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…
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I communicated with Franc via email, and at first, he was incredulous. He asked me to perform a few more diagnostics then agreed that the arm needed to be returned to his factory in Slovenia.
The Doors: L.A. Woman (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
Elektra/Rhino R2 659055 (3CD/1LP). 2021. Bruce Botnick/Doors, prods.; Botnick, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
Elektra/Rhino R2 659055 (3CD/1LP). 2021. Bruce Botnick/Doors, prods.; Botnick, eng.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
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 remember, around the time I started at Stereophile, telling Art Dudley that I wanted to review "a lot of power amplifiers" because amplifiers are the "blood-pumping heart machines" that "reanimate the artistry" of musicians: Horowitz, Björk, Bill Monroe. Whereupon he looked over his glasses and spied me with bare eyes like a stern parent and said, "Just be sure to not review any amplifiers that weigh more than 65 pounds."
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…
When I unpacked the Levante, I noticed two pairs of boxed ECC81 tubes and thought oh nice, they sent spares. Not so: The pairs were different brands. The Mullard boxes were empty; the JJ tube boxes were full (footnote 2). Before turning on the Levante, I removed its top cover and verified that, yes, only two tubes are required, and the Mullard pair was installed.
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…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
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…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
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:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
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…
There has not been a conventional preamplifier in my main audio system for quite a while, because no multichannel preamp is available that's of high enough quality. Instead, I use the high-precision digital volume controls in my players and DACs and choose sources with a relay-based multichannel analog switch. Plus, I tell myself that no preamp can be more accurate and transparent than no preamp.
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…
Moving to a larger ensemble—10 voices and players—L'Escadron Volant de la Reine (The Queen's Flying Squadron) offers a stylish program of music in the French style by Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger (Il Tedesco, Harmonia Mundi HMM 902645, 16/44.1 PCM download). The opening a cappella of "Lunge da voi ben mio" is lovely and airy with realistically rounded voices spread across the front within a moderately deep acoustical space. The full ensemble soon joins; the instruments fill that space, front to back and side to side, even as all the voices and instruments remain distinct.
…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Stereo line-level preamplifier with remote control and relay-selected resistor arrays for level control. Inputs: 1 pair RCA (unbalanced), 1 pair XLR (balanced). Input impedance: 2k ohms. Input sensitivity: 9.2V @ 0dB. Outputs: 1 pair RCA (unbalanced), 1 pair XLR (balanced). Output impedance: 20 ohms (RCA), 40 ohms (XLR). Gain: –99dB to +10dB (RCA output), –93dB to +16dB (XLR output). Maximum output level: 25V (RCA), 50V (XLR). DC offset at output: <1mV RMS. Frequency response: 20Hz–100kHz, ±0.1dB. Channel separation: >130dB (1kHz). THD+N (1kHz…