search

The Future Sound of London: Lifeforms (Virgin/ Astralwerks, 1994)
FSOL's postapocalyptic theme was reflected in Lifeforms' video, which starred a blank-faced "witch girl," ambient horror tones, and flowing-yet-glitchy beats.

Everything but the Girl, Todd Terry: Amplified Heart (Atlantic, 1994)
An established blue-eyed soul duo, EBTG made techno a household name with Todd Terry's beat-heavy remix of their torch song, "Missing."

Portishead: Dummy (Go! Beat Records, 1994)
Beth Gibbons's fragile vocals clung to Geoff…

Description
The Artera Solus was…

With the Magnepan .7
I knew in advance that the Magnepan .7 quasi-ribbon panel speakers plus Quad Artera Solus would be a happy marriage. I felt certain that the Quad's class-AB amp would dump enough current into the Maggie's 4 ohm load. And it did. I liked how…

Description: Stereo integrated amplifier operating in class-AB, with DAC (32-bit ESS Sabre ES9018DAC chip) and a CD transport. Analog inputs: 2 pairs single-ended (RCA). Digital inputs: 1 USB (Type B, DSD256 compatible), 4 S/PDIF (2 TosLink, 2 RCA). Analog outputs: 1 pair unbalanced (RCA), 1 pair balanced (XLR), 1 ¼" stereo headphone jack. Digital outputs: 1 TosLink, 1 RCA. Loudspeaker outputs: stereo pair of 3-way loudspeaker binding posts. Max. sample rates: 384kHz (USB), 192kHz (S/PDIF). Preamp S/N: >104dB, A-weighted, max volume (ref. 1V). Amplifier S/N…

Analog sources: Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable with Jelco TK-850L tonearm and Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum moving-coil cartridge; AMG Giro G9 turntable with 9W tonearm and Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue moving-coil cartridge.
Digital sources: Apple iPhone 8, MacBook Air laptop, Mac mini computer running Audirvana Plus; HoloAudio Spring "Kitsuné Tuned Edition" Level 3 and Chord Qutest D/A processors; Integra DPS-7.2 (used as CD transport).
Preamplification: EMIA MC step-up transformer (with Koetsu), Excel Sound Corporation ET-U50 SUT (…

I measured the Quad Artera Solus using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). I precondition amplifiers by running them at one-third power into 8 ohms for an hour. (One-third power results in the maximum dissipation in the output devices.) The Quad survived this demanding test, though the side-mounted heatsinks were very hot, at 141.3°F (60.8°C). The front panel was cooler at 124°F (39.1°C).

Looking first at the Artera Solus's performance as a preamplifier and headphone amplifier, both sets of outputs preserved absolute…

Editor: Regarding digital filters, Herb says in the review that offering listeners multiple filter options is "evidence that digital is designed by numbers, not by listening." Quad's director of acoustic design, Peter Comeau, and Jan Ertner, the principal engineer of the Artera Solus, spent a lot of time listening to filter characteristics and worked hard at getting the best out of the Sabre DAC. They included four filters because people's preference for filter type is often dependent on personal choice and accompanying equipment. And from a purely technical…

In a statement released to exhibitors on March 9 shortly before 4pm, Joel Davis, founder and CEO of AXPONA sponsor JDEvents, wrote that the move was precipitated “out of concern for the health and safety of all participants due to the…

Being a current-mode phono preamplifier—one in which a dead…