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Musical Fidelity X-DAC<SUP>V8</SUP> Digital/Analog Processor Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

I examined the Musical Fidelity X-DACV8's measured behavior before I received our loaner sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January issue's "As We See It" and www.ap.com). I used two different, older test sets: the National Instruments –based Miller QC Suite and my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain. I performed a complete set of tests from the X-DACV8's solid-state outputs using an S/PDIF link, repeating some of them from the tubed outputs and/or using the USB input.

Looking first at the X-DACV8's…

Mastersound 300 B S.E. integrated amplifier

Although she'll deny it, my wife thinks ill of me because I've failed to buy her a new Mini Cooper. I can point to a number of things in my defense—especially the Mini's lack of all-wheel drive, which we need for climbing our quarter-mile driveway in bad weather, and its insufficient cargo and passenger space—all of which would constrain a Dudley-owned Mini Cooper to recreational use only. And a new round of car payments would be difficult to justify for those reasons: not because I'm cheap, and not because I'm too old to appreciate a car that's fun to drive.

I admire the new…

Mastersound 300 B S.E. integrated amplifier Page 2

I also tried using the Mastersound in the next room, with my Quad ESL speakers. But I did so only long enough to note that the zero-feedback 300 B S.E. was unsuitable for driving such a wiggy load: It just wasn't happening.

I tend to place integrated amplifiers much closer to my source components than to my speakers: either on a rigid oak table next to my turntable stand, or, in the case of very large or heavy amps, on the hardwood floor. Due to the Mastersound's extraordinary weight (73 lbs), the floor was the only realistic choice, and while I tried a couple of different isolation…

Mastersound 300 B S.E. integrated amplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Tubed integrated amplifier with single-ended, class-A output stage and four line-level inputs. Tube complement (two each): 300B, ECC82, 5687 WB. Input impedance: 100k ohms. Frequency response: 8Hz–30kHz, ±0dB. Output impedance: 4 or 8 ohms (selectable). Maximum output power: 12Wpc (10.8dBW).
Dimensions: 20" (510mm) W by 9.5" (245mm) H by 14" (360mm) D. Weight: 72.6 lbs (33kg).
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 132/07.
Price: $6095. Approximate number of dealers: 8.
Manufacturer: Mastersound SAS, Via Cima XII, No.14, 36051 Creazzo, Vicenza…

Mastersound 300 B S.E. integrated amplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: Linn Sondek LP12 (with Linn Basik power supply), Thorens TD 124 Mk.II turntables; Naim Aro, Rega RB300, RS Laboratory RS-A1 tonearms; Miyabi 47, EMT JSD 5, Denon DL-103, Koetsu Black cartridges.
Digital Source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Standard, K&K Audio, Koetsu step-up transformers; Shindo Masseto, DNM 3D preamplifiers.
Power Amplifiers: Quad II monoblocks, Shindo Cortese, DNM PA3S.
Loudspeakers: Quad ESL, Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE.
Cables: Interconnect: Audio Note AN-Vx, Shindo silver…

Mastersound 300 B S.E. integrated amplifier Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

To my alarm, the Mastersound B S.E. arrived with something rattling around inside the box. It was the tubes! In my opinion, the packaging supplied with this heavy, delicate, and expensive amplifier is nowhere near robust enough to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous UPS shipping. To add insult to injury, the tube cage can be removed only by unscrewing four internal Phillips-head bolts; screwdrivers long enough to reach these bolts are too thick to go through the slots in the cage, and screwdrivers that will go through the slots are too short. Fortunately,…

Balanced Audio Technology Rex line preamplifier

If any single link in the audio chain should be free of sonic personality, it's the preamplifier. Though a preamplifier's basic job description is "source selector with volume control," from hi-fi's earliest days preamps have been the designated dashboard: the more dials, switches, and lights, the better. All that control came at the cost of quiet, transparency, and tonal neutrality. Still, the quixotic quest for the mythical "straight wire with gain" continued to lead to minimalist designs, including impractical unbuffered "passive" preamps, in which cable length, thus capacitance, affected…

Balanced Audio Technology Rex line preamplifier Page 2

Successive pressings of Function cycle through Balance, Relative Volume, Phase, Mono/Stereo, Maximum, Fixed, Display, and Input Name, allowing you to customize each input independently for most of those functions. BAT was smart to begin with Balance; unlike Phase (more correctly labeled Polarity on the remote) and Mono/Stereo, the Rex offers no independent means of adjusting the balance, either on the front panel or on the remote. Selecting Fixed lets you set the chosen input for unity gain for use as a pass-through to an A/V system, while Display lets you select the relative volume level…

Balanced Audio Technology Rex line preamplifier Specifications

Sidebar 1: Specifications

Description: Two-chassis, fully balanced, tubed, remote-controlled preamplifier with switchable absolute polarity. Tube complement: eight 6H30 in control module, two 5AR4, four 6C19, two 6H30, two 6C45 in power module. Inputs: 5 XLR. Outputs: 2 XLR (main), 1 XLR (tape). Volume-control resolution: 140 steps, 0.5dB each. Frequency range: 2Hz –200kHz. Maximum gain: 17dB. Maximum output: 50V. Distortion at 2V output: 0.005%. Noise: –100dB unweighted. Input impedance: 100k ohms minimum. Output impedance: 200 ohms. Power consumption: control module, 220VA; power…

Balanced Audio Technology Rex line preamplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn & Criterion turntables, Cobra & Copperhead tonearms, Castellon stand; Graham Phantom tonearm; Lyra Titan, Air Tight PC-1, Koetsu Vermillion, Soundsmith SMMC-1, Ortofon Windfeld cartridges.
Digital Sources: Musical Fidelity kW SACD/CD player, BPT-modified Alesis Masterlink hard-disk recorder.
Preamplification: Manley Steelhead, Einstein Turntable's Choice phono preamplifiers; Musical Fidelity kWP preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity kW, VTL MB-450 Series II Signature monoblocks.
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