I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone with an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the Magico S5 2024's farfield frequency behavior and dispersion. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield and in-room responses and Dayton Audio's DATS V2 system to measure the impedance magnitude and electrical phase angle. I measured one of the S5 2024s in my listening room, but the loudspeaker was too heavy for me to lift off the floor. To avoid having to aggressively window the MLSSA time-domain data, which would reduce the measured…
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"If we have to sacrifice some profits to support our dealers and protect our brands, so be it."—Jay Rein, Bluebird Music (above, pictured at the 2010 Montreal audio show). Bluebird has informed its dealers that it will not raise prices.
Stereophile readers are surely aware of the tariff situation under the current administration—a situation that has changed rapidly, often daily. The tariff penalty—and arguably even more, the lack of economic stability resulting from tariff volatility—has a major impact on buying, pricing, and corporate strategy in the hi-fi industry. Hi-fi is just one of…
Photo by Danny Clinch
Seeing Bruce Springsteen perform live in the 1970s and early '80s, pre–Born in the U.S.A., could be a life-changing experience. Bruce was the hungry leader of a relentless, turn-on-a-dime R&B band. A burning star streaking across the rock'n'roll sky, he threw his fiery young self into maximum shows full of urgency (to invoke one of his best rhymes) and those wordy, anthemic pleading/strutting urban fairy tales. He was leagues beyond almost everything and everyone else in those days.
The reality of creatives and creativity, however, is that the muse is…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Digital/analog processor based on the ESS Sabre 9018S DAC chip. Digital inputs: One each USB, AES3, and S/PDIF on RCA and TosLink (optical). Accepted formats: PCM 44.1kHz–384kHz; DSD 64×, 128×. Analog outputs: Stereo pair single-ended (RCA) and balanced (on XLR). Digital outputs: one each AES3, S/PDIF on RCA and BNC. Output voltage range: 0.23V–7.5V balanced, 0.115V–3.75V single-ended at 0dBFS, selectable via rear-panel toggle switches. Frequency response: 0Hz–20kHz ±0.25dB (Fs=44.1kHz); 0Hz–40kHz ±0.8dB (Fs=88.2kHz); 0Hz– 80kHz ±2.5dB (Fs=176.4kHz…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Custom Intel/Win11 music server running JRiver Media Center v33, Roon 2, and DiracLive-ART. Merging Devices Hapi II DAC. QNAP TVS-873 NAS. Oppo Digital UDP-103 universal disc player.
Power amplifiers: Benchmark AHB2.
Loudspeakers: 3 × KEF Blade 2 Meta with IsoAcoustics GAIA II feet (L/C/R). KEF LS 60 Wireless (surround L/R), KEF KC92 and SVS SB2000Pro subwoofers.
Cables: Digital interconnects: Mogami Gold AES TD DB25-XLR0 snake. Analog interconnects: Mogami Gold AES TD DB25-XLR snake, In-wall Cat6 wiring per AES72 with Thomann…
Onkyo has introduced the C-30 CD player, the latest addition to its Icon Series of hi-fi components.
The player features Onkyo’s proprietary Vector Linear Shaping Circuit (VLSC), designed to remove pulse noise from the signal path. A 24-bit/192kHz DAC handles digital-to-analog conversion, and the company specifies a signal-to-noise ratio of 107dB. The C-30 also includes a ±10PPM clock intended to improve timing accuracy.
Connectivity options include RCA, coaxial digital, and optical outputs. Supported formats include standard CDs, CD-R, CD-RW, MP3, and WMA.
The C-30 joins…
I hadn't come across the distributor Aaudio Imports for a time—I learned they had moved from Colorado, to California—so it was interesting to see what was new in their world. In a rather large room, Laguna 1, the speakers were striking, even unusual looking. They are from AudioNec, a French brand that Aaudio recently began importing.
The AudioNec Evo 2 speakers ($54,000/pair) are modular, with a wideband array dubbed DuoPole (a dipole variant) that's said to cover 400Hz–10kHz. A supertweeter (10kHz–30kHz) with a ring radiator was positioned above the DuoPole within the same metal…
AudioQuest has announced Brave Heart, a new ZERO-Tech speaker cable positioned below its Mythical series in price but incorporating many of the same materials and design principles.
Brave Heart features a large-diameter construction measuring a mere 0.6mm smaller than the Mythical cables, and includes approximately one-third more Perfect-Surface Copper+ conductor material than prior models in its class. According to the company, the cable’s size and dual-round geometry—separating positive and negative conductors—contribute to improved damping factor over distance and a more stable…
Sidebar: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Linn Sondek LP12 turntable with Keel chassis, Karousel main bearing, Radikal motor control, Naim ARO tonearm, and Lyra Delos cartridge.
Digital sources: Naim UnitiCore network server and S/PDIF source; Roon Nucleus +; Naim ND555 Streamer-DAC with dual 555PS(DR) power supplies.
Phono preamplifier: Naim SuperLine-SuperCap DR.
Preamplifier: Townshend Allegri Reference.
Power amplifier: Naim NAP 250 (2023/4 series).
Loudspeakers: BBC LS3/5a 15 ohm (Marshall), FinkTeam KIM, Wilson Audio Specialties The WATT/Puppy.
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