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It's the voice that grabs you first, balanced preternaturally high in the mix. As the singer effortlessly projects the vocal line, imperceptibly grabbing breath without disturbing the long, meandering melody, you can't help but realize what a superb instrument she had. As the song's harmonies modulate their way to the dominant, the bass guitar stubbornly sticks to the tonic so that what would otherwise be a conventional chord progression is transformed into a yearning series of suspensions echoing the lyric's despair. As guitarist Tony Peluso hammers down on his power solo, his instrument so…
"So what are you reviewing now?" A polite question, considering that my old friend Randy is definitely not an audiophile.
"A really interesting preamplifier from Viola Audio Laboratories. It costs $16,000." I wasn't sure Randy knew what a preamplifier was, but I thought the price might get his attention.
"Wow—that better be the best in the world!"
You'd think so, wouldn't you? Especially a preamp that doesn't even have a remote control, which Randy's department-store rack system has. However, the thing that made this too deep a subject for a cocktail-party…
I pulled out my rainy-Tuesday-afternoon classic, Martha Argerich's recording of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic (CD, DG 447 438-2), and cued up that monument to melancholy, the Adagio assai. As I'd expected, the Cadenza delivered the solo piano with all of the little hesitations and nuances that give the movement its pathos—but when the English horn joined in, the purity of its timbre raised every hair on the back of my neck. I just sighed...
Whoa! Sometimes, it can be a prayer.
It's hard to follow something that sublime, but such…
Sidebar 2: System
I majored with the Wilson Audio WITT Series II loudspeakers for this review, supplementing that diet with Quad ESL-63s and Spendor SP2-2s. Some experimentation with a Sunfire subwoofer provided light entertainment. On the power amplifier side, comparisons were made easy with the help of a Krell FPB 600, and pairs of Cary CAD-805C, Conrad-Johnson (ultralinear mode) Premier Eight A, and Unison 845 monoblocks.
Preamplifiers ranged from a Krell KPS-20i/l CD player used direct (balanced and unbalanced) to Audio Synthesis passives and, at the top of the tree, Conrad-…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Bel Canto makes bold claims for good power delivery in the context of SE triode designs. In general, both power and bandwidth are in short supply with this technology, since little or no negative feedback is available to rescue a failing frequency response or a distortion-limited power maximum.
The SET 80 performed well on the power and power-bandwidth tests, notwithstanding a degree of handicap afforded this class of amplifier. It's general to allow a 3% maximum of distortion-limited power in view of the relatively benign low-order nature of SE distortion…
"Them which is of other naturs thinks different," said Martin Chuzzlewit's Mrs. Gamp. If that is true, then Naim's Julian Vereker must be of a very different nature indeed. Vereker—and, by extension, Naim—has never done things the conventional way. Take, for example, power regulation and stiffening power supplies. Long before the rest of the world was taking them seriously, Naim offered upgrades to their components not by changing the audio circuitry, but by adding stiffer and stiffer outboard power regulation.
Their new "entry-level" CD player, the CD 3.5, follows in this tradition. It…
A difference of taste in jokes is a great strain on the affections
The CD 3.5 couldn't be simpler to use: Plug'n'play is the name of the game. The hinged drawer has a solid feel to it—for some reason, I found it oddly satisfying to open it up, put a disc in place, place the magnetic clamp on top, and shut the door. Is this just a sign of audio-geekiness—perhaps nostalgia for the inconvenient ceremony of playing LPs? I'd probably be the last to know, but I've monkeyed around with a bunch of flimsy disc drawers in my time, and the Naim's hinged transport tray has a no-nonsense feel to it…
The CD 3.5 couldn't be simpler to use: Plug'n'play is the name of the game. The hinged drawer has a solid feel to it—for some reason, I found it oddly satisfying to open it up, put a disc in place, place the magnetic clamp on top, and shut the door. Is this just a sign of audio-geekiness—perhaps nostalgia for the inconvenient ceremony of playing LPs? I'd probably be the last to know, but I've monkeyed around with a bunch of flimsy disc drawers in my time, and the Naim's hinged transport tray has a no-nonsense feel to it…
But once again, I was intensely aware of the pace of the performance—especially in the sustained tension of the Adagio. This is far more difficult, in my opinion, than establishing a rocking rhythm. Keeping a slow movement moving while keeping the tension high is a talent given only to great players. Which the CD 3.5 most definitely is.
All young men greatly exaggerate the difference between one CD player and another
As I've opined several times in the last few months, the cream of the CD crop is converging—the similarities between the finest players currently available are greater…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Single-chassis CD player with optional outboard power-supply for analog filters and output amplifier. Frequency response: 10Hz-20kHz, +0.1dB/-0.5dB. Maximum output level: 2.1V RMS at 1kHz. Output impedance: 10 ohms maximum. Phase response: linear phase, absolute phase correct.
Dimensions: 17" (430mm) W by 12" (300mm) D by 2.5" (56mm) H.
Serial number of unit tested: 133566 (CD 3.5), 136898 (FlatCap).
Price: $2150; FlatCap power supply, $700 extra. Approximate number of dealers: 30.
Manufacturer: Naim Audio Limited, Southampton Road,…
Sidebar 2: It's About Time!
I asked Naim's Julian Vereker to describe his digital philosophy. The following was completely off the cuff, but on a subject he has obviously thought deeply about.—Wes Phillips
"In the analog domain, information is stored in terms of amplitude—either voltage or level of magnetization, or the mechanical movement of a stylus in vinyl. In the digital domain, it's stored in terms of time—that is, when something becomes a one or a zero. Therefore the time element is absolutely crucial when you come to convert the digital stream back into analog. Any noise…