Telemann: Born four years before J.S. Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) outlived him by 17 years. When Telemann died in 1767, age 86, Haydn was 35 and Mozart was 11. And Klaus Heymann is right: Telemann must have written day and night. Music de Table, Tafelmusik, Table Music—whatever. This is great music—the ultimate dining and baroque musical experience, in (so far) four volumes, performed by the Orchestra of the Golden Age. More than four hours of delicious light baroque dining music. If you have a changer, load all four CDs (8.…
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Sidebar: Sam's Personal Naxos Recommendations
An amplifier producing nearly 400Wpc, weighing close to 100 lbs...from Rotel, of all people? Don't they know their place in the audio world? Next thing you know, Krell will start making integrated amplifiers! Oops—Krell is making integrated amplifiers...
Although Rotel is indeed best known for products like entry-level integrated amplifiers, CD players, and modest-output power amplifiers, building a high-power amplifier is not as much of a stretch for them as it might seem. Back in 1996, in Stereophile Guide to Home Theater, I reviewed their RB-985 home-theater amplifier, which…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state stereo power amplifier. Power output: 380Wpc into 8 ohms (25.8dBW), 700Wpc into 4 ohms, (25.4dBW), both 20Hz–20kHz, <0.03%. THD: <0.03%. IM distortion (60Hz:7kHz, 4:1): <0.03%. Frequency response: 10Hz–100kHz, ±1dB. Damping factor (20Hz–20kHz, 8 ohms): 1000. Speaker impedance (combined): 4 ohms minimum. S/N ratio (IHF A network): 125dB. Input impedance/sensitivity: 33k ohms/1.8V. THX Ultra certified. Power consumption: 800W.
Dimensions: 17 3/8" W by 9½" H by 15¾" D. Weight: 83.6 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 9171058…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Linn LP12 turntable (fully updated), Linn Ittok tonearm, AudioQuest AQ-7000nsx cartridge.
Digital source: PS Audio Lambda II transport, Muse Two Ninety-Six digital processor, Illuminati Orchid digital link.
Preamplifier: Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Ultimate.
Loudspeakers: Dunlavy Audio Labs SC-IV/A.
Cables: Nordost Quatrofil and TARA Labs The Two interconnects, Nordost S.P.M. Reference and TARA Labs The Two speaker cables, TARA Labs Decade power cables.
Accessories: Argent RoomLenses (5) room treatments, PS Audio P300 AC…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
After running for one hour at 1/3 power, the Rotel RB-1090's case was quite hot, but not abnormally so. DC offset measured 1.8mV in the left channel, 1.1mV in the right. The amplifier is noninverting, with pin 2 positive in its balanced mode. Voltage gain into 8 ohms measured 28.8dB (22dB balanced). Unless noted otherwise, all measurements were taken with the amplifier running in unbalanced mode.
The RB-1090's input impedance measured 33.2k ohms (47.9k ohms balanced). The maximum measured output impedance was 0.16 ohms, at 20kHz into a 4 ohm load, this…
Consider the plight of solid-state muscle amps. Often derided as brutes lacking sophistication or subtlety, particularly by the SET set (ie, fans of single-ended triodes), these powerhouses are taken for granted and often, like Rodney Dangerfield, they get no respect. And once upon a time, the stereotypes were true. Every veteran audiophile has at some time heard an immensely powerful transistor amp that had the soft sonic allure of a sheet of sandpaper, a lumbering oaf of a component with nothing whatsoever to recommend it save for a bulging set of mighty moose muscles.
The Edge…
Sounds
After power-lifting the NL-12 out of its box and receiving the necessary adapters, I hooked it up and let it cook for a week. Two things stood out at first listening: The amp sounded a little tight and unforgiving at first—the mids and top sounded rather dynamically constricted—but its bass power and control were astonishing. The NL-12 joined the rotation of amps in my system and, over the next 100 or so hours, lost its somewhat pinched sound and began to open up, harmonically and spatially.
After power-lifting the NL-12 out of its box and receiving the necessary adapters, I hooked it up and let it cook for a week. Two things stood out at first listening: The amp sounded a little tight and unforgiving at first—the mids and top sounded rather dynamically constricted—but its bass power and control were astonishing. The NL-12 joined the rotation of amps in my system and, over the next 100 or so hours, lost its somewhat pinched sound and began to open up, harmonically and spatially.
As it was the bass that had made such a strong first impression, it seems logical to…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Dual-mono power amplifier with laser-biased output stage. Output power: 300Wpc into 8 ohms (24.8dBW). Constant current capacity: 56.34 amperes. Input impedance: 30k ohms. Output impedance: 0.025 ohm.
Dimensions: 15" W by 9" H by 19" D. Weight: 106 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 102282.
Price: $15,500. Approximate number of dealers: 12.
Manufacturer: Edge Electronics, 815 SE 47th Street, Cape Coral, FL 33904. Tel: (239) 945-6227. Web: www.edgeamp.com.
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: SOTA Cosmos Series III turntable, Graham 2.2 tonearm, Dynavector XV-1S cartridge.
Digital source: Classé Omega SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Manley Labs Steelhead, Aesthetix Io Signature phono stages; VTL TL-7.5 Reference, BAT VK-51 SE line stages; McIntosh C200 preamplifier (as line stage).
Loudspeakers: Focal-JMlab Nova Utopia Be.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove 2. Interconnect: Acoustic Zen Silver Reference & Matrix Reference, Nordost Valhalla, Siltech SQ-110 Classic. Speaker: Nordost Valhalla, Siltech LS-188…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
As I always do before any testing, I ran the Edge NL-12 at one-third power into 8 ohms for an hour, in order to test the amplifier's ability to eliminate waste heat. Despite the relatively small profile of the NL-12's heatsinks, they had heated up to only 60 degreesC or so by the end of this period, proving they had adequate thermal capacity. However, the smell of hot insulation emanated from the amplifier's chassis. In addition, I monitored the amplifier's THD during the preconditioning period. It was surprisingly high at the outset, at 0.25% at 100W. However,…