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I measured the Nagra VPS using, for most tests, Audio Precision's top-model SYS2722 system, with some use made of the older AP System One. I used the internal jumpers to set the preamplifier to moving-magnet (MM) or moving-coil (MC) operation, and also looked at the effect of the solid-state output buffer by operating the rear-panel switch.

As used by Michael Fremer, the preamp was set to MC with the internal step-up transformers engaged and the input loading set to 1000 ohms. The input impedance measured 1024 ohms at 1kHz, dropping slightly at the…

The Evolution 505 is massive for a CD player: 29 lbs, a half-foot high, nearly a foot-and-a-half wide and deep. The aircraft-grade aluminum chassis, which comes in silver or black, has rounded edges and slitted sides that give its bulk a streamlined grace. Like the power and preamplifiers in the Evolution series, the…

The other minor problem—in fact, now it's vanished—is that the disc transport in some early units had problems. In my sample, a small number of discs skipped in places. I'm told that, in some other cases, and again on only a few discs, the first few seconds of a track or two were snipped off. The problem, I'm told, has been…

Description: SACD/CD player with wireless IR remote control. Plays SACD, CD,CD-R, 44.1kHz WAV, AAC, DVD-R/RW/+R. Outputs: digital S/PDIF via RCA, TosLink; 1 pair CAST via 4-pin bayonet connectors; 1 pair balanced (XLR); 6 single-ended (RCA). Control inputs: RS-232 port via 9-pin D-subminiature connector, 12VDC trigger input, Krell CAN Link. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, +0/–0.5dB. Signal/noise ratio (A-weighted): 105dB. THD: 20Hz–20kHz, –82dB. Power consumption: 61W.
Dimensions: 17.3" (438mm) W by 6" (153mm) H by 17.3" (438mm) D. Weight: 29 lbs (13.2kg)…

Analog Source: VPI HW-19 Mk.4 turntable & JMW Memorial tonearm, Clearaudio Victory H cartridge.
Preamplification: Audible Illusions Modulus 3a (used only as phono stage).
Integrated Amplifier: Krell FBI.
Loudspeakers: Verity Audio Parsifal Ovation.
Cables: Nirvana interconnects and speaker cables; Krell and Nordost CAST interconnects.
Accessories: Bybee Technologies Signature Model Power Purifier, Black Diamond Mk.IV Racing Cones, Mapleshade pucks, VPI HW-19 record-cleaning machine.—Fred Kaplan

I examined the Krell Evolution 505's measured behavior 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, for some tests, our Audio Precision System One and the Miller Audio Research Jitter Analyzer. The sample measured was S/N 18007010184, the second of the two samples Fred auditioned. As with other Krell components using the company's proprietary CAST current-mode outputs, I could assess the Evolution 505's performance only from the conventional single-ended and balanced jacks. This doesn't…

"I got most of them in the '70s, when I was still in my teens," I said. "Some of those records were left behind by my stepfather's first wife, and I've carted them around ever since. I can't tell you how many times I've come close to throwing them out."

"Well, they really saved your ass today, didn't they?"

Remembering the Victrola
It started as a joke. With gasoline prices rising…

And, as serious record mavens know, reliably accurate frequency response can't be achieved when playing shellac records through most modern phono preamps: Standardized equalization curves for recording and playing back phonograph records didn't become a commercial reality until the late 1950s, and…

There is a reasonably vigorous release schedule for high-definition music videos on Blu-ray, in all genres, including opera and ballet. My experience has been that these discs' higher audio and video resolution makes them of more enduring interest than standard-definition DVDs, but nonetheless, the music bears repetition…