Dynamic range was compressed a bit, but peaks weren't distorted or clipped; it was more like someone slightly easing up on the pedal. The high octaves were also rolled off a bit (hence the shortage of air), but the rolloff was smooth; there was no sense of a brickwall filter, no harshness.—Fred Kaplan
Comparisons from John…
Description: Single-box, fixed-output, remote-control CD player with tubed output stage, SuperTubeClock to minimize jitter, and SoftStart circuit for extended life of tubes. Tube complement: two 5AR4 rectifiers, two 12AX7, two 12AU7, subminiature triode in SuperTubeClock circuit. Analog outputs: 1 pair (RCA). Digital outputs: S/PDIF on coaxial (RCA) and optical (TosLink). Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.5dB. Channel separation: 90dB at 1kHz. Maximum output level: 2V, ±3dB. Signal/noise: >96dB. Dynamic range: 120dB. Distortion and noise: <–70dB. Power…
Digital Sources: Krell Evolution 505 SACD player, Simaudio Moon CD 5.3 CD player.
Integrated Amplifier: Krell FBI.
Loudspeakers: Verity Audio Parsifal Applause.
Cables: Nirvana.
Accessories: Bybee Signature Model Power Purifier, Monster Cable AVS2000 voltage regulator, Black Diamond IV Racing Cones.—Fred Kaplan
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe, Pioneer DV-578A, Oppo DV-970HD universal players; Benchmark DAC 1 USB D/A converter.
Preamplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 2, Mark Levinson No.380S.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H.
Loudspeakers: PSB Synchrony One, Epos M16i, Avalon NP Evolution 2.0, Magico V3.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Illuminations Orchid AES/EBU, AudioQuest OptiLink-5 S/PDIF. Interconnect (balanced): AudioQuest Cheetah, Ayre Signature Series. Interconnect (unbalanced): Linn, Canare. Speaker: AudioQuest Kilimanjaro. AC: PS Audio…
I examined the PrimaLuna ProLogue Eight's measured behavior mainly using Audio Precision's top-model SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and "As We See It" in the January 2008 issue), as well as our Audio Precision System One and the Miller Audio Research Jitter Analyzer for some tests. As always, I experimented with the grounding between the player under test and the test set to give the lowest level of measured hum (see later).
The ProLogue Eight's error correction was one of the best I have encountered. While its digital output flagged errors when the gap in…
Back in the July issue, Fred Kaplan and I jointly reviewed the PrimaLuna ProLogue Eight CD player ($2495). Designed in the Netherlands and manufactured in China, the ProLogue Eight features technologies both old and new. While each channel's DAC chip is a highly specified, 24-bit Burr-Brown PCM1792 fed by a Burr-Brown SRC4192 upsampling converter running at 192kHz, the audio signal is handled by pairs of 12AX7 and 12AU7 dual-triode tubes, with 5AR4 tubes used for power-supply rectification. And rather…
Description: Solid-state MM/MC phono preamplifier with voltage-gain and current-gain inputs and switchable subsonic filter. Gain: 49–68dB (RCA input), 55–75dB (XLR input). Input loading: 100 ohms, 1k ohms, 47k ohms in paralle with 47pF, 94pF, 147pF, 267pF, or 515pF (RCA input); 10 ohms (XLR input). THD+ Noise at 1V output: 0.009% at min. 0.04% at max. (MM, RCA input); 0.019% at min. 0.09% at max. (MC, RCA input). S/N Ratio (ref. 1V output): 76dB unweighted/84dBA at mininimum gain, 63dB unweighted/71dBA at maximum gain (MM, RCA input); 69dB unweighted/78dBA at…
Nowadays, musical…