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I measured the Monitor Audio Silver 500 7G's farfield behavior with DRA Labs' MLSSA system, an Earthworks microphone preamplifier, and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike, with its small ¼"-diameter capsule, to measure the nearfield responses of the loudspeaker drive units and ports.

The Silver 500 7G's sensitivity is specified as a high 90.5dB/2.83V/m, which was confirmed by my estimate. Monitor Audio specifies the Silver 500 7G's impedance as 8 ohms, with a minimum magnitude of 4.1 ohms at 150Hz. Measured with Dayton Audio's…

Boisclair's presentation did not include setting up an actual, physical turntable. Rather, using slides and 1000:1 scale 3D-printed groove and stylus models, he dug into the advanced concepts involved in setting up a turntable and why those…

You can imagine the disappointment that registered on this 4Point owner's face when I gave him that news. He'd already had a few years' worth of this sort of thing. I also suggested that the cartridge be returned to Japan to deal with the slightly canted cantilever so that we could start "fresh" once he got the arm back. He grudgingly agreed and at that point told me, "You know, when the cartridge…

The Doors flew like a comet across the rock/pop universe, running only four and a half years and six studio albums with lead singer/poet/shaman Jim Morrison. L.A. Woman, their last album, marked a hard turn back to the rock and blues basics from whence they sprang in 1966 as a hot bar band on Sunset Strip. It is a masterpiece, a hit out of the gate that has grown in stature over time. Morrison took a…

I warned Art that this could be a problem because I only like class-A amplifiers, "and they all weigh more than that." Art rolled his eyes, turned his head toward the…

Patiently, gently, and mindfully, I removed the Mullards, then, even more carefully, I inserted the JJ 12AT7s. Voila, a new amp was born.

The sound-character change was significant, as Luca had predicted. The Levante…

Description: Hybrid (tube-BJT-MOSFET) stereo integrated amplifier with no global feedback, output switchable between class-A and class-AB. Analog inputs: 1 pair balanced (XLR), 4 pair unbalanced (RCA). Outputs: 1 pair 3-way loudspeaker binding posts; one ¼" (6.3mm) unbalanced headphone output. Output power: 30Wpc into 8 ohms (14.8dBW) in class-A, 120Wpc into 8 ohms (20.8dBW) in class-AB, 200Wpc into 4 ohms (20dBW).
Dimensions: 17.3" (440mm) W × 5.1" (195mm) H × 19.3" (490mm) D. Weight: 66lb (30kg).
Finish: Metallic Sand Gloss/Gold or Dark Titanium/Silver…

Analog sources: Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable with Schick 10.5" tonearm, Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum, My Sonic Lab Ultra Eminent Ex moving coil cartridges; EMIA, Koetsu, and Lundahl LL1931Ag SUTs, EAR Phono Classic, Sutherland Engineering Little Loco phono stages.
Digital sources: Roon Nucleus+ music server; HoloAudio May (Level 3) D/A processor; Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC, dCS Bartók DAC/Streamer with Mosaic control app.
Integrated amplifiers: Pass Labs INT-25, Rogue Audio Sphinx V3, RAAL-requisite HSA-1b.
Power amplifier:…

When I unpacked the Riviera Levante amplifier and lifted it onto the test bench, it struck me that this is actually eight amplifiers in one. It has balanced and single-ended line-level inputs. Its output stage can be operated in class-A or class-AB. It was supplied with two choices for the two input stage ECC81/12AT7 tubes: vintage Mullards or modern JJs. Add to those variations that the Levante has a headphone output and an optional phono stage (not fitted to the review sample), and it became clear that I had a lot of testing ahead of me.

I decided to…

However, I recently installed Dirac Live 3, which effectively reduces the available system gain by almost 20dB! In my salad days, I would have designed and built a balanced driver with gain for…