Analog sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn turntable & Castellon stand; SAT CF1-09 and Thrax/Schröder CB tonearms; Lyra Atlas Lambda SL, Ortofon Anna Diamond cartridges.
Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi One SACD player DAC; Lynx Hilo A/D-D/A converter, Roon Nucleus; Pure Vinyl and Vinyl Studio software.
Preamplification: darTZeel NHB-18S, Ypsilon MC-10L, MC-16L, step-up transformers; Ypsilon VPS-100, CH Precision P1 with X1 PSU.
Power amplifiers: darTZeel NHB 468 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx.
Cables:…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
I am the world's worst consumer. Not only have I made more than my share of disastrous purchase decisions, I'm also inexplicably luckless: If there's one defective sample or repack in an inventory, it will find me.
I'm also a deceit magnet, and I'm spineless: More than once in my life, I have made abominable purchase decisions solely to please a manipulative salesman or a disinterested third party (read: girlfriend). There is abundant photographic evidence that I don't know how to shop for clothes, my glasses are wrong for my face because I trust the advice of opticians with bad or no…
Happily, those and similar sounds became more listenable after my first week of daily listening with the Orchestra Black. During that time, I ran it in by playing background music (while I edited other people's copy). Then, while playing the new Blue Note Tone Poets LP reissue of Lee Morgan's Cornbread (Blue Note/Music Matters BST 84222), there came a surprisingly sudden moment when the notes I was hearing simply refused to be ignored: Muzak time was over as the Jadis grabbed my ears and said, "Listen to the timing of [bassist] Larry Ridley! Do you hear the subtle tension he's putting into…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-channel tubed, line-level integrated amplifier. Tube complement: four 6CA7, two 12AX7. Inputs: 5 single-ended line-level (RCA). Outputs: 2 pairs binding posts, 1 pair RCA jacks. Input impedance: >100k ohms. Input sensitivity for nominal output power: 250mV RMS. Bandwidth at –3dB: 5Hz–60kHz. Output power at 1kHz: 40Wpc RMS (16dBW).
Dimensions: 20.7" (530mm) W × 7.8" (200mm) H × 10.5" (270mm) D. Weight: 44lb net (20kg).
Serial number of unit reviewed: 5136. Manufactured in France.
Price: $3995. Approximate number of dealers: 8.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Garrard 301 and Thorens TD 124 turntables; EMT 997 tonearm; Ortofon SPU Century and EMT TSD 15 pickup heads.
Digital sources: Hegel Music Systems Mohican CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 & T2, Luna Orange, and EMIA Phono step-up transformers, Sentec EQ11 phono preamplifier, Shindo Laboratory Monbrison (2017) preamplifier.
Power amplifiers: Air Tight ATM-300R, Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion, Shindo Laboratory Cortese.
Loudspeakers: Altec Flamenco, DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93, Rethm Maarga.
Cables…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Jadis Orchestra Black using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It").
The Orchestra Black appears to be very similar to the Orchestra Reference Mk.II that Art Dudley reviewed in December 2015. I had various issues measuring the earlier amplifier, including a broken tube, and the fact that as the Orchestra Reference is a fixed-bias design I needed to reset the bias for each of the four new output tubes.
The output impedance was even higher than that of the Reference Mk.II, at close to 3.5 ohms across the…
Specific Live Streams (Scroll down for ongoing series):
Thursday, May 7 10pm EDT: The Noe Music Listening Club features composer Jake Heggie discussing and performing his music and that of his music heroes. Sign up here.
The Metropolitan Opera streams live performances for 25 hours. This week’s schedule is:
May 6 Saariaho’s L’Amour de Loin
May 7 Strauss’s Capriccio
May 8 Puccini’s La Bohème
May 9 The Opera House
May 10 Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana / Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci.
Through May 7…
The priciest loudspeaker ever to have taken up residence in my listening room was the Akira from German company Tidal Audio (footnote 1), which I reviewed in the November 2018 issue of Stereophile. Designed by Tidal founder and CEO Jörn Janczak, the Akiras cost $215,000/pair! "The sheer resolution of the Akiras continued to astonish me throughout my auditioning," I wrote in my review, concluding that "The Akiras are the best-looking, best-built, best-sounding speakers I have had in my listening room—as they should be at the price."
Ah, the price. As good as the Tidal loudspeakers sounded…
The dual-mono pink noise track on Editor's Choice sounded hollow if I stood up but evenly balanced, uncolored, and smooth when I sat up straight with my ears level with the Minos' tweeters, which are 41" from the floor. The central image of the noise signal was extremely narrow, with no splashing to the sides at some frequencies.
The stereo imaging continued to impress me throughout my auditioning of the Minos. One of my 2020 "Records to Die For" was Stemmeklang's Tomba Sonora (DSD64 file ripped from SACD, 2L 2L-155-SABD). Although this extraordinary recording had been captured in full…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.18" (30mm) ceramic-dome tweeter, 3.55" (90mm) ceramic–cone midrange unit, three 6.6" (168mm) aluminum honeycomb–cone woofers. Crossover frequencies: not specified. Frequency response: not specified. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Minimum impedance: 3.8 ohms at 100Hz. Sensitivity: 89dB/W/m.
Dimensions: 50.4" (1280mm) H × 16.7" (424mm) W × 21" (534mm) D (all with bases). Weight: 159lb (72kg) each. Shipping weight: 183lb (83kg) each or 238lb (108kg) each in optional flight cases.
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