Price is a most respectable $595.
J. Gordon Holt wrote again about…
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Preview, from Vol.3 No.3: We thought Audio Research's previous-model SP-2C (footnote 1) was excellent, but this is even better—the closest thing available, in fact, to the ideal straight wire with gain. Our sample had a minor glitch—there was a slight "plop" if you rotated the tone controls rapidly—but we could find nothing else about it to criticize. Currently, by far the best preamplifier than money can buy. And would you believe it uses tubes (at reduced heater voltage, for extended life and cooler operation)!
Since different tubes do sound a bit different, we would advise obtaining replacements from ARC, what ever the cost. Just remember, when the time comes, what you paid for the preamp to begin with, but if you're feeling cheap anyway, you can always order the tubes from Allied, Lafayette or Radio Shack. For example, Lafayette's 1973 catalog lists 12AX7/ECC83 tubes for $1.40 each, or $1.26 each in quantities of six to 24. That adds up to around $10 for a set of new tubes, which is $2 a year for 5 years, assuming they don't exceed that. Hardly an outrageous price for some of the best sound you've…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Vacuum-tube stereo preamplifier. Frequency response: 15Hz-30kHz, ±1dB. Distortion (THD): 0.005% at 5V out. Maximum output: 25V at 1kHz. S/N Ratio: 90dB (Aux input, no ref. level given).
Dimensions: 15 5/8" W by 5" H x 12½ D.
Price: $595 (SP-3, 1971-73); $795 (SP-3A, 1974); no longer manufactured (2003).
Manufacturer: Audio Research Corporation, 2843 26th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55406 (1973); Audio Research Corporation, 3900 Annapolis Lane North, Plymouth, MN 55447-5447. Tel: (763) 577-9700. Fax: (763) 577-0323. Web: www.audioresearch.com…
Five years after the launch of the audiophile's dream medium, Super Audio CD, the format remains stalled in the market.
Partly this is because of the market's confusion due to the competing DVD-Audio format. Partly this is because of the slow growth of recordings available on SACD, at least in the beginning. Partly this is because some SACDs remastered from older masters aren't of sufficient quality to justify the price premium for an SACD release. Partly this is because the mass market has always valued convenience over sound quality, hence the conquest of the LP by the barely…
Sound: Verona in Brooklyn
It was time to introduce the Verona. Three 75 ohm BNC–BNC cables connected the Verona's word-clock outputs to the three other components, and I set all three to recognize an incoming word-clock signal. (My hat's off to dCS for the best user manuals I have experienced, along with plastic-laminated "cheat sheets" for the most common setup configurations.) I switched on the Verona's dither, put on an SACD—Claire Martin's Too Darn Hot! (Linn AKD 243)—selected a familiar cut, "Black Coffee," and held my breath while the Verdi read the disc's Table of Contents and…
It was time to introduce the Verona. Three 75 ohm BNC–BNC cables connected the Verona's word-clock outputs to the three other components, and I set all three to recognize an incoming word-clock signal. (My hat's off to dCS for the best user manuals I have experienced, along with plastic-laminated "cheat sheets" for the most common setup configurations.) I switched on the Verona's dither, put on an SACD—Claire Martin's Too Darn Hot! (Linn AKD 243)—selected a familiar cut, "Black Coffee," and held my breath while the Verdi read the disc's Table of Contents and…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Device for distributing a master word-clock signal in a digital production/playback environment. Outputs: 5 word-clock on 75 ohm BNCs and 3 S/PDIF on RCAs, with switch-selectable dither. Input: external reference clock on BNC, switchable between TTL and bipolar formats, will lock to external TTL clock signals ranging from 32kHz to 96kHz and bipolar 10MHz signals from, for example, a GPS clock. Word-clock output frequencies: 44.1kHz, 48kHz. Word-clock accuracy/stability: ±1ppm guaranteed after six months. Typical power consumption: 16W.
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Sidebar 2: Review System
Digital Sources: Primary: dCS Verdi SACD/CD transport, dCS Elgar Plus D/A processor, connected with dCS FireWire cable for SACD playback, and for CD playback, the dCS Purcell upsampler connected to the Verdi with a DH Labs AES/EBU cable, the Elgar with FireWire. For reference: Mark Levinson No.31.5 CD transport and No.30.6 Reference or Benchmark DAC1 D/A processors connected with Illuminati Orchid AES/EBU link.
Preamplifiers: Mark Levinson No.380S, Z-Systems rdp-1.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H monoblocks, Halcro dm38.
Loudspeakers: Paradigm…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Full sets of measurements of the dCS Elgar Plus playing back CDs and of the upsampling effect of the dCS Purcell were published in their original reviews in July 1997 and January 2001, respectively. Measurements of the Verdi SACD transport driving the Elgar Plus via dCS's proprietary IEEE1394 FireWire link accompanied Michael Fremer's review in April 2003.
To examine the effect of the Verona on the dCS system, I first looked at the Elgar's jitter performance with the Miller Audio Research Jitter Analyzer while the DAC decoded CD data from the Verdi,…
I suppose that most high-end designers dream about making a Statement Product—their best effort, without regard for price. Victor Khomenko, majordomo of Balanced Audio Technology, got the bug and came up with the VK-50SE. This hugely full-functioned line-stage preamp derives its Special Edition (SE) moniker from the eight hot-running, super-hush-hush Russian 6H30 Reflector SuperTubes that populate the circuit board.
But Victor is, by nature, a frugal man who savors quality while enjoying a particular disdain for overindulgence. Coming from St. Petersburg, Russia has made him a…
The 6H30's plate resistance is four times lower than the 6922's (800 ohms), and its transconductance is higher (18mA/V), to deliver just a touch lower gain than the ubiquitous 6DJ8/6922. The SuperTube can't be used as a direct replacement for the 6922, but BAT developed a proprietary circuit to "unleash its true potential." Amazingly, this tall, sturdy tube delivers up to 6A of "pulse current" per section, and can withstand 1050V of plate voltage. Because of its low impedance characteristic, the 6H30 allows a much lower output resistance in the gain stage without resorting to "crutch…