My knowledge of art history is limited to what I learned in high school and a few bits and pieces I've picked up since. It's not much, but it's enough for me to realize that there's an analogy, if only a rough one, to be made between art and the audio hobby.
The history of art is long and complex, but if you narrow the focus to the European tradition you can uncover a useful if oversimplified narrative. Up until the late 19th…
One manufacturer rises above the rest when it comes to invoking sheer gizmoidal lust: Nagra. Since 1951, the Swiss firm has built the gear that professional recordists in the broadcast and film industries have turned to when they couldn't afford to risk using more temperamental components. Nagras were built to work in the field, and to keep working. Hang out with anthropologists…
I'd take precision over power any day
My first sonic impression of the CDP was of a tightly focused, phenomenally detailed musical image. I listened to "Cloudburst," from Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross's The Hottest New Group in Jazz (…
Description: Single-box, fixed-output CD player with outboard 12V DC power supply and remote control. Formats played: CD, CD-R, CD-RW. D/A conversion: 24 bits. Oversampling: 8x (352.8kHz). Analog outputs: 1 pair RCA, 1 pair balanced XLR. Digital outputs: coaxial S/PDIF, AES/EBU, TosLink S/PDIF. Analog output levels: 3.5V/1V, user-delectable, balanced and unbalanced. Frequency response: 20Hz (0dB)–20kHz (–1dB). Signal/noise: >108dB. THD: <0.003%. Channel separation: 90dB. Jitter: "unmeasurable." Power consumption: 6W continuous, 12W peak.
Dimensions: 12…
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe universal player, Krell Evolution 505 SACD/CD player.
Preamplifiers: Ayre K-1xe, Krell Evolution 202.
Power Amplifiers: Ayre MX-R, Krell Evolution 600.
Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Confidence C4, Wilson Audio Specialties WATT/Puppy 8.
Cables: Interconnect: Shunyata Research Aries & Antares. Speaker: Shunyata Research Lyra.
Accessories: Ayre L-5xe line filter; Furutech eTP-609 distribution box, FP-20A(R) duplex outlets, RDP panels; OSAR Selway/Magruder equipment racks; Ayre Myrtle Wood Blocks.—Wes Phillips
The Nagra CDP's maximum output level at 1kHz was 3.175V from its unbalanced jacks, 4dB higher than the CD standard's 2V. The balanced output was 0.67dB higher, at 3.42V. Both outputs were absolute-polarity-correct; ie, non-inverting (the XLRs are wired with pin 2 hot, the AES standard). The output impedance was a low 50 ohms from both sets of outputs at treble and midrange frequencies, but rose at 20Hz to 344 ohms (balanced) and 146 ohms (unbalanced). With preamps having an input impedance of 10k ohms or higher, this increase will not have any audible consequences…
I tapped Send and sat back, content to have completed another review. Nothing beats the satisfaction of having written something—it almost compensates for the pain of having to actually do it.
Tink went my computer. (I know it said tink because that's what it calls that sound in Preferences.) I opened John Atkinson's e-mail, expecting an Attaboy, Wes!
Wrong. "Wes, I distinctly remember instructing you that Nagra requested you listen in single-ended configuration, since there's one gain stage fewer…
Preamplifiers: Ayre K-1xe, Conrad-Johnson ACT 2, Krell Evolution 202, NHT PVC.
Power Amplifiers: MX-R, Krell Evolution 600.
Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Specialties WATT/Puppy 8, NHT M-00.
Cables: Interconnect: Shunyata Research Aries & Antares. Speaker: Shunyata Research Lyra.
Accessories: Furutech eTP-609 distribution box, FP-20A(R) duplex outlets, RDP panels; OSAR Selway/Magruder equipment racks; Ayre Myrtle Wood Blocks.—Wes Phillips