Analog Sources: VPI TNT IV turntable, Immedia RPM tonearm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Syrinx PU-3 tonearm, Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood & Aurum Beta S cartridges.
Digital Sources: Lector CDP-7T, California Audio Labs Icon Mk.II Power Boss, Creek Destiny & CD53 Mk.II CD players; Pioneer DV-333 DVD player.
Preamplification: Vendetta Research SCP-2D phono stage, Audio Valve Eklipse line stage.
Power Amplifier: Audio Research VT100 Mk.II.
Integrated Amplifiers: Creek Destiny & 5350SE.
Loudspeakers: Monitor Audio…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Intimus 533-T was surprisingly sensitive, at an estimated 90dB(B)/2.83V/m on its tweeter axis, which is within experimental error of its specified 89dB. The 533-T's impedance was close to 6 ohms from 100Hz to 10kHz; it rose above that range, due to the tweeter's voice-coil inductance. Below 100Hz, the impedance curve (fig.1) shows the twin peaks typical of a reflex design, with the minimum value of 4.3 ohms at 44Hz indicating the port-tuning frequency.
Fig.1 Aperion Intimus 533-T, electrical impedance (solid) and phase (dashed). (2 ohms/…
Recently, on the Stereophile Web forum, reader Natal commented on Robert J. Reina's review of the Creek Audio Destiny integrated amplifier in the January 2007 issue: "Maybe it's just me but I've never found any piece of electronic equipment sexy."
My first reaction was pity. Be there a man with soul so dead / Who never to himself hath said / Hubba-hubba, zing-zing-zing / I've got to plug into that thing?
My second thought was somewhat more rational: Right on, Natal—stereo components are just appliances. After all, nobody thinks toasters or vacuum cleaners are sexy, right…
I don't want to make this sound any more onerous than babying a high-performance car for its first 1000 miles. Of course, you want to just get in and go hard, but things need to settle in before you can get the performance you've paid for. Once the MX-R got up to cruising speed, I could—and did—use the standby switch without having to go through the rough patches again.
Ayreborne
Dynaudio's Confidence C4 loudspeaker really likes to be bossed around by an amplifier, and the MX-Rs obliged, driving both of my C4s into submission with big orchestral crescendos, such as those presented…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state monophonic power amplifier. Inputs: one balanced. Output power: 300Wpc into 8 ohms (24.8dBW), 600Wpc into 4 ohms (24.8dBW). Frequency range: 0Hz–250kHz. Voltage gain: 26dB. Input impedance: 2 megohms. Power consumption: 34W (standby), 120W (operating/no signal).
Dimensions: 11" (280mm) W by 3.75" (96mm) H by 18.75" (480mm) D. Weight: 52 lbs (23.6 kg).
Finishes: Silver, Black (add $500/pair).
Serial Numbers of Units Reviewed: 14A0197, 14A0198.
Price: $16,500/pair. Approximate number of dealers: 30. Warranty: 5 years,…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe universal player, Krell Evolution 505 SACD/CD player.
Preamplifiers: Ayre K-1xe, Krell Evolution 202.
Power Amplifiers: Krell Evolution 600 monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Confidence C4 & C1, Vandersteen Quatro Wood.
Cables: Interconnect: Shunyata Research Aries & Antares. Speaker: Shunyata Research Lyra.
Accessories: Ayre L-5xe AC filter; Furutech eTP-609 distribution box, FP-20A (R) duplex AC outlets, RDP acoustic panels; OSAR Selway/Magruder equipment racks; Ayre Myrtle Wood Blocks.— Wes Phillips
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Before performing any measurements, I preconditioned the Ayre MX-R by running it for 60 minutes at one-third the specified power into 8 ohms, which is very much the worst case for an amplifier with a class-B output stage. The amplifier got almost too hot to touch at the end of that period, implying a temperature of around 60°C, but the curiously shaped heatsink is obviously efficient enough. It, however, was too hot to touch. Given that the MX-R's circuitry is completely enclosed by the metal chassis and heatsink, I was concerned that raising its temperature might…
Almost immediately on entering the analog marketplace in 1982, Franc Kuzma, a mechanical engineer based in Slovenia, then part of the former Yugoslavia, established a reputation for manufacturing finely engineered, high-performance products that sold at reasonable prices. Kuzma's early industrial designs, however, while serviceable, looked less than distinguished.
Nothing in Kuzma's previous work, not even the pipe-bomb of the Stabi S, which had been introduced two years earlier, could have predicted the visually enticing, curvaceous design of the Stabi XL. Big and literally "…
My experiment was to use the Stabi XL/Air Line and Caliburn/Cobra, both with the same Lyra Titan i cartridge and Manley Steelhead phono preamp, to record (with an Alesis MasterLink) a CD-R of difficult-to-reproduce musical passages (solo piano, violin, orchestral crescendos, female vocals), all of which had been cut near the lead-out groove areas of various LPs—and then play the two recordings of the same passage back to back to see if discerning audiophiles could tell which had been played by the pivoted arm, which by the tangential tracker.
When I'd conducted an earlier version of this…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Mass-loaded turntable with two speeds (331/3rpm, 45rpm), two motors, height-adjustable tonearm tower, and air-bearing, tangential-tracking tonearm.
Dimensions: 17.5" (450mm) W by 11.7" (300mm) H by 15.6" (400mm) D. Weight: 169.4 lbs (77kg) total. Platter: 48.4 lbs (22kg). Base: 59.4 lbs (27kg). Motor towers: 15.4 lbs (7kg) each. Tonearm tower: 30.8 lbs (14kg).
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: Not noted.
Prices: Stabi XL turntable, $18,000. Air Line tonearm, $8000. Approximate number of dealers: 15.
Manufacturer: Kuzma Ltd., Hotemaze 17/…