May 2018: the L-509X integrated amplifier ($9495), 120Wpc into 8 ohms, loaded with every imaginable sonic bell and whistle. My verdict: "One of the most intimate-sounding, dynamic, texturally nuanced, truthful purveyors of music of my experience. ... I could happily live with the Luxman L-509X till kingdom come."
February 2024: the L-509Z integrated amplifier ($…
There's a constant tension in the audiophile hobby, on full display in magazines. Is the raison d'être, the core of the hobby, the gear or the music? Which warrants front-of-mind discussion and spilt ink?
Here's my…
I can now say emphatically that John Atkinson's measurements of audio equipment looked easy because he made it look that way, not because it was. We all came to expect that every month in Stereophile, we would be presented with countless accurate measurements of all manner of hi-fi equipment with little or no drama. I'm now on my third day of measurements, in the midst of a previously planned Palm Springs vacation, sweating over a dozen or more measurement subtleties that have made this review challenging.
I measured the Luxman L-100 Centennial using a…
Building on the success of Thorens's first direct-drive deck in decades—the TD 124 DD—the TD 404 DD shares a close derivative of, if not exactly the same, motor designed by Yahorng, one of two large Taiwanese suppliers. Thorens and Yahorng have collaborated on everything from the firmware that supports the 12-pole Hall-effect sensors to the choice of self-lubricating stainless steel bearing spindle and Delrin thrust pad. In this instance the TD 404 DD's 12-pole, 24V motor and radial magnet (attached to the underside of the 3.8kg alloy platter) has sufficient torque…
Description: Two-channel solid state integrated amplifier with 3 parallel-bipolar transistors, class-A output stage, with remote control. Inputs: 4 pair single-ended (RCA), 2 pair balanced (XLR) line; "Main In," (Pre In, RCA); phono, switchable MM, high/low, MC (RCA). Outputs, line: Pre Out (RCA); two pair loudspeaker output terminals. Input sensitivity/impedance: 180mV/47k ohms, single-ended line; 180mV/55k ohms, balanced line; 450mV/47k ohms, Main In; 2.5mV/47k ohms, MM phono: 0.3mV/100 ohms, MC phono. Output power (class-A): 20Wpc into 8 ohms, 40Wpc into 4…
Description: Direct-drive, three-speed (33 1/3, 45, and 78rpm) semiautomatic turntable with sinewave-controlled optical-sensing 12-pole DC motor; 3-layer body; 8.4 lb 3-layer machined aluminum platter; 3 spring-loaded upside-down conical height-adjustable feet; illuminated strobe to monitor speed accuracy with pitch/ speed adjust. Wow and flutter: 0.04% WRMS. Included TP 160 tonearm features magnetically stabilized knife-edge bearing for vertical motion, SME-compatible headshell. RCA single-ended and XLR balanced cartridge-level outputs and dual power connectors…
Analog sources: Thorens TD 124 turntable with Korf TA-SF9R tonearm; J.Sikora Standard Max Supreme turntable. Cartridges: Sumiko Oriole, Ortofon MC X30.
Integrated amplifier: Audio Note UK OTO Phono SE Signature.
Loudspeakers: DeVore Fidelity Super Nine, Volti Audio Lucera, Voxativ Ampeggio 2024.
Cables: Interconnects: Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA). Speaker: Auditorium 23 (10').
Accessories: Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU, HumminGuru record-cleaning machines; AOCISKA soft-bristle brush; AudioQuest PowerQuest 707 and IsoTek EVO3 Aquarius power…
Analog sources: Technics SL-1200GME turntable; Hana SL MK II and Ortofon 2M Blue cartridges; Pro-Ject Phono Box RS2 phono preamplifier.
Digital source: dCS Bartók APEX streaming D/A processor.
Preamplifier: Benchmark LA4.
Power amplifier: Benchmark AHB2.
Integrated amplifier: McIntosh MA6500.
Loudspeakers: Bowers & Wilkins 808, Amphion One18.
Accessories: Butcher Block Acoustics equipment rack, SME turntable cable, various cables and connectors made by Belden, Canare, Mogami, Switchcraft, etc.—Tom Fine
A:
ampsandsound Red October SE: $14,000
ampsandsound Red October XL SE: $18,000
See Headphones and Headphone Accessories. (Vol.47 No.11 WWW)
Anthem STR Integrated: $4999.99 $$$ ★
Anthem’s solid state STR integrated amp offers 200Wpc (into 8 ohms) of class-AB power, along with seven analog inputs—one balanced, four single-ended, and two phono (one MM, one MC). It also offers a 32/192 D/A processor with six digital inputs—four S/PDIF (two RCA, two TOSLINK), one AES3 (XLR), and one USB. A subwoofer output is provided, but,…
A (SOLID STATE):
Accuphase A-300 monoblock: $49,950/pair
“The more I listened to the A-300 monoblocks, the more I wanted to listen,” wrote Jason Victor Serinus about his time with a pair of these powerful amplifiers. (It is specified as delivering 125W into 8 ohms, 250W into 4 ohms, 500W into 2 ohms, and 1000W into 1 ohm.) The MOSFET output operates in class-A up to 125W into 8 ohms, 62.5W into 4 ohms, and 31.25W into 2 ohms. The A-300 has both balanced and unbalanced inputs; the gain and XLR polarity can be adjusted; and an operation-mode switch facilitates…