Nature (2000) and Everything Must Go (2003), are anomalies. The music is stellar, at or near the level of the band's best early work, but it's almost unknown, even among fans. (Back in 2011, one night of a week-long gig at the Beacon in New York City was supposed to highlight songs from these two albums—the program was called "21st-Century Dan"—but the idea was dropped when almost nobody bought advance tickets.)
A shame. Two Against Nature, which marked the return of Steely Dan after a 20-year hiatus and won the Grammy that year for Best…
It would have been in the spring of 1967 that Tim Hardin's music first wafted in over my transom. I was 13. My older brother, who loved Hardin at least as much as I did and was something of a fetishist besides, forbade me to touch his copy of Hardin's debut album, Tim Hardin 1, not even the jacket. He had to be present when I auditioned it. Tim Hardin 2 didn't especially float my boat, so my brother had it to himself. But the moment I heard Tim Hardin 3 Live in Concert, I took matters into my own hands, so to speak, and plunked my own $5 down.
A singer, songwriter, guitarist and…
Reviewing LKV Research's Veros PWR+ power amplifier in the September 2020 issue, Senior Contributing Editor Herbert Reichert enthusiastically opined, "the class-D LKV amp played equally rich and atmosphere-soaked through the entire audio band. It did atmospheric dreamy like class-A does atmospheric dreamy." Herb concluded, "Sound quality and music enjoymentwise, the LKV Research Veros PWR+ amplifier sits on a higher mountain than any other class-D amp I've encountered."
I took Herb's comments into consideration as I went searching for a power amplifier to complement my Sugden LA-4…
Cosmetically, the PWR-3 could hardly be less obtrusive. There's not a lot to see. Centered on the faceplate, flanked by the mirrored chevron logo of LKV Research, is a blue power-on LED. The back of the amp is also sparse: two pairs of Cardas RCA input jacks, two pairs of WBT speaker binding posts, an IEC connector to let the juice in, and a toggle switch to let it flow. Inside where you can't see it, two types of wire are in use: Belden 22-gauge solid-core copper with silver plating and PTFE (Teflon) insulation, and Southwire 14-gauge solid-core copper insulated with concentric layers of…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid state stereo power amplifier with Purifi class-D power amplifier modules. Power output: 175Wpc into 8 ohms (22.4dBW), 360Wpc into 4 ohms (22.6dBW), 225Wpc into 2 ohms (17.4dBW). Sensitivity: 1.75V for 175W into 8 ohms. Maximum output current: 10A RMS. Voltage gain: 26dB. Input impedance: 200k ohms (single-ended). Standby power consumption: 12W.
Dimensions: 3.5" (89mm) H × 17" (430mm) W × 13" (330mm) D. Weight: 17lb (7.5kg).
Finish: Black powder coat/Black faceplate.
Serial number of unit reviewed: P-109.
Price: $3350.…