Maybe not, but this I know: When it comes to madcap marketing lingo, Revox is up there with its claim that the new B77 Mk III reel-to-reel is "built for eternity." I coughed politely behind my hand. Will a B77 give many years of top-notch service? I expect so. Will it outlive your grandchildren? Perhaps. The next ice age? No. For the record, the warranty is just two years.
Does the German-built machine look and sound…
I performed a full set of measurements on the T+A Symphonia using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system. I controlled the amplifier both with the front-panel controls and with the T+A Music Navigator G3 app, which I installed on my iPad mini after connecting the amplifier's Ethernet port to my network. With the network connection active, Roon recognized the processor as the Roon Ready "T+A Symphonia."
As the Symphonia appears to use a class-D output stage and because class-D amplifiers emit relatively high levels of ultrasonic noise that would drive my…
Not many hi-fi dealerships can say they've survived half a century of history. Natural Sound, which is based in Framingham, Massachusetts, about 20 miles west of Boston, is one that can. Founded by Jim Lackey in 1975, Natural Sound turns 50 years old this November. Lackey continues as the company's owner and president, though General Manager Pete Chinigo manages everyday business. In a recent conversation with Chinigo, I learned more about how business is going and what it takes for a hi-fi store—Natural Sound and others—to continue surviving into an uncertain future…
The S2 driver is built from the ground up by Grado. It features a carbon fiber and paper composite diaphragm mated to a lightweight copper-plated aluminum voice coil. Grado engineered the driver to deliver a natural presentation, with high definition and a wide dynamic range. The new drivers are housed in hand built all-aluminum open-back…
Description: Streaming integrated amplifier with FM tuner. Output power: 250Wpc into 4 ohms, 125Wpc into 8 ohms (both equivalent to 21dBW). Frequency range: 1Hz–60kHz. Preamp S/N ratio: 105dB, unweighted; 109dB, A-weighted. Digital inputs: 1 standard S/PDIF (coax); 1 TosLink; 1 USB DAC; 1 HDMI ARC. Analog inputs: two pair single-ended on RCAs. Analog outputs: one pre-out; two subwoofer out (RCA). DAC with two 32-bit sigma-delta D/A converters per channel. PCM sampling rate up to 768kHz. DSD: single-bit D/A converter, up to DSD512. Signal processor with four…
Digital sources: Aurender A20 streamer and DAC. Grimm MU1. HiFi Rose RS520. Evernote DMP-A10. Sony S900ES SACD player. 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max running Roon 2.0. Roon ROCK (Lenovo ThinkCentre).
Preamplifiers: Benchmark HPA4 linestage. Quad 33 (2024).
Power amplifiers: Audia Flight FLS10, T+A R 2500 R integrateds. McIntosh MHA100 (headphone). Quad 303 monoblocks (2024).
Loudspeakers: Focal Utopia Scala Evo. Estelon X Diamond Mk II.
Headphones: Audeze LCD-4, HiFiMan Susvara Unveiled.
Cables: Loudspeaker: AudioQuest Thunderbird Zero.…
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded standmount loudspeaker. Drive units: 7.1" (180mm) MSP (Magnesium Silicate Polymer) NeoTec woofer with neodymium magnet system, 1.1" (28mm) Esotar 3 cloth-dome tweeter with Hexis inner-dome structure. Crossover frequency: 3.6kHz. Crossover topology: second-order. Frequency response: 50Hz–23kHz ±3dB, 43Hz–33kHz ±6dB. Impedance: 4 ohms. Minimum impedance: 4.6 ohms. Sensitivity: 86dB/2.83V/1m. IEC power handling: 180W.
Dimensions: 17.3" (440mm) H × 8.46" (215mm) W × 15.75" (400mm) D. Height on stands: 40.5" (1029mm). Weight: 32…