Description: Solid-state, monoblock power amplifier with balanced and unbalanced line-level inputs and 1 pair speaker-level inputs. Maximum power output: 750W into 8 ohms (28.75dBW), 1150W into 4 ohms (24.7dBW). Maximum output voltage: 78V RMS, 20Hz–20kHz; 222V peak–peak. Maximum current: 250 amps peak–peak. Frequency response: 20Hz–30kHz, +0/–0.2dB. THD+noise: <0.01%, 20Hz–20kHz. Damping factor: 220. Input impedance: 50k ohms (line), 50 ohms (speaker). Input sensitivity for full power out into 8 ohms: 2.5V (line), 35V (speaker). Signal/noise (no reference…
search
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xe universal player; Cary Audio Design 306 Pro SACD player; PrimaLuna ProLogue Eight CD player; Mark Levinson No.30.6, Benchmark DAC 1 USB D/A converters; Logitech (Slim Devices) Transporter WiFi music player with Apple Mac mini for media storage.
Preamplifiers: Mark Levinson No.380S, Simaudio Moon Evolution P7, Ayre KX-R.
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.33H, Ayre MX-R, Parasound Halo JC 1, Musical Fidelity 550K Supercharger (all monoblocks).
Loudspeakers: PSB Synchrony One, Dynaudio Sapphire, Totem Model 1 Signature,…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
I examined the Musical Fidelity's measured behavior primarily using Stereophile's loaner sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It" and www.ap.com); for some tests, I also used my vintage Audio Precision System One Dual Domain.
My first test of an amplifier is to run it for 60 minutes at one-third its specified power into 8 ohms, which is thermally the worst case for an amplifier with a class-B or -AB output stage. The 750K got very hot very quickly, its cooling fans turning on after two minutes, its…
The Gini Systems "LS3/5a" is an unlicensed and inexact replica of the celebrated LS3/5a outside (remote location) broadcast monitoring loudspeaker originally developed by the BBC in the early 1970s. (For a précis of the LS3/5a's history, click here.)
Stereophile reviewed the BBC's 1977 version of the LS3/5a in March of that year. The directory at the bottom of the webpage devoted to that review provides links to coverage of later self-proclaimed LS3/5a incarnations, but not to speakers such as Harbeth's HL-3PES-2, which, although designed as drop-in replacements for BBC-spec LS3…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Two-way, sealed-box stand-mounted loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1" soft-dome tweeter, 5" plastic-cone woofer. Frequency range: 50Hz–20kHz. Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Power handling: 50Wpc.
Dimensions: 12" W by 7.5" W by 6.25" D.
Serial Numbers of Review Samples: 06070025A & B.
Price: $490/pair in kit form, $560/pair assembled.
Manufacturer: Gini Systems, Inc., 3431 Pomona Blvd., Unit G, Pomona, CA 91766. Tel: (909) 720-8188. Web: www.gini.com.
Sidebar 2: Measurements
As John Marks writes, he sent me this unauthorized copy of the classic BBC-designed minimonitor to measure because he suspected an internal wiring problem in one of the speakers. This turned out to be the case: as you can see in fig.1, which shows the step responses of both samples, while both speakers had the tweeter wired in inverted acoustic polarity, one speaker also had the woofer wired in negative polarity (red trace) rather than positive (blue trace). Having the woofer and tweeter in the same polarity results in a suckout in the crossover region between the…
Italian manufacturer Chario Loudspeakers has never had a strong presence in the US. No wonder, then, when confronted by these exquisitely finished beauties of solid hardwood, many American audiophiles think, "Sonus Faber rip-off." Without knowing the musical history of the 1960s, had you heard Badfinger first, you might have thought the same thing when you then heard the Beatles. Similarly, Chario, by far Italy's largest maker of high-performance speakers, was founded in 1975, eight years before Sonus Faber. While SF has its drive-units built to its own specifications by other firms, Chario…
The bottom octaves were exceedingly clean and nimble. While 35Hz can't give you the full bottom weight, the Sovran more than compensated with clarity and ultralow coloration, which are easily preferable to greater bass extension that comes at the price of bloat, overhang, and detail-obscuring warmth.
The Sovran's complete freedom from midbass overhang meant that, until I got used to the speaker's clarity and honesty in the lower octaves, I had to check to make sure the woofers were working, because they were impossible to "hear." When called on to produce deep bass, they did. When not,…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Three-way, floorstanding loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.2" (32mm) Silversoft tweeter, 6.7" (170mm) aperiodically loaded Rohacell cone mid/woofer, two 8" (200mm) isobarically loaded woofers. Frequency range: 35Hz–20kHz. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Sensitivity: 90dB/2.83V/m. Recommended amplification: 180W into 4 ohms.
Dimensions: 47.6" (1220mm) H by 9.4" (240mm) W by 17.2" (440mm) D. Weight: 103.4 lbs (47kg).
Finishes: Solid walnut or cherry.
Serial Numbers Of Units Reviewed: 65159, 65160.
Price: $17,000/pair. Approximate number of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn, Cobra, & Castellon turntable, tonearm, & stand; Graham Phantom tonearm; Lyra Titan i, Koetsu Coralstone Platinum mono cartridges.
Digital Sources: Musical Fidelity kW DM25 CD transport & DAC, Marantz SA-11S2 SACD player, dCS 904 A/D converter, BPT-modified Alesis Masterlink hard-disk recorder.
Preamplification: Manley Steelhead, TruLife Reikon phono preamplifiers; darTZeel NHB-18NS preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Musical Fidelity kW monoblocks; Luxman M-800A, Music Reference RM-200.
…