So, this knocks me out, too. However, my recommendation is mostly directed toward choral enthusiasts…
search
Again, fortunately, you can get your feet, or at least your pinky-toe, wet for free, because ArkivMusic has put up sound samples not only of the Mahler, but of Accentus's recordings of works by Vivaldi, Debussy, and Barber as well. Barber transcribed his own Adagio for Strings as an "Agnus Dei" for mixed chorus; Accentus's version is painfully beautiful. The Vivaldi swerves perilously close to the precincts previously haunted by Ward Swingle and his minions, but it's all good clean fun.
While my enthusiasm for the long-discontinued Sony PlayStation 1 remains high (see the July 2008 Stereophile), I freely acknowledge that not every high-end audio enthusiast wants a CD player with an injection-molded chassis, a Robot Commando handset, and a remarkable lack of long-term reliability: Yes, the Sony sounds wonderful, but sound isn't everything.
Nor is an expensive high-end CD player the answer to everyone's needs. With world-class LP players available for a few thousand dollars and up, some hobbyists are, if anything, increasingly reluctant to spend that much or more…
For its part, the Cosecant's outboard power supply was well beyond the usual wall wart in design and execution, with a neat, robust circuit board, high-quality parts—especially the transformer, regulators, and heatsinks—and an attractive exterior of extruded aluminum. When this power supply collected dust bunnies, I felt guilty and cleaned them away.
Installation and setup
Despite—or perhaps owing to—its apparent sophistication of design, installing the Wavelength Cosecant took no more than 10 minutes, from shipping carton to system. Within another minute, it was making music and…
A good example: Playing "Revolution 1," from The Beatles (CD, Parlophone CDP 7 46444)—a 20-year-old digital mastering of a 40-year-old analog recording, mind you—the Sony SACD/CD player sounded more "hi-fi," with slightly more extended trebles. But the Apple-Wavelength combo was in fact a great deal more insightful, giving a clearer view of the lines played by various backing instruments, especially pertaining to the rhythms they convey. That was even truer on "Good Night," where the Apple-Wavelength combo succeeded at getting across the unusual rhythmic figure played by the lower strings…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Single-box digital-to-analog converter with USB data input for use with Macintosh or Windows PCs. Supported input data formats: 16- or 24-bit word lengths; 44.1, 48, 88.2, or 96kHz sample rates. Analog output jacks: 1 pair RCA. Output impedance: 500 ohms. Maximum output voltage: 2.5V (partly tube-dependent). Frequency range: 20Hz–20kHz.
Dimensions: 6.5" (165mm) W by 5.5" (140mm) H by 6.5" (165mm) D. Weight: 3 lbs (1.4kg).
Serial Number Of Unit Reviewed: 26-0078.
Price: $3500; optional volume control, add $500; optional silver output…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog Sources: Thorens TD-124 Mk.II turntable; EMT 997 tonearm; Shindo SPU, Ortofon SPU 90th Anniversary & SPU Synergy A, EMT OFD 25 & OFD 65 cartridges.
Digital Sources: Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player & PlayStation 1.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 step-up transformer, Shindo Masseto preamplifier.
Power Amplifiers: Shindo Corton-Charlemagne & Haut-Brion, Quad II.
Loudspeakers: Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE, Quad ESL.
Cables: USB: Kimber B Bus. Interconnect: Audio Note AN-vx, Shindo Silver. Speaker: Auditorium 23, Naim…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
To measure the Wavelength Cosecant's performance, I used the Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see www.ap.com and "As We See It" in the January 2008 issue), as well as our Audio Precision System One. The source was my G4 Mac mini running OS10.4.11, with the test-signal WAV files played with iTunes and Bias Peak Pro 6.0. For some tests, I also used a Dual-Core Pentium PC running Windows XP SP3, using Audacity to play the files, and at the very end of this issue's production cycle, I repeated some measurements using an Intel MacBook as the source and Audio Precision'…
Manufacturer's Comment
Editor: I want to thank both Art Dudley and John Atkinson for all their hard work. There is a lot more done by both of these men than what you see in these pages, and they should be thanked for that.
I had sent the Cosecant to John after he used it at the 2008 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest to give several demonstrations of resolution of audio files. I had put the unit in balanced mode, and that, I think, is why Art had the hum problems he had. Simply switching the internal DIP switches will result in the ground wire he used being no longer necessary; this is…
Musical Fidelity's founder, Antony Michaelson, arrived at my house to help me set up the two chassis of his sleek, limited-edition, $30,000 Titan power amplifier. (The task requires at least two people.) A week later, a representative of Musical Fidelity's US importer, KEF America, dropped by to listen and to deliver three of Musical Fidelity's new V-series products: a phono preamp, a DAC, and a headphone amp. All three fit comfortably into a small paper bag; the price of the three was $700.
Michaelson would like Musical Fidelity to be all things to all audiophiles. While…
The Titan is also far larger (and heavier) than it appears in photos. Though only slightly more than 7" high, each box is 19" wide and more than 2' deep. The front panel, the custom-made extrusions for the heatsinks, the portholed top panels, and all other visible parts, all machined from mil-spec aluminum billet, add a sleekness to the gracefully proportioned boxes, which are finished in pleasingly understated hues.
Physically, the Titan is everything the kW is not. The kW's cooling fins could grate your fingers like cheese, and its top plate is littered with non-countersunk, non-…