Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe, Pioneer DV-578A universal players; Mark Levinson No.30.6, Benchmark DAC 1 USB, Bel Canto e.one DAC 3 D/A converters; Logitech (Slim Devices) Transporter WiFi music player with Apple Mac mini running OSX for media storage.
Preamplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 2, Ayre K-5xe, Mark Levinson No.380S.
Power Amplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 1, Musical Fidelity 550k Supercharger, Mark Levinson No.33H monoblocks; Boulder 860.
Loudspeakers: Sonus Faber Cremona Elipsa.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Illuminations Orchid AES/EBU, AudioQuest…
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Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Like the original KEF Reference 207, the Reference 207/2 has a voltage sensitivity that is significantly higher than average, at an estimated 91dB(B)2.83V/m, as specified. But also like the earlier version, the 207/2's impedance averages 4 ohms throughout the bass and lower midrange, with a drop to 3.5 ohms in the high treble (fig.1). The absence of the usual double impedance hump in the bass implies that KEF has used some sort of conjugate network at low frequencies in order to make the speaker resemble a resistive load. Certainly the phase angle is generally low…
The "Want to make an easy $1,000,000?" e-mail wasn't a scam from Nigeria but an alert from Paul DiComo, late of Polk Audio and now of Definitive Technology, about a double-blind cable-identification challenge made by The Annoying Randi, a magician and debunker of paranormal events who goes by the name of "The Amazing Randi."
I should have hit Delete and resumed my vacation. But a few months earlier, Randi, without the slightest provocation, had attacked me on his website and the revenge fantasy of relieving him of a million of his bucks filled my head.
Aided by a goofy cover photo…
"The Deaf Audiophile"
Not everything that happened last fall was unpleasant. For instance, the Wall Street Journal's Lee Gomes interviewed me for his September 12, 2007, "Portals" column, "Are Technology Limits in MP3s and iPods Ruining Pop Music?" I don't agree that MP3 compression and/or the Apple iPod is to blame for the poor sound quality of much of today's pop music, or for the ridiculous amount of dynamic compression that is applied to most pop recordings these days, and Gomes let me say that and many other things in a long interview you can download here. I also prepared for him…
On weekends, I play guitar in a string band whose membership varies between two and five members, depending on the location of the job and the amount of pay offered. We're reasonably good at picking and singing, but we lack the originality that would make someone want to buy our albums, which is why we haven't made them. Our little group is McDonald's, not Le Circe or even Applebee's, and I'm at peace with that.
My favorite jobs are the ones where people listen, or dance, or both. But those jobs are increasingly rare. You might have guessed that from the simple fact that I had…
Don't forget: Not only are many large concert venues now sponsored by corporate merchants, the tours of most major pop performers are underwritten by corporate sponsors who want to use music and musicians as advertising vehicles, to sell you more things you don't need. On the last Rolling Stones tour, for instance, Mick Jagger's wobbly old-lady arms were brought to you by Mateus Rosé. It's anyone's guess how many people in the audience wore overpriced clothing emblazoned with ads for Donna Karan and Nike. Jesus H. Wept.
Reality
I'm not complaining about Carnegie Hall. The last time…
How do I get myself into these things? Knowing that I use a Musical Fidelity X-DACV3 D/A processor in my office system and had just auditioned the Bel Canto e.One DAC3 that he'd reviewed in November, John Atkinson asked me to give Musical Fidelity's X-DACV8 a try. I say "asked," but the man does authorize my paychecks, so I acceded, knowing I was painting a giant bull's-eye on my back.
My first thought: V8? What happened to Vs 4 through 7?
I did some searching on the Internet and discovered that, despite Musical Fidelity's constant product churn, I hadn't missed four…
Charlie Haden's bass was forceful and propulsive on Charlie Haden's Private Collection, No.1 (CD, Naim cd005). Haden prods Charlie Parker's "Passport" along with a walking motif that positively sprints —yet through the V8, his double bass sounded warm, taut, and agile.
This quality of nimble precision was also apparent on Steve Miller's "Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma," from The Joker (CD, JVC XRCD ERCD0043-2), which skitters along on a syncopated riff that's simultaneously powerful, agile, and delicate. The V8 nailed it perfectly.
Having established a baseline by bypassing the tube…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Solid-state digital-to-analog processor with switchable tube buffer stage. Inputs: 3 electrical S/PDIF, 1 USB 1.1. Outputs: 1 electrical pass-through S/PDIF, 1 set analog RCAs. Upsampling: to 192kHz. DAC circuit: 24-bit Delta-Sigma dual-differential, 8x-oversampling. Total correlated jitter: 135ps. Linearity error: <0.1dB to –96dBFS. Maximum output level; 2.18V RMS at 1kHz, nominal. Analog output impedance: 47 ohms. Frequency response: 10Hz –20kHz, –0.2dB maximum. Channel separation: >105dB, 20Hz –20kHz. Signal/noise ratio: >117dB, A-…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Apple PowerMac G5 computer; Onkyo DX-7555 CD player; Oppo DV-970HD universal player; Bel Canto e.One DAC3, Musical Fidelity X-DACV3 D/A converters.
Integrated Amplifier: Ayre AX-7e.
Loudspeakers: NHT M-00/S-00, Usher Be-718.
Cables: Digital: Stereovox XV2, generic USB 1.1. Interconnect: Stereovox HDSE. Speaker: Stereovox Firebird.
Accessories: OSAR equipment stand, Shunyata Research Hydra 6 AC conditioner, RealTraps Mini & Mondo Traps.— Wes Phillips