The surfboard
The Nazaré music server/streamer's chassis is simplicity itself. The striking front panel's 3D architecture includes a strongly accented indentation inspired by Nazaré Canyon's topography; it is illuminated by an LED when the unit is on. There are no front-panel controls. To turn the unit on and off, reach directly under the middle of the front panel and, upon encountering a smooth piece of vinyl, gently caress it. The panel is quite sensitive—a hard tap will not do—and seems to prefer certain touches and caresses over others. With patience, you'll find out exactly what…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: dCS Varèse five-piece music system, dCS Rossini CD/SACD transport; EMM Labs DV2 DAC, Meitner MA3 Integrated DAC; Innuos Statement Next-Gen Music Server and PhoenixNET network switch; Small Green Computer Sonore opticalModule Deluxe (2); Broadcom/Avago AFBR-5718PZ 1GB SX-SFP, Gen 5 fiberoptic modules (2); Nordost QSource linear power supply (2); Sonore Audiophile Linear Power Supply; Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS with Ferrum Hypsos linear/switching hybrid power supply; ASUS AX6000 and RT-AX88U Pro mesh routers and Netgear Nighthawk modem; Apple…
YG Acoustics and Supreme Acoustic Systems set up a massive, no-holds-barred system at T.H.E. Show in Southern California. It was certainly one of the show's largest systems—as well as being among the priciest—and it delivered huge sound.
YG Acoustics's Duncan Taylor and Supreme Acoustic Systems's Hiram Toro were on hand to share details. Taylor talked about the room's challenges, including a wall with several large panes of glass. They seemed to have overcome that with heavy curtains and with careful loudspeaker placement.
I had heard the flagship, four-tower YG Acoustics XV…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Dedicated music server/streamer with up to 16TB storage via M.2 SSDs (up to 8TB internal, up to 8TB via expansion slot, all seen as a single volume). 20 internal processors (10 performance cores, 10 virtual cores). Memory: 32GB. Outputs: Two USB 3.2 Gen2 (for backup/optical drive), one PreciseUSB USB 2.0, one PreciseNET 1Gbps RJ45, and one HDMI (for service only). File formats: WAV, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, AAC, MP3, DSF, DFF. PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz, DSD up to DSD256 via DoP or up to DSD512 via native DSD with compatible DACs. Music Library software:…
But I didn't find the Atoms to be rock speakers only. Their superb articulation of low-level dynamics, their abilities to soundstage and retrieve ambience, made them excellent producers of intimate chamber works such as George Crumb's Quest (Bridge 0007-2), as well as of such orchestral blockbusters as Dorati's interpretation of Stravinsky's Firebird (LP, Mercury Living Presence 90226). Fans of intelligently miked classical works recorded in sonically superior concert halls will not be disappointed in the Atom.
The Atom was also well-suited to small jazz ensembles. On the Modern Jazz…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 0.75" ceramic-metal dome tweeter, 5.5" polypropylene-cone bass/midrange driver with die-cast chassis. Frequency response: 70Hz-20kHz, ±2dB on axis, 70Hz-16kHz, ±2dB off axis. Impedance: "compatible with 8 ohms." Sensitivity: 89dB in room, 86dB anechoic. Recommended amplification: 15-80W.
Dimensions: 10.5" H by 6.5" W by 8.5" D. Weight: 13 lbs/pair.
Finish: Black vinyl.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 296193 & 4.
Price: $189/pair; magnetic shielding adds $20/pair.…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: VPI TNT IV turntable, Immedia RPM tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Syrinx PU-3 tonearm, Clearaudio Aurum Beta S cartridge.
Digital sources: California Audio Labs Icon Mk.II Power Boss, Creek CD53 Mk.II CD players.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audible Illusions Modulus L1 line stage.
Power amplifier: Audio Research VT100 Mk.II.
Integrated amplifiers: Creek 5350SE, JoLida JD-101A.
Cables: Interconnect: MIT MI-350 CVTwin Terminator, MIT MI-330SG, MITerminator 2. Speaker:…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Paradigm specifies the Atom v.3's anechoic sensitivity as 86dB/2.83V/m, which is just below average. My estimate was 86.5dB(B), which is within experimental error of the specified figure. The Atom's electrical impedance (fig.1) changes considerably over the audioband, with a minimum value of 4.4 ohms at 220Hz. The small glitch just above 30kHz indicates the presence of the tweeter's main dome resonance, which is higher in frequency than we usually see. The saddle in the magnitude trace at 66Hz indicates the tuning frequency of the port.
The fig.1 traces…
U2: How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
Interscope B0003613-02 (CD). 2004. Steve Lillywhite, prod.; Carl Glanville, eng.; Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Chris Heaney, others, asst. engs. AAD? TT: 49:08
Performance ****½
Sonics ****
Interscope B0003613-02 (CD). 2004. Steve Lillywhite, prod.; Carl Glanville, eng.; Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Chris Heaney, others, asst. engs. AAD? TT: 49:08
Performance ****½
Sonics ****
Twenty years ago, in a grungy, badly lit club in Edinburgh, Scotland, I saw a show that changed my musical life forever. There, packed together on a stage the size of a postage stamp and looking every bit as young and green as I was, were The Edge, Bono, Larry, and Adam, bashing out their bombastic new single, "Pride (In the Name Of Love)." I was smitten.…
Audio Research's first 21st-century, audiophile-quality line-stage preamplifier combines retro-tech vacuum-tube amplification and power-supply circuitry with innovative, remote-controlled gain, balance, tape monitoring, and signal routing. The price is also 21st-century: $9995. As in ARC's Reference phono section, the Reference Two's pair of vertically mounted circuit boards results in a single, relatively tall chassis.
The fully balanced gain section, rated at 2V RMS balanced (maximum output is 30V RMS) and 1V single-ended, uses eight specially selected Sovtek dual-triode 6922 tubes,…