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The SLP-98P, for its part, respected voices. I liked the way it made Frank Sinatra sound on that guiltiest of guilty pleasures, "It Was a Very Good Year," from September of My Years (LP, Reprise 1014). The sound of his voice was perfectly textured—more so than with most electronics of my experience—and the musical performance itself had a sense of drama beyond mere soft-to-loud dynamics: Call it a feeling of anticipation, where I had not only a good sense of attack on each note but also apprehension—a sonic equivalent of a visual cue, as in a concert setting, of the expressiveness about to…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tubed full-function preamplifier with separate power supply and remote control of volume. Tube complement: two each, 6SN7GT, 12AX7, 12AU7. Inputs: 5 (4 line, 1 MM phono). Input impedance: 47k ohms. Output impedance: 800 ohms. Voltage gain: 16dB line, 43dB phono. Signal/Noise Ratio: 88dB (no reference or conditions given).
Dimensions: 12.2" W by 5.2" H by 13.5" D (preamp chassis). Weight: 22 lbs including power supply.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 230477.
Price: $3500 in Jaguar Carnival Red finish; Jaguar Anthracite Black finish adds $200…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Linn LP12 turntable, Naim Armageddon power supply, Naim Aro tonearm; Rega Planar 3 turntable, Rega RB-300 tonearm; ZYX Airy S, Lyra Helikon Mono, Rega Elys, Dynavector DV10x5 cartridges.
Digital source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Audio Note AN-S2, Tamura L2-D step-up transformers; Fi, Audio Note M3 preamplifiers.
Power amplifiers: Audio Note Kit One (300B), Fi 2A3 Stereo, EAR 890.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL-989, Lowther PM6A (in modified Medallion horns).
Cables: Interconnect: Nordost Valhalla & Valkyrja…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Once I had worked out how to get a signal to appear at its outputs—see AD's comments on the confusing switch labeling—the Cary SLP-98P preamplifier's phono stage offered a gain of 43.4dB (measured at the tape outputs) and an input impedance of 44.4k ohms, both appropriate for moving-magnet cartridges. The RIAA error is shown in fig.1: there is a very slight swayback apparent, reaching ±0.2dB, which will be just audible as a touch of enhanced image depth. More important, note the 0.9dB channel imbalance, which is presumably due to gain differences in the 12AX7 tubes…
When I first got into hi-fi, stereo was just over the horizon and imported products were still rare. The inexpensive ones came from Japan, and you could find them, often with names that changed from week to week, in the open-air displays in and around Cortlandt Street in lower Manhattan. The more expensive brands were European, primarily British, and beyond my financial grasp.
Today, with the great increase in international trade, it's sometimes hard to know a product's nation of origin. British-designed loudspeakers are made in China, Dutch brands carry labels that say "Made in Belgium…
A big problem remained: The sound came distinctly from the two enclosures—even with mono sources. I found myself listening to the Jazzes standing up, walking around, or passing through, but seldom when sitting down in the "sweet spot," because the sonic image had no center-fill at all. I can't tell you how frustrating it was to have two speakers, each of which sounded decent independently, that just wouldn't talk to each other.
The solution was suggested by my preference, independent of other variables, for spacing the Jazzes farther apart. The hell with the manufacturer's…
For completism's sake, I also tried the Jazzes with the Sonic Frontiers Power-3 monoblocks—another case of overkill, or so I thought. But this combination was wonderful. The tube amps made the Jazzes swing ever so smartly. From about 60Hz up to about 10kHz, the sounds emerging from the SF/Jazz combo were unerringly enjoyable; I spent many hours in the sweet spot with disc after disc, just grooving to the music.
The price of this, however, was palpably less bass extension and definition than with the eVo2s, and a loss of some clarity in the upper midrange that compromised spaciousness to…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, reflex-loaded, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" (25mm) soft-dome tweeter, two 6.5" (165mm) plastic-cone woofers. Crossover: 2kHz. Frequency response: 47Hz-20kHz, ±2dB. LF "corner": 40Hz, -6dB. Sensitivity: 89dB/2.83V/m. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Maximum power: 120W long-term, 160W short-term.
Dimensions: 46" (1170mm) H by 9.75" (245mm) W by 13.75" (340mm) D. Base: 12.5" (320mm) W by 15" (380mm) D. Weight: 75 lbs each (34kg).
Finish: Matte black, polished wood veneer.
Serial numbers of units reviewed: 226036 L/R.
Price…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Heybrook TT2 turntable, SME III tonearm, Ortofon SME30H cartridge.
Digital sources: Meridian Reference 800 DVD-Audio player (with 861 control unit), Sony XA-777ES SACD player, Mark Levinson No.360S DAC.
Preamplification: Sonic Frontiers Line-3 preamplifier, Audiolab 8000PPA phono stage.
Power amplifiers: Bel Canto eVo2, Sonic Frontiers Power-3, Classé CAM-350 monoblocks, McCormack DNA1 Rev.A.
Loudspeakers: Paradigm Reference Studio/60 v.2.
Cables: Digital: i2digital X-60. Interconnect: AudioQuest Anaconda & Python (both…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Audes Jazz is significantly more sensitive than average, at an estimated 90.6dB(B)/0.83V/m, this made even more beneficial by an impedance curve that remains above 6 ohms for much of the audioband (fig.1) and drops to a minimum value of 4.2 ohms at 190Hz. The saddle at 42Hz in this graph's magnitude trace indicates the tuning frequency of the speaker's twin ports, which in turn implies moderate low-frequency extension (42Hz is the frequency of the E string on a four-string electric bass guitar or double bass).
Fig.1 Audes Jazz, electrical…