I'm faced with a similar dilemma: Some audio enthusiasts are listening to the worst junk imaginable on their expensive hi-fis—listening to it and apparently liking it, or at least not finding it sufficiently objectionable to stop.
Is an audiophile's choice of listening material really just a matter of taste? Up to a point, yes. I don't share some listeners…
The album's single exception, the late Dusty Springfield singing Bacharach and David's "The…
Life is too short
Editor: Art Dudley's March "Listening" column is one of the finest ever to have appeared in Stereophile.
Most of my musician friends (I'm pleased to say I have quite a few) enjoy listening to recorded music, but do so over modest equipment, and without inordinate concern for the quality of the recording. They get to hear plenty of live music, and generally, their view is that reproductions of live music always involve compromises, and that they're happy to hear great records, even if they aren't…
As digital processors and transports have improved, however, it has become increasingly apparent that the jitter-inducing S/PDIF or AES/EBU interface connecting them, where the word clock is embedded within the data—is becoming the limiting factor. Some…
The SFCD-1's overall perspective was very different from that of Sonic Frontiers' SFD-2 and SFD-2 Mk.II processors, and the SFT-1 transport. All these units have some degree of forwardness to the sound that tends to…
Description: CD player with HDCD decoding and tube output stage. Tube complement: 6922 (x2). Outputs: Two 6922 single-ended on RCA jacks, balanced on XLR jacks. D/A conversion: UltraAnalog D20400A. Transport mechanism: Philips CDM 12.4. Frequency response: 0.5Hz–20kHz ±0.3dB. S/N ratio: >107dB (A-weighted). Channel Separation: >100dB, 20Hz–20kHz. THD: <0.05%, 20Hz–20kHz. Intrinsic jitter: <8ps, DC–40kHz with any music signal.
Dimensions: 19" W by 4" H by 12" D. Weight: 27 lbs unpacked.
Serial number of review sample: 7074.
Price: $3495 (1996…
I evaluated the SFCD-1 on its own and in matched-level comparisons with some transport/processor combinations I hold in high regard. The digital front-ends drove a Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 line-stage preamplifier, which fed a pair of Audio Research VT150 tubed monoblock power amplifiers. Interconnects were AudioQuest Lapis, Diamond, and Diamond x3, and WireWorld Gold Eclipse (balanced and unbalanced). The loudspeakers were Genesis Technologies II.5s, connected with short runs of AudioQuest Dragon II loudspeaker cable. Power to the system was conditioned by an MIT Z…
The SFCD-1's output voltage was a rather low 1.9V from the single-ended outputs and 3.8V from the balanced jacks. The left- and right-channel output voltages were matched to 0.02dB, which is essentially perfect.
Unlike the SFD-2 and SFD-2 Mk.II, the Sonic Frontiers CD player had a moderate output impedance of 165 ohms (unbalanced) and 390 ohms (balanced) at any audio frequency. The original SFD-2's output impedance was 735 ohms over most of the band, but rose to a ridiculously high 8k ohms at 20Hz. This high output impedance in the bass was due to the…
Having just reviewed the similarly-priced Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 CD player (June '96, Vol.19 No.6), I was interested to hear what the Accuphase DP-55 had to offer. The $5995 DP-65 had been favorably reviewed by TJN, and the $21,000+ DP-90/DC-91 pair had so impressed Dick Olsher that he bought the review samples (see June 1995, Vol.18 No.6).
The following impressions were gained with the DP-55 in its optimum setup: no attenuation, and playing through the balanced outputs.
It was evident from the start that…