As if that wasn't enough stability, consider that the company's first commercial product, the Sondek LP12 turntable, has continued through many iterations to the present day. It is so well known in hi-fi that people simply call it…
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Founded in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1972, Linn Products Limited is in an elite club whose members have been around for 50 years or more. You're doing some things right if you can prosper in the quirky audiophile marketplace for more than 50 years (footnote 1). Ivor Tiefenbrun and his son Gilad have carried on a family trade, helming their company for all that time.
One of audio's great legacy brands, Wharfedale got its start in 1932 when founder Gilbert Briggs built his first loudspeaker in the basement of his Ilkley, Yorkshire, home. The landscape in the valley of the River Wharfe lent the fledgling company its name, and Wharfedale Wireless Works was born. It was a time when radio—wireless—had captured the imagination of enthusiasts across Britain and beyond. Hi-fi as we know it didn't exist yet.
From those humble basement beginnings, Briggs and his wife Doris moved Wharfedale into a small factory near Bradford, about 12 miles from the River Wharfe…
Sidebar 4: Measurements
I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone with an Earthworks microphone preamplifier to measure the Wharfedale Super Linton's farfield frequency behavior and dispersion. I used an Earthworks QTC-40 mike for the nearfield responses. I usually leave a loudspeaker's grille off for the measurements. However, as the Super Linton's front baffle is set into the enclosure and the grille frame provides some acoustic profiling around the drive units, as I had done with the Wharfedale Heritage Series Dovedale that I reviewed in April 2024, I left the…
Berlin! Berlin! Berlin! Kabarett und Exil
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano; Salon Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin, Adam Benzwi
BIS-2827 (SACD; reviewed in its native 24/96). 2026. Markus Mittermeyer, prod., eng.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano; Salon Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin, Adam Benzwi
BIS-2827 (SACD; reviewed in its native 24/96). 2026. Markus Mittermeyer, prod., eng.
Performance *****
Sonics ****½
Anne Sofie von Otter is still recording? When I learned that the great Swedish mezzo, whose celebrated discography dates back 40 years, was 69 when she entered the Traumton Studio in Berlin to record Berlin! Berlin! Berlin!, I was less than optimistic about what I might hear. Imagine my surprise when I discovered, instead of…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Linn Klimax Solo 500 was preconditioned for 20 minutes with approximately 60W IEC 60268-1 shaped noise. At the end of that time, the temperature at the top exhaust vents had plateaued at 99°F, in a room with adequate ventilation held to 68°F. For a class-AB amplifier, this is on the cooler side, even with the power-saving settings disabled for the duration of the test. According to the manufacturer's published literature, the Solo 500 has active cooling; however, the fans were never audible.
The RCA input impedance measured 29.8k ohms at 1kHz, dropping…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid state, class-AB monoblock amplifier, with Utopik 240W power supply and Adaptive Bias Control. Inputs: one each balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA). Output: one pair Furutech FT-816 banana/spade binding terminals. Passthrough: one balanced (XLR), one unbalanced (RCA). 12V trigger in/out. LAN service input. Output power: 250W into 8 ohms, 500W into 4 ohms (both 23.9dBW). Bandwidth: 88kHz (balanced), 97kHz (unbalanced). Nominal gain: 28.6dB (unbalanced), 22.6dB (balanced). Output impedance: 0.01 ohm at 1kHz. Max input: 1kW. THD+N into 4 ohms: 0.…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: Three-way bass-reflex, standmount loudspeaker with two ports on the rear. Drive complement: 1" (25mm) soft-dome tweeter; 5" (135mm) woven Kevlar-cone midrange; 8" (200mm) woven Kevlar-cone woofer. Crossover frequencies: 550Hz; 2.5kHz. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/1m. Frequency response: 39Hz–20kHz, ±3dB, –6dB at 32Hz. Nominal impedance: 6 ohms; minimum impedance: 3.9 ohms. Peak SPL: 110dB. Recommended amplifier power: 25–200W.
Dimensions: 23.8" (605mm) H × 11.8" (300mm) W × 13.0" (330mm) D. Weight: 43.7lb (19.8kg).
Finish: Walnut, mahogany, and…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: VPI HMW-40 turntable, VPI 12" Fatboy tonearm, with Lyra Etna λ Lambda cartridge, Ortofon Bronze Cadenza cartridge. Pro-Ject Classic EVO turntable, with Sumiko Amethyst cartridge.
Digital sources: MacBook Air running Tidal, Roon, Qobuz. Bricasti M21 DAC, Musical Fidelity M1 CDT transport, Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T.
Preamplification: McIntosh C12000.
Power amplifiers: McIntosh MC462 Quad Balanced Stereo Amplifier.
Integrated Amplifier: McIntosh MA252.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties The WATT/Puppy, Harbeth P3ESR, Sonus…
Sidebar 3: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Benny Audio Odyssey turntable, Benz Micro Gullwing cartridge.
Digital sources: Tascam CD-200iL CD player, HoloAudio May DAC.
Preamplifiers: Allnic H-5500, Manley Chinook, Ampsandsound Yellowstone.
Power amplifier: Air Tight ATM-1 2024.
Integrated amplifier: Unison Research S6 Black Edition.
Loudspeakers: Spendor BC1.
Cables: Interconnects: AudioQuest Pegasus and Black Beauty, Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA), "Spirit 75" S/PDIF (RCA/BNC). Speaker: AudioQuest William Tell Zero (10').
Accessories: Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU…
Like life, audiophilia often takes unexpected turns. A while back, I happily put my turntable and records on ice, for much of the 1990s and the first part of the current century. Yet lately I find myself further down the phonography rabbit hole than I have been in decades.
Although I've long worked with grooved media in my analog-to-digital–transfer business, whenever I listened for pleasure I turned to CDs, digital files, and—when it got good enough—streaming.
I worked first-hand with digital audio as its capabilities evolved from "better than 10 years ago" (mid-'90s) to very…