Analog sources: Kuzma Stabi R turntable with 4Point tonearm and EMT TDS 15N moving coil cartridge; Thorens TD 124 turntable with Jelco TS-350S tonearm and Ortofon SPU Classic GE MkII cartridge.
Preamplifiers: JE Sugden Masterclass LA-4, Sculpture A Mini Nano SUT, Tavish Adagio phono preamp.
Power amplifiers: LKV Research Veros PWR+, Mytek Brooklyn AMP+, Shindo Haut Brion.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity O/96, Fleetwood Sound Company DeVille.
Cables: Digital: Analysis Plus Silver Apex. Interconnects: Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA). Speaker:…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Room At The Table For One More
You knew it was coming—or at least you should have known.
You knew it was coming—or at least you should have known.
In my July 2019 Listening column, I wrote about the then-most-recent iteration of the classic BBC-designed LS3/5a, the 12"-tall location monitor that has, in the 45-plus years since its introduction, gained a following for its suitability as a domestic loudspeaker. That newly introduced speaker was the Graham Chartwell LS3/5a ($2990/pair)—by my count, the 12th-ever commercial version of this classic design— which is offered alongside the same company's slightly different LS3/5 ($2990/pair),…
Almost a year ago, a headphone pal loaned me the Zach Mehrbach–designed ZMF Auteur LTD headphones. He said, "Herb, see if you like these." I took them home and right away thought, Wow, these headphones really disappear!
Nothing about their sound attracted my attention. The only thing I noticed, casually, was how relaxed and unbelievably transparent they were.
When my friend asked how I liked them, I said they reminded me of the AudioQuest NightOwls, except more detailed and transparent.
ZMF Auteur Ltd
The zebrawood Auteur LTDs I auditioned weigh 490–530gm, cost $1699,…
The ZMF Vérité Closed were dancing in the same ballroom as the top models of Focal's headphone lineup. The Vérités' basic sound reminded me a lot of my beloved Focal Clear—and even more of the Focal Stellia headphones I've auditioned at CanJams. But to my taste, the ZMF Vérité Closed headphones were more naturally focused and inherently musical than any of Focal's premier offerings.
Oh, no: I'm having a memory!
The most conspicuously lifelike, real-sounding headphones I've been privileged to audition were a pair of Sony MDR-R10s manufactured in 1989. I heard them only a few years…
Photo: VPI
Social distancing. Flattening the curve. These expressions are embedded in our collective psyche as we to try to keep COVID-19 and the novel coronavirus that causes it at bay. Few of us who live through this will ever forget them.
But life and work must somehow go on, if at a slower pace than before. Even now—as I write, just a couple of weeks after the earliest stay-at-home order went into effect, in California—the pandemic anxiety and resulting closures have businesses across all sectors taking a huge hit. Today's unemployment numbers were staggering, dwarfing those…
Meanwhile, Schiit has shifted forward plans to expand its operations to a facility in Utah, a state not under lockdown and, Jason says, one that is less likely to be. "Yeah, don't be surprised if the words on our site change very quickly to, like, 'designed and manufactured in California and/or Utah,'" he chuckles.
"Of course, like everyone, I'm sure we've taken a bit of a hit, but the orders are coming in. People are still asking questions. People still need to have service performed. What we're trying to do is do that without jeopardizing anyone here."
Looking forward,…
We carry within us the wonders we seek outside us.—Rumi
There are plenty of difficult obstacles in your path. Don't allow yourself to become one of them.—Ralph Marston, The Daily Motivator
Put these two quotes together, shake vigorously, and you've got the essence of a music server. Unless your container isn't tightly sealed, in which case you've got a mess.
A dedicated streaming music server has but one overriding purpose: to enable the discovery and delivery of digitally encoded music—and then get out of the way. Ideally, it performs like the best of servants, keeping…
Vitorino's music collection centers on blues, rock, and progressive rock. Pink Floyd, "the odd Dire Straits and U2," and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are among his faves and currently serve as examples as he learns to play guitar. Recently, he's been listening to electronic music, including Yello and Boris Blank, and to titles influenced by "the psychedelic Pink Floyd aesthetic." After citing David Gilmour's "Faces of Stone" and Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Touré's "Amandrai," he admitted, sheepishly, that he uses the Eagles' "Hotel California" to test equipment. As I contemplated playing…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Dedicated music server/ripper/streamer running Linux-based InnuOS operating system. Formats supported for ripping: FLAC (zero compression), WAV. Formats supported for playback: WAV, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, AAC, MP3, MQA (with supported DACs), DFF, DSF up to DSD128 via DoP, Native DSD on selected DACs. Ports: 2 OCXO-reclocked Ethernet Ports, 2 USB 2.0 (1 reclocked for output, 1 non-reclocked for input), 1 USB 3.0 (backup). Storage: 1TB to 4TB enterprise-grade SSD (EMI and vibration-treated). Memory: 8GB (4GB dedicated to memory playback). Library management…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Rossini SACD/CD transport & Rossini DAC & Rossini Clock & Network Bridge; EMM Labs DV2 DAC; Roon Nucleus +; Linksys routers (2), Small Green Computer Systemoptique optical isolation bundle, TP-Link gigabit Ethernet media converters plus multimode duplex fiber optic cable (2); Small Green Computer linear power supply & Small Green Computer/HDPLEX four-component 200W linear power supply (2); external hard drives, SSD USB sticks, iPad Pro.
Power amplifiers: Dan D'Agostino Master Systems Progression monoblocks.
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