I measured one of the Diptyque Reference loudspeakers in RvB's listening room, driving it with his Krell FPB 200c amplifier. I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system with a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to examine the speaker's behavior in the farfield and an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield responses. I managed to maneuver the heavy loudspeaker onto a small dolly for the measurements and positioned it so that it fired along the listening room's diagonal to push back in time the reflections of the Diptyque's output from the sidewalls. Nevertheless, the first…
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Sidebar 3: Measurements
I measured the Belleson Brilliance phono preamplifier with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, checking some of my findings with the magazine's APx500 analyzer. I adjusted the preamp's settings with the app on the supplied Android tablet, which was connected via the preamp's own Wi-Fi network. To minimize noise, I connected a wire from the grounding terminal on the preamplifier chassis's rear panel to the analyzer's ground. I performed the testing primarily with one of the single-ended inputs, as I had understood from TF that that was mostly how he had auditioned…
Manufacturer's Comment
Thanks to Tom and John for a detailed and thorough review of Brilliance. Tom's comment, "Because it imposes so little of its own character on music, it allowed the character of each cartridge to shine through," tells us we met our design goal of playback transparency, as in the proverbial "wire with gain."
John's measurements confirm ours. To add some insight, making a clean, accurate phono stage with selectable gain ranging from 30dB to 70dB (factoring in RIAA, that's 90dB in the bass!) is not easy. To do it, we designed a unique, custom op-amp and input…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: 15" MacBook Air M2 Max running Roon 2.0. Roon ROCK (Lenovo ThinkCentre), iPhone 16 Pro Max, Eversolo DMP-10, Grimm Audio MU1, Aurender A20.
Preamplifiers: Benchmark HPA4 line stage. Unison Research Reference Pre.
Power amplifiers: Krell FPB 200c (recapped), Unison Research Reference.
Integrated amplifiers: Audia Flight FLS10, Pathos InPoL Legacy.
Loudspeakers: Focal Utopia Scala EVO, Estelon X Diamond MkII.
Cables: Speaker: AudioQuest Thunderbird Zero. Interconnects: AudioQuest Thunderbird, Black Beauty, and Red River (…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: 3.5-way planar magnetic/isodynamic loudspeaker with a proprietary ribbon tweeter. Frequency range: 22Hz–24kHz. Crossover frequencies: 600Hz and 7kHz. Sensitivity: 89dB/W/1m. Impedance: 4 ohms. Power handling: up to 300W (recommended power <60W). Single binding posts (no biamping).
Dimensions: 71" H (1803.4mm) × 25.6" (650.2mm) W × 13.3" (337.8mm) D, 189lb (85.7kg) each for the MkI Evo; 73.2" (1859.3mm) H × 28" (711.2mm) W × 15" (381mm) D. Weight: 194lb (88kg).
Finish: Black or white; custom colors available for an extra $1200.
Serial…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Technics SL-1200MK5 'table with KAB 3-speed mod, fluid damping, and tonearm wiring; Hana SL MK II, Shure V15 Type III, LP Gear The Vessel A3SM, Ortofon 2M Blue, Denon DL-110 cartridges. Philips AF-887 turntable with Shure M97xe.
Preamplifier: Benchmark LA4.
Power amplifier: Benchmark AHB2.
Integrated amplifier: McIntosh MA6500.
Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins 808, Amphion One18.
Accessories: Butcherblock Acoustics equipment rack, SME turntable cable, various cables and connectors made by Belden, Canare, Mogami,…
EISA, or the Expert Imaging and Sound Association, is an organization representing 53 of the most respected special interest publications and websites from 26 countries that cover Hi-Fi, Home Theater, Photography, Mobile Devices, and In-Car Electronics. Every year EISA's Expert Group members, including editors from this publication, test a very wide range of new products from their field of expertise before comparing results and voting to decide on the cream of every product category.
To win an EISA award all products undergo a comprehensive multi-step judging process, and many still…
Shortly after the July 2013 issue of Stereophile hit the newsstands, I received an e-mail from audio restoration expert Doug Pomeroy, who specializes in the digital preservation of disc pressing metal parts, acetates, and 78s. (For an example of his excellent work, see www.nytimes.com/2010/08/17/arts/music/17jazz.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.)
I first spoke with Pomeroy in 2001, for a story about digital audio published in a Village Voice music supplement. His and my opinions about digital sound couldn't be more divergent. Pomeroy's experience dwarfs mine, but I haven't budged from my…
In high-end audio, Italian designs play by different rules. They tend to favor beauty over austerity, boldness over caution, and emotion over restraint. Rather than just hearing the music, you're meant to be swept away by it. That spirit animates gear from Unison Research, a tube-focused company located just north of Venice. Founded in 1987 by Giovanni Maria Sacchetti, the brand was taken over in 2000 by audio entrepreneur Giovanni Nasta, who brought it under the umbrella of A.R.I.A. (footnote 1), the company that manufactures Opera loudspeakers.
Today, five years after Nasta's untimely…
Brian Wilson in 2015. (Photo by Brian Bowen Smith.) Though he long ago guessed he just wasn't made for these times, Brian Wilson left a musical legacy that was built to last, long after summer's gone.
Outside of Vincent Van Gogh, Brian Wilson had the most infamous—and ultimately the most valuable—left ear in the world. Wilson—the chief architect of countless Beach Boys pop classics, who passed away at age 82 on June 11, 2025—lost the hearing in his right ear at an early age (footnote 1). One could reasonably argue that he only ever heard all the sonic masterpieces he constructed, for that…