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R&B in D.C. 1940–1960 (Bear Family BCD 17052 16-CD, 2021) adds a new chapter to the Bear Family Records deep dive into American popular culture. Historian/collector Jay Bruder worked with a small army of researchers and editors to compile the beautifully designed book and its accompanying 16-CD discography. The box unearths an obscure story about the musical history of the Black population in the nation's capital between the era of big band swing jazz and early rock'n'roll. Though the music part of the package covers only about two decades—the last recording date is 1962—the history…
I enjoy few things more than setting up a turntable. Whether it's for myself or for a friend—whether it's a budget model with a layered MDF plinth and nonadjustable tonearm, or a megabuck, state-of-the-art behemoth—I relish the ritual.
Back in the day, I used to huff and puff, scream and shake, thanks to the heebie-jeebies I'd get when attempting to raise a turntable to ultimate performance. But with experience comes wisdom. My buddy and Sound & Vision contributor Michael Trei makes turntable setup look like child's play. I've learned by watching Mike that, when a turntable setup…
Late in the review period, I replaced the included Oyster Rainier MM cart with Sumiko's new Rainier Wellfleet MM cart. Upon arrival, both cartridges were protected by a hard plastic sheath, which covered its entire surface except the connection pins. This allowed me to get a good grip on the cartridge and not worry about touching the stylus. Brilliant!
In my system, an 8' pair of Auditorium 23 speaker cables linked the Golden Ear BRX (90dB, 8 ohms), Polk Audio Legend L100 (85.5dB, 3–4 ohms), Spendor BC-1 (84dB, 8 ohms), or DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 loudspeakers (96dB, 10 ohms) to…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Belt-driven turntable with electronic speed control, tonearm, Sumiko Rainier MM cartridge ($149 separately), and dust cover. Speeds: 33 1/3/ 45/78rpm; 78rpm requires a belt change). Platter: 300mm die-cast aluminum platter with TPE damping inlay and felt mat. Platter bearing: stainless steel axle in bronze bushing. Wow and flutter: 33 1/3: ±0.16%; 45: ±0.14%. Speed drift: 33 1/3: ±0.40%; 45: ±0.50%. S/N ratio: 68dB. Tonearm: 8.6" one-piece hybrid carbon-aluminum; effective length, 218.5mm; effective mass, 10gm; overhang, 18.5mm. Included…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Thorens TD 124 turntable/Jelco 350S 9" tonearm/Clearaudio Concept MC phono cartridge.
Integrated amplifiers: Parasound Hint 6 Halo, Schiit Audio Ragnarok 2.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity O/96, Spendor BC1, Golden Ear BRX, Polk Audio Legend L100.
Cables: Interconnect: product's own. Speaker: 8' pair Auditorium 23.
Accessories: Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU Record Cleaning Machine; Audiodesksysteme Vinyl Cleaner Pro LP Cleaning System; Hunt Mark 6 Carbon Fiber Record Cleaning Brush; RTOM Moongel Drum Damper Pads (as stylus cleaner);…
It had been a while since I'd done any serious, critical listening through headphones. That changed when Editor Jim Austin asked if I wanted to review the iFi Audio ZEN Signature Set ($599). Figuring I could use more Zen in my life, I agreed.
UK-based iFi Audio, which operates under the auspices of the Abbington Global Group, has released several compact products in its ZEN series: DACs, headphone amps, a Bluetooth receiver, and a network streamer.
Available in two iterations, the iFi Audio ZEN Signature Set consists of two boxes in a single cardboard sleeve: the ZEN DAC Signature…
Listening through the two HiFiMan headphones with both the HFM EQ curve and XSpace turned on, live music was brought (back) to life. Kicking off with some post-bop that swings hard, I dug into Lee Morgan, The Complete Live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, California (24/192 FLAC, Blue Note/Qobuz), which was recorded in the summer of 1970, less than two years before Morgan's death at age 33. Morgan's off-the-cuff introduction felt alive and immediate, breath hot on the mike, casual demeanor tangible. A cash register dings near the end of this two-minute segment. I was transported to the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
ZEN DAC SIGNATURE V2: Description: Digital-to-analog converter with XMOS 16-core processor and fully balanced dual-mono circuitry; DAC: Burr-Brown Bit-Perfect DSD & DXD DAC. Input: USB 3.0 (USB 2.0 compatible); Input voltage: DC 5V/2.5A (external power supply included); Outputs: Balanced 4.4mm, 2V/6.2V max. variable, 4.2V fixed; Unbalanced RCA, 1V/3.3V max. variable, 2.1V fixed. Formats: PCM 44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192/352.8/384kHz; DSD 2.8/3.1/5.6/6.2/11.2/12.4MHz; 353/384kHz DXD; MQA decoding and rendering. Analog volume potentiometer, volume fixed or…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital source: MacBook Air (M1, 2020) as Roon Core, Roon 1.8>. AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt.
Integrated amplifier: MBL N51.
Loudspeakers: MBL Radialstrahler 120.
Headphones: HiFiMan HE400S and Drop x HE4XX; Sennheiser HD 650; Sonus Faber Pryma 0|1.
Sidebar 3: iFi ZenCAN Measurements
I measured the iFi ZEN CAN's and ZEN DAC Signature's performance with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 As We See It).
Looking first at the ZEN CAN, I measured two versions. One, labeled "6XX," with the serial number 5501000735, included equalization for specific Sennheiser headphones. The other, labeled "HFM," with the serial number 5312001087, included equalization for specific HiFiMan headphones.
Other than the equalization, the two versions of the ZEN CAN measured identically. The maximum gain for unbalanced…