Analog sources: Rega P10 turntable with RB3000 tonearm and Apheta 3 MC cartridge. Rega AOS phono stage. Parks Audio Waxwing phono stage.
Digital sources: Grimm MU2. Eversolo A10. Aurender A20. 15" MacBook Air M4 running Roon 2.0.
Preamplifier: PS Audio PMG Signature.
Power amplifier: McIntosh MC462.
Integrated amplifiers: Anthem STR, T+A Symphonia.
Loudspeakers: Magico S2, Estelon X Diamond Mk.2. Focal Scala Utopia Evo.
Speaker cables: AudioQuest Thunderbird Zero and Bass.
Power cables and interconnects: All AudioQuest: Tornado…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way floorstanding rear-ported bass-reflex loudspeaker. Monocoque aluminum shell with viscoelastic damping. Driver complement: 1" waveguide-mounted beryllium-dome tweeter, 6" carbon-fiber sandwich composite midrange, 10" carbon-fiber sandwich composite woofer. Frequency response: 23Hz–30kHz (–3dB). Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/1m. Minimum amplifier power: 50W.
Dimensions: 12.4" (17.6" with outrigger feet) W × 48" H × 23.4" D. Weight: 305 lb; 470 lb crated.
Finishes: Satin Silver Metallic or Satin Titanium Metallic…
I sometimes lament how much technological know-how is required for a consumer to successfully navigate the world of high end audio. Why do we have to wade through all this engineering mumbo jumbo just to enjoy great sound? I consider myself technically curious and at times even adept, but I have mostly resisted deep diving into design theory for hi-fi components. I've instead preferred to listen to music in the comfort of my orchard of unknowing, unburdened by knowledge of how the sausage is made.
Despite my best efforts to remain oblivious, I have inevitably picked up some knowledge…
Is it me, or is it hot in here?
The REX 500 is a class-AB amplifier that uses 24 high-current output devices per channel, giving it stupendous power: 500Wpc into 8 ohms, 1000Wpc into 4 ohms. (There's no official rating into 2 ohms.) Considering that amplifiers have to produce only a few continuous watts to make most speakers sing (very low-sensitivity and low-impedance loads excluded), you might think that such specs are overkill. To justify such a beast, Bednarski cited JA's measurements of Wilson Audio's Alexx V speakers, whose equivalent peak dissipation resistance (EPDR) drops…
First spins, and a power play
For a few days, I used the TD 404 DD in my office system, connected directly to my McIntosh MA6500 integrated amplifier, driving small but mighty Amphion One18 speakers nearfield to my desk. I listened mainly while doing background work, with the Ortofon cartridge installed. Things sounded fine. The turntable is well-grounded and shielded, so there wasn't any hum or RFI hash. I immediately liked the electronic cue lifter. It lowered the needle into the groove precisely and gently. The semiautomatic feature was a little slow to lift at the end of a side,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
After one Soulnote A-3 Core arrived with shipping damage, I measured another, serial number 240730005, using an Audio Precision APx555 analyzer. The A-3 Core is the power-amplifier version of Soulnote's A-3 integrated amplifier. Like all the company's current designs, it operates without loop negative feedback. Unusually, its left- and right-channel signal grounds are fully separated from each other and are designed to float with respect to the chassis. Before measuring, I preconditioned the amplifier for 60 minutes at one-third the rated power, following which the…
Sometimes artists walk away from a final mix, heads shaking after a reluctant sign-off. They've long since thrown up their collective hands, whether they've given in to immovable production deadlines, creative disagreements among band personnel, conflicts with the producers and engineers, or some combination of the above. This is essentially what British prog outfit Gentle Giant did with their 1973 LP In a Glass House. "The music was really good, but the sound was not," vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Derek Shulman told me during a recent Zoom interview. "The drums are so dry, and the bass…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Four-way, five-driver loudspeaker with exponentially-tapered-tube bass-reflex loading. Drive-units: HF: D26 1" (26mm) metal-dome tweeter, D50 2" (50mm) metal-dome tweeter, C125-75 4.9" (125mm) midrange with alloy-carbon diaphragm & 3" (75mm) voice-coil, two C225-100 8.9" (225mm) woofers with alloy diaphragms & 3.9" (100mm) voice-coils in 1.75" (45mm) gap. Crossover frequencies: 220Hz, 880Hz, 3.5kHz. Frequency response: 29Hz–33kHz, ±2dB on reference. Frequency range: –6dB at 25Hz and 36kHz. Sensitivity: 92dB/2.83V/m on axis. Impedance: 6 ohms…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Dr. Feickert Woodpecker turntable with inertia platter, Jelco SA-750D tonearm, Stack Audio AUVA Equipment Isolators, Technics SL-1200GAE turntable, Dynavector XX-2 MkII, Ortofon 2M Black cartridges.
Digital sources: Grimm MU2 streamer-DAC, Shanling ET3 CD transport.
Preamplifiers: Grimm MU2, Mola Mola Makua, Manley Steelhead, Lejonklou Slipsik 8.
Power amplifiers: AGD Forte, AGD The Audion MkIII, Mola Mola Ossetra.
Integrated amplifier: MBL C51.
Loudspeakers: Auer Acoustics Versura V1, Focal Scala Utopia (1st gen),…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Class-AB stereo power amplifier. Inputs: XLR (balanced). Output: 120Wpc into 4 ohms (17.8dBW). THD: 0.27% (1W, 8 ohms). Frequency response: 2Hz–200kHz (±3dB, 1W, 8 ohms). Input sensitivity/impedance: 480mV/24k ohms. Gain: 30dB. Power consumption: 180W; 86W at idle.
Dimensions: 17.9" (454mm) W × 7.4" (189mm) H × 17.1" (435mm) D. Weight: 64 lb (29kg).
Finishes: Silver, Black.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 240730004 (auditioned); 240730005 (measured).
Price: $19,490. Warranty: Three years.
Manufacturer: Soulnote Inc., 5-33-4…