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);…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
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…
Sidebar 4: iFi ZenDAC Signature V2 Measurements
Turning to the ZEN DAC Signature, I measured both the original version, serial number 5502000155, and the V2 version with which JMu did most of her auditioning, which had the serial number 5320000008. The two versions measured identically in all but one respect, which was the maximum output level in variable gain mode. The V2's maximum output in this mode was 2.07V balanced and 1.04V unbalanced, both values 6dB lower than the maximum outputs in fixed gain mode. While the original ZEN DAC's maximum levels in fixed mode were almost identical…
darTZeel NHB-18NS Mk.2 Measurements, from February 2022 (Vol.45 No.2):
After Michael Fremer reviewed the darTZeel NHB-18NS full-function preamplifier in the June 2006 issue of Stereophile, he bought the review sample. He subsequently replaced it with the NHB-18NS Mk.2, which he wrote about in June 2017. It has been his reference preamplifier ever since.
Although I performed a complete set of measurements on the original NHB-18NS, I never did so on the Mk.2. As darTZeel had sent a new sample of the Mk.2 along with the NHB-108 Model Two power amplifier that Jason Victor Serinus will…
The January and February 2022 issues of Stereophile feature followup reviews of three products: the darTZeel NHB-18NS Mk.2 preamplifier; the Sutherland Little Loco Mk.2 phono preamplifier; and the Mola Mola Tambaqui D/A processor.
Michael Fremer reviewed the original darTZeel NHB-18NS full-function preamplifier (it includes a moving-coil phono stage) in the June 2006 issue of Stereophile. He bought the review sample, then replaced it with the NHB-18NS Mk.2, which he wrote about in June 2017.
Although I performed a complete set of measurements on the original NHB-18NS, I never did…
Back in the mid-1960s, I was the unusual white, suburban preteen who, for reasons I've long pondered and never fully understood, was drawn much less powerfully to the Beatles than to blues and R&B. I was a bit of a jazz snob, too. Given these leanings, it's no surprise that one of the half-dozen or so albums that fried my impressionable young brain was that seamless blend of blues, R&B, and jazz, Ray Charles at Newport.
Though it was cut on July 5, 1958, at the still-new jazz festival, for some reason I always had the year at '57 and didn't realize my error until recently; I had…