There are exceptions. I find tear-tugging beauty in "Ebben? Ne Andrò Lontana" from Alfredo Catalani's La Wally, whether sung by Donij van Doorn or Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez (footnote 1). The German Lieder of Kurt Weill, as interpreted by soprano Teresa Stratas, produce gladness in my heart but confusion in my uncomprehending wife and children. Maybe it's because the often sarcastic,…
search
I like to think that my musical tastes are pretty eclectic: jazz, pop, blues, Americana, metal, world music, ambient, prog rock, more. Operatic music and classical singing, though? Thanks, I'll pass.
Like most tube amps, the LSA looks best without its protective cage, especially at night. There's something cool and comforting about seeing those fiery filaments out in the open. Besides, tube life may be extended when air can move freely around the hot glass. It's possible.
Cage or no cage, LSA warns that pets and tube amplifiers are as dicey a combination as gasoline and a match: "The glass envelope of the tube is warm enough to burn your inquiring pet's nose, and possibly cause a tube to explode," says the manual. That's a different kind of Exploding Kittens. But wait, there's more…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tubed, Ultralinear class-AB integrated amplifier. Tube complement: four EL34s in matched pairs (6550s and KT88s also supported), two 12AU7s, one 12AX7. Inputs: 3 pair RCA. Outputs: 4 and 8 ohm speaker taps, two (stereo) subwoofer on RCA; ¼" headphone jack. Rated output power: 35Wpc into 8 ohms (15.44dBW). Frequency range: 20Hz–40kHz. S/N ratio: 90dB. Input impedance: 100k ohms. Power consumption: 23W.
Dimensions: 14.75" (375mm) W × 8.85" (225mm) H × 11.5" (292mm) D. Weight: 46lb (20.9kg).
Finish: Powdercoat black with silver faceplate.
…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max running Roon 1.8 as remote. Roon ROCK (Lenovo ThinkCentre). Naim Uniti Atom, controlled with iPad Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Bluesound Node 2i streamer, WiiM Mini streamer. Benchmark DAC3 B, RME ADI-2 DAC FS, Auralic Vega.
Preamplifiers: Benchmark HPA4, Topping Pre90.
Power amplifiers: Krell FPB 200c (recapped 2020), PrimaLuna EVO 400 integrated, Schiit Ragnarok, McIntosh HPA-100, Peachtree Nova 1500, NAD C 700.
Loudspeakers: Tekton Moab, MartinLogan Odyssey, Monitor Audio Bronze 100, LSA Signature 50.…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I performed the measurements of the LSA VT-70 with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. Although potentiometers on the top panel allow the bias currents for the output tubes to be adjusted, I understand that these currents are set by the manufacturer before the amplifier leaves the factory. Nevertheless, before I started the testing, I checked the tube bias with the front-panel meters after a 30-minute warm-up; with no signal and the volume control set to its minimum, the bias was very close to an indicated "100" for each tube.
The LSA VT-70 preserved…
Has it ever crossed your mind that the reason you like your system more than your friend's or the store's is not because yours is better, even if you think it is, but because you're used to the sound of yours and not of theirs? Welcome to product habituation.
Some people, including some audiophiles, believe that product habituation is what's really behind what some people refer to as product break-in. It's not a mechanical or electronic phenomenon, they contend, but a mental one. Assuming the sound of the new gear is of adequate quality, it's the listener that breaks in to the product,…
My son said the 40s had the nicest finish he'd ever seen on speakers in our house, at which point I could've sworn I saw my Focals' tweeters roll up in their sockets.
Another touch I appreciated was the option to install metal spikes or rubber feet—rigid metal for more bass, softer rubber for, presumably, more definition and perhaps a little bit less bass (footnote 2). I started with the metal spikes and felt, first, that I didn't have too much bass—the speakers are placed far from walls—and second, that the definition was just fine. I kept the spikes.
Triangle…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, four-driver, bass-reflex floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive units: one 1" (25.4mm) horn-loaded anodized magnesium-dome tweeter; one 6.5" (135mm) cellulose pulp-membrane midrange driver; two 6.5" (135mm) wood pulp, flax, and carbon fiber-membrane bass drivers. Crossover frequencies: 185Hz, 3.9kHz. Frequency range: 37Hz–22kHz. Sensitivity: 92dB/2.83V/m. Impedance: 8 ohms nominal, 3 ohms minimum. Power handling: 140W RMS. Recommended amplification: 80–250W.
Dimensions: 42.9" (1090mm) H × 7.8" (200mm) W × 13.6" (345mm) D. Weight: 59lb (26.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Rega P5 turntable with RB700 tonearm and Audio MusiKraft Denon DL-103 cartridge.
Digital sources: Simaudio Moon 260D CD transport, Cambridge Audio EVO 150 all-in-one player (used as DAC).
Preamplification: Sonic Frontiers SFP-1 Signature phono preamp.
Integrated amplifier: Grandinote Shinai.
Loudspeakers: Focal Aria K2 936.
Cables: Digital: BIS Audio Maestro (RCA S/PDIF). Interconnect: Moon Audio Silver Dragon (RCA). Speaker: Audience Studio One. Power: Shunyata Research Black Mamba CX, LessLoss DFPC.
Accessories:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system, a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone, and an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the Triangle Antal 40th's behavior in the farfield. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 microphone for the nearfield responses. This mike has a ¼"-diameter tip, so it will not obstruct the radiation from the driver diaphragms or port.
The Antal 40th's anechoic sensitivity is specified as a high 92dB/W/m. My B-weighted estimate was 3dB lower, at 89dB(B)/2.83V/m, though this is still higher than average. Triangle specifies the Antal 40th's impedance…