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…
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I could be persnickety about some extra thickness and roundness of sound, but for what purpose? Even with some added thickness, Jimmy sounded a lot like he would have on a jukebox in 1962 when this recording first appeared: big and solid with plenty of twang and reverb. More than usual, I enjoyed all the tracks on this album.
Sidebar 1: Specifications
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…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
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 (…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
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…
Manufacturer's Comment
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…
Monday, March 9, 2020 AXPONA, the largest audio expo in the Western hemisphere, has moved its dates at Chicago’s Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center to August 7–9. Originally scheduled for April 17-19, the show was on course to feature at least 200 active exhibits, countless headphone displays, a huge marketplace, live entertainment, and more.
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…
Install a new component in your system and there's usually a period of adjustment as you get used to the difference in sound—especially if the new product costs much less than your reference. Channel D's new Lino C 2.0 balanced phono preamplifier costs $2499, yet my ears instantly accepted its combination of drop-dead, noise-free backgrounds and lack of obvious colorations or sonic personality. I didn't hear it—I heard only my Ortofon A95 cartridge, with which I'm well familiar, as amplified by far more costly phono preamps.
Being a current-mode phono preamplifier—one in which a dead…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Battery-powered, solid-state, DC-coupled, current-mode, moving-coil phono preamplifier. Inputs: one pair balanced (XLR), one pair unbalanced (RCA). Outputs: I pair balanced (XLR). Gain: switchable, up to 85dB depending on cartridge source impedance. RIAA accuracy: < ±0.1dB, 20Hz–20kHz. RIAA channel matching: < ±0.1dB, 20Hz–20kHz. Channel separation: >80dB, 20Hz–20kHz. Disotrtion: <0.005%, 20Hz–20kHz. Input load resistance: <1 ohms. Output impedance: 44 ohms (balanced), 22 ohms (unbalanced). Power consumption: <2W idle. Supplied…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn & Castellon turntable & stand; TechDAS Air Force V turntable; SAT CF1-09, Kuzma 4Point and Graham Phantom B 44 tonearms; Ortofon A95, phono cartridge.
Preamplification: darTZeel NHB-18NS, Ypsilon MC-10L, MC-16L step-up transformers; Ypsilon VPS-100, CH Precision P1 with X1 PSU.
Power Amplifiers: A HREF="https://www.stereophile.com/content/ch-precision-m11-power-amplifier">CH Precision M1.1. darTZeel NHB-458.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx.
Cables: Interconnect: TARA…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
When he reviewed Channel D's Lino C 2.0 phono preamplifier in his June 2019 Analog Corner column, Michael Fremer wrote, "My ears instantly accepted its combination of drop-dead, noise-free backgrounds and lack of obvious colorations or sonic personality." He concluded, "After a few months of listening, my initial enthusiasm and appreciation for the Lino C 2.0 continues." I had been impressed when I performed the measurements to accompany MF's review of Channel D's earlier Seta L phono preamplifier in August 2010 (so much so, in fact, that I purchased the review…