The Pearl Acoustics Model One was measured in a large conference room, 11'11" H × 25'3" L × 15'8" W. The first reflection was from the floor, at about 5ms, which corresponds to a lower frequency limit of about 200Hz. The loudspeaker was measured with the microphone 1m from the driver. From the center of the driver to the floor was approximately 68.5". I used a GRAS 40BD ¼"-capsule microphone and 26CB mike preamp; an SCM2…
Description: Tube preamplifer with separate power supply. Individual input for two phono sources, auxiliary inputs for tuner, aux, 2 tape loops. Full switching amongst left, right, stereo reverse, and mono. Mute switch. Switch to remove 12dB of gain. Switch to connect phono directly to volume control, bypassing all extraneous circuitry and switching. Tube Complement: Preamplifier: 12 × ECC88/6DJ8/6922; Power supply: typically 2 × 6L6WGC (or 5881), 1 × 12AT7. Input Impedance: 50k ohms (line); phono inputs have front-panel selectable impedances of 47k, 10k, 100, 30,…
Description: One-way, no crossover floorstanding speaker based on the Voigt pipe design. Drive unit: One 4" custom-made full-range Markaudio Alpair 10, designed by British audio engineer Mark Fenlon. Frequency response: 38Hz–20kHz, ±6dB. Nominal impedance: 7.2 ohms. Sensitivity: 87dB/W/1m. Power handling: 35W RMS–70W. Maximum output: 105dB/1m.
Dimensions (without stand): 3'6" (1010mm) H × 9" (225mm) W × 11.6" (300mm) D. Net weight: 55lb (25kg).
Finishes: Enclosure either solid natural European oak or lacquer on Baltic Birch Plywood. Cone: Copper Gold,…
Digital sources: Moon 260D CD transport, Benchmark DAC3 B and iFi iDSD Diablo DACs.
Integrated amplifier: Grandinote Shinai.
Cables: Interconnect: Kimber Kable 1016 (RCA). Speaker: Kimber Kable Monocle-XL (w/banana plugs). Digital: Audience AV Studio ONE (RCA S/PDIF), AudioQuest Forest (USB). Power: Shunyata Research Black Mamba CX, LessLoss DFPC, DR Acoustics Red Fire Ultra.
Accessories: DR Acoustics Polynice; Sbooster BOTW P&P ECO MKII external 5V power supply; a component rack and a wood plinth stand whose brand names are lost to time.—…
With most turntables, you can perform a couple of simple tests to see these forces in action. First, remove any connection to the drive system so that the platter will spin freely. On a belt-drive turntable,…
Scott Metcalfe, Director of Recording Arts and Science at the Peabody Institute, Johns Hopkins University, essentially said that because he's a recording engineer, he knows what recordings really sound like. Sean Olive, Director of Acoustic Research at Harman International, basically said that he knows better because…
Typically, moving magnet inputs are comparatively simple, with fixed gain, a fixed 47k ohm load, and perhaps, on the fancier ones, a capacitive loading option. Japanese manufacturers have traditionally taken moving magnet cartridges more seriously, offering a wider range of moving magnet input options. For example, the Luxman EQ-500, reviewed by Art Dudley in 2016, has just two settings for the moving coil input but a host of adjustments for moving magnet cartridges. The Lupe follows this lead, with five moving magnet resistance loads, from 18k ohms to 120k ohms, eight capacitive loads,…
Forget the slick 1970s country-folk rock of the Eagles, America, or Pure Prairie League. The Band was the real deal. Their sound—a blend of Appalachian folk, Cajun, blues, rock'n'roll, country, and R&B—was earned in the trenches, gigging through the rural South and learning the ropes from the masters of that music.
The Band's 1968 debut, Music from Big Pink (Capitol Records SKAO-2955), came together in the basement of their house in West Saugerties, New York; Bob Dylan contributed the primitive cover art and…
I used my Audio Precision SYS2722 system to perform a complete set of measurements using the PMG Signature's balanced inputs and outputs. I used the menu on the front-panel touchscreen to make sure that AC Couple was turned off and the input gain trim controls were deactivated. (The display showed that the preamplifier's serial number was 5D0197 and its firmware was v.2.3.5.) I repeated some of the tests using the unbalanced RCA inputs and outputs, then did more tests with the magazine's higher-performance APx555.
With the Phase control set to Off, the PMG…